Buddhism

[ boo-diz-uhm, bood-iz- ]

noun
  1. a religion, originated in India by Buddha (Gautama) and later spreading to China, Myanmar (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 of Buddhism

1

Other words from Buddhism

  • an·ti-Bud·dhist, adjective, noun
  • Bud·dhist, adjective, noun
  • Bud·dhis·tic, Bud·dhis·ti·cal, adjective
  • Bud·dhis·ti·cal·ly, adverb
  • non-Bud·dhist, adjective, noun
  • non-Bud·dhis·tic, adjective
  • pre-Bud·dhist, adjective
  • pro-Bud·dhist, adjective, noun
  • pseu·do-Bud·dhist, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Buddhism

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How to use Buddhism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Buddhism

Buddhism

/ (ˈbʊdɪzəm) /


noun
  1. a religious teaching propagated by the Buddha and his followers, which declares that by destroying greed, hatred, and delusion, which are the causes of all suffering, man can attain perfect enlightenment: See nirvana

Derived forms of Buddhism

  • Buddhist, noun, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Buddhism

Buddhism

[ (booh-diz-uhm, bood-iz-uhm) ]


A religion, 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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.