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Buddhism
5 dictionary results for: Buddhism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
Bud·dhism       [boo-diz-uhm, bood-iz-] Pronunciation Key
–noun
a religion, originated in India by Buddha (Gautama) and later spreading to China, Burma, Japan, Tibet, and parts of southeast Asia, holding that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject.


[Origin: Buddh(a) + -ism]

Buddhist, noun, adjective
Bud·dhis·tic, Bud·dhis·ti·cal, adjective
Bud·dhis·ti·cal·ly, adverb
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Bud·dhism       (bōō'dĭz'əm, bŏŏd'ĭz'-)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. The teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct, wisdom, and meditation releases one from desire, suffering, and rebirth.
  2. The religion represented by the many groups, especially numerous in Asia, that profess varying forms of this doctrine and that venerate Buddha.

Bud'dhist adj. & n., Bud·dhis'tic adj.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
buddhism

noun
1. a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha 
2. the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth 

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
Buddhism [(booh-diz-uhm, bood-iz-uhm)]

A reli-gion, founded by the Buddha, that emphasizes physical and spiritual discipline as a means of liberation from the physical world. The goal for the Buddhist is to attain nirvana, a state of complete peace in which one is free from the distractions of desire and self-consciousness. Buddhists are found in the greatest numbers in eastern Asia.


Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Buddhism

Bud"dhism\, n. The religion based upon the doctrine originally taught by the Hindoo sage Gautama Siddartha, surnamed Buddha, "the awakened or enlightened," in the sixth century b. c., and adopted as a religion by the greater part of the inhabitants of Central and Eastern Asia and the Indian Islands. Buddha's teaching is believed to have been atheistic; yet it was characterized by elevated humanity and morality. It presents release from existence (a beatific enfranchisement, Nirv[^a]na) as the greatest good. Buddhists believe in transmigration of souls through all phases and forms of life. Their number was estimated in 1881 at 470,000,000.

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