Buddhism(佛教):

In Chinese, it is pronounced as: fó jiào，Written as:

Buddhism is one of the world’s three major religions, alongside Christianity and Islam, originating in ancient India. It was founded by Sakyamuni between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. Buddhism has spread widely across Asia and around the world, significantly influencing the socio-political and cultural lives of many countries.

The founder of Buddhism is Sakyamuni, originally named Siddhartha Gautama. He left home at the age of 20 to seek enlightenment and was thereafter revered as the “Buddha,” meaning the Enlightened One. Sakyamuni is a central figure in Buddhism, and his teachings and philosophies form the foundation of the religion.

After Buddhism was introduced to China from India, it underwent extensive dissemination and development, evolving into Chinese Buddhism, which exhibits distinct national characteristics. Chinese Buddhism consists of three major sects: Han Buddhism, primarily found in the eastern and southern regions; Tibetan Buddhism, mainly in Tibet; and Theravada Buddhism, predominantly in Yunnan and Southeast Asia.

The core teachings of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths, which articulate the essence of life and the path to liberation: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. The main practices include the Threefold Training: morality, meditation, and wisdom. Morality involves adhering to ethical precepts, meditation is the practice of achieving mental tranquility, and wisdom is the insight into the true nature of things. Additionally, Buddhism includes other practices such as the Eightfold Path.