Theravāda (Pāli, lit. "School of the Elders") is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest extant school. The school's adherents, termed Theravādins, have preserved their version of Gautama Buddha's teaching in the Pāli Canon. The Pāli Canon is the only complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language, Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language and lingua franca. Theravādins have endeavoured to

In Theravāda Buddhism the Pāli Canon is the highest authority on what constitutes the Dhamma (the Truth or Teaching of the Buddha) and the organization of the Saṅgha (the community of monks and nuns). It is believed that much of the Pāli Canon, still used in Theravādin communities, was transmitted to Śrī Lanka during the reign of Aśoka. Theravāda is one of the first Buddhist

Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle) is one of two major existing branches of Buddhism (the other being Theravāda) and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice. This movement added a further set of discourses, and although it was initially small in India, it had long-term historical significance. The Buddhist tradition of Vajrayāna is sometimes classified as a part of Mahāyāna Buddhism, but some scholars consider

Vajrayāna, Mantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism are terms referring to the various Buddhist traditions of Tantra and "Secret Mantra", which developed in Medieval India and spread to Tibet, Bhutan, and East Asia. In Tibet, Buddhist Tantra is termed Vajrayāna, while in China it is generally known as "Chinese Esotericism" or "Esoteric Sect", and in Japan it is known as Mikkyō ("secret

Tibetan Buddhism is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet where it is the dominant religion. It is also found in the regions surrounding the Himalayas (such as Bhutan, Ladakh, and Sikkim), much of Central Asia, the Southern Siberian regions such as Tuva, as well as Mongolia. Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism stemming from the latest stages of Indian Buddhism.

Zen (Chinese: Chan) Buddhism, as we know it today, is the result of a long history, with many changes and contingent factors. Each period had different types of Zen, some of which remained influential, while others vanished. The history of Chan in China is divided into various periods by different scholars, who generally distinguish a classical phase and a post-classical period. Some scholars distinguish 3 periods

Zen (Chinese: Chan; Sanskrit: dhyāna; Japanese: Zen; Korean: Seon; Vietnamese: Thien) is the Japanese term (and often used term in English) for the principle of dhyāna in Buddhism, and for Zen Buddhism, a tradition in Mahāyāna Buddhism which originated in China during the Tang dynasty (as Chan Buddhism). Chinese Chan Buddhism developed into various other schools, including many Japanese Zen schools, to which the term

Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura Buddhism schools. Its teachings derive from some 300–400 extant letters and treatises attributed to Nichiren. Nichiren Buddhism focuses on the Lotus Sūtra doctrine that all people have an innate Buddha-nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining Enlightenment

After Nichiren's death in 1282 the Kamakura shogunate weakened largely due to financial and political stresses resulting from defending the country from the Mongols. Several denominations comprise the umbrella term "Nichiren Buddhism" which was known at the time as the Hokkeshū (Lotus School) or Nichiren Shū (Nichiren School). The splintering of Nichiren's teachings into different schools began several years after Nichiren's passing. Nichiren groups shared commonalities