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Buddhism, based on the
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama

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Overview:

Buddhism currently has about 365 milliion followers and is the world's fourth largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It was founded in Northern India by Siddhartha Gautama (circa 563 to 460 BCE).

It is sometimes regarded as a having emerged from the Hindu religion with which it shares beliefs in karma, dharma, and reincarnation:

	Karma is the sum total of an individual's actions of body, speech and mind -- good, bad and neutral -- taken in their current and previous lives.
	Dharma, in Buddhism, refers to two items: The teachings of the Buddha; a person's path to enlightenment, and The fundamental principles that order the universe
	Reincarnation is the rebirth of a living being after death into a new body that is either a human, animal or a supernatural being.

In contrast to Christianity, classical Buddhism does not involve the recognition or worship of deities. It also does not teach the existence of the human soul.

Topics covered in this section:

	Introduction: Quotes, Overview. Is it a religion?
	A brief overview of the Buddha's life
	Core Buddhist beliefs A summary of Buddhism
	Comparison of Buddhism with Christianity
	Buddhist traditions in the East and West A brief discussion Theravada Buddhism (Southern Buddhism) Mahayana tradition (Northern Buddhism) Vajrayāna Buddhism(Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism) Tibetan Buddhism (Being written) Tantric sex Chán and Zen Buddhism
	Buddhism and homosexuality
	Sources of Buddhist information and materials

Amazon.com's online store lists the following books on Buddhism:

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Latest update: 2009-JUN-10
Author: B.A. Robinson

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