Impermanence

Translations of
Impermanence
Translations of; Impermanence
English	Impermanence
Sanskrit	अनित्य; (IAST:anitya)
Pali	अनिच्च; (anicca)
Burmese	အနိစ္စ; (MLCTS:anicca)
Chinese	Vô thường; (Pinyin:wúcháng)
Japanese	Vô thường; (Rōmaji:mujō)
Khmer	អនិច្ចំ; (UNGEGN:ânĭchchâm)
Korean	무상; (RR:musang)
Tibetan	མི་རྟག་པ་; (Wylie: mi rtag pa, THL: mi tak pa)
Tagalog	anissa
Thai	อนิจจัง; (RTGS:anitchang)
Vietnamese	vô thường
	Glossary of Buddhism

Impermanence,also known as thephilosophical problemofchange,is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety ofreligionsandphilosophies.InEastern philosophyit is notable for its role in theBuddhist three marks of existence.It is also an element ofHinduism.InWestern philosophyit is most famously known through its first appearance inGreek philosophyin the writings ofHeraclitusand in his doctrine ofpanta rhei(everything flows). In Western philosophy the concept is also referred to asbecoming.

Dharmic religions[edit]

ThePaliword for impermanence,anicca,is a compound word consisting of"a"meaning non-, and"nicca"meaning "constant, continuous, permanent".^[1]While 'nicca' is the concept of continuity and permanence, 'anicca' refers to its exact opposite; the absence of permanence and continuity. The term is synonymous with the Sanskrit termanitya(a + nitya).^[1]^[2]The concept of impermanence is prominent in Buddhism, and it is also found in various schools of Hinduism and Jainism. The term also appears in theRigveda.^[3]^[4]

Buddhism[edit]

Impermanence,calledanicca(Pāli) oranitya(Sanskrit), appears extensively in the Pali Canon^[1]as one of the essential doctrines ofBuddhism.^[1]^[5]^[6]The doctrine asserts that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is "transient, evanescent, inconstant".^[1]All temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction.^[1]^[2]All physical and mental events are not metaphysically real. They are not constant or permanent; they come into being and dissolve.^[7]

Anicca is understood in Buddhism as the first of thethree marks of existence(trilakshana), the other two beingdukkha(suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness) andanatta(non-self, non-soul, no essence).^[6]^[5]^[8]It appears in Pali texts as,"sabbe sankhara anicca, sabbe sankhara dukkha, sabbe dhamma anatta",which Szczurek translates as, "all conditioned things are impermanent, all conditioned things are painful, alldhammasare without Self ".^[9]

All physical and mental events, states Buddhism, come into being and dissolve.^[10]Human life embodies this flux in the aging process, the cycle of repeated birth and death (Samsara), nothing lasts, and everything decays. This is applicable to all beings and their environs, including beings who havereincarnatedindeva(god) andnaraka(hell) realms.^[11]^[12]

Anicca is intimately associated with the doctrine ofanatta,according to which things have no essence, permanent self, or unchanging soul.^[13]^[14]The Buddha taught that because no physical or mental object is permanent, desires for or attachments to either causes suffering (dukkha). UnderstandingAniccaandAnattaare steps in the Buddhist's spiritual progress toward enlightenment.^[15]^[7]^[16]

Everything, whether physical or mental, is a formation (Saṅkhāra), has a dependent origination and is impermanent. It arises, changes and disappears.^[17]^[18]According to Buddhism, everything in human life, all objects, as well as all beings whether in heavenly or hellish or earthly realms inBuddhist cosmology,is always changing, inconstant, undergoes rebirth and redeath (Samsara).^[11]^[12]This impermanence is a source ofdukkha.This is in contrast tonirvana,the reality that isnicca,or knows no change, decay or death.^[1]

Rupert GethinonFour Noble Truthssays:^[19]

As long as there is attachment to things that are
unstable, unreliable, changing and impermanent,
there will be suffering –
when they change, when they cease to be
what we want them to be.
(...)
If craving is the cause of suffering, then the cessation
of suffering will surely follow from 'the complete
fading away and ceasing of that very craving':
its abandoning, relinquishing, releasing, letting go.

Hinduism[edit]

The termAnitya(अनित्य), in the sense of impermanence of objects and life, appears in verse 1.2.10 of theKatha Upanishad,one of thePrincipal Upanishadsof Hinduism.^[20]^[21]It asserts that everything in the world is impermanent, but impermanent nature of things is an opportunity to obtain what is permanent (nitya) as the Hindu scripture presents its doctrine aboutAtman(Self).^[9]^[21]^[22]The term Anitya also appears in theBhagavad Gitain a similar context.^[9]

Buddhism and Hinduism share the doctrine ofAniccaorAnitya,that is "nothing lasts, everything is in constant state of change"; however, they disagree on theAnattadoctrine, that is whether Self exists or not.^[7]Even in the details of their respective impermanence theories, state Frank Hoffman and Deegalle Mahinda, Buddhist and Hindu traditions differ.^[23]Change associated withAniccaand associated attachments produces sorrow orDukkhaasserts Buddhism and therefore need to be discarded for liberation (nibbana), while Hinduism asserts that not all change and attachments lead toDukkhaand some change – mental or physical or self-knowledge – leads to happiness and therefore need to be sought for liberation (moksha).^[23]TheNicca(permanent) in Buddhism isanatta(non-soul), theNityain Hinduism isatman(Self).^[9]

Western philosophy[edit]

Impermanence first appears inGreek philosophyin the writings ofHeraclitusand his doctrine ofpanta rhei(everything flows). Heraclitus was famous for his insistence on ever-present change as being the fundamental essence of the universe, as stated in the famous saying, "No man ever steps in the same river twice".^[24]This is commonly considered to be a key contribution in the development of the philosophical concept ofbecoming,as contrasted with "being", and has sometimes been seen in a dialectical relationship withParmenides' statement that "whatever is, is, and what is not cannot be", the latter being understood as a key contribution in the development of the philosophical concept ofbeing.For this reason, Parmenides and Heraclitus are commonly considered to be two of the founders ofontology.Scholars have generally believed that either Parmenides was responding to Heraclitus, or Heraclitus to Parmenides, though opinion on who was responding to whom has varied over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries.^[25]Heraclitus' position was complemented by his stark commitment to aunity of oppositesin the world, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same". Through these doctrines Heraclitus characterized all existing entities by pairs of contrary properties, whereby no entity may ever occupy a single state at a single time. This, along with his cryptic utterance that "all entities come to be in accordance with thisLogos"(literally," word "," reason ", or" account ") has been the subject of numerous interpretations.

Impermanence was widely but not universally accepted among subsequent Greek philosophers.Democritus' theory of atoms entailed that assemblages of atoms were impermanent.^[26]Pyrrhodeclared that everything wasastathmēta(unstable), andanepikrita(unfixed).^[27]Plutarchcommented on impermanence saying "And if the nature which is measured is subject to the same conditions as the time which measures it, this nature itself has no permanence, nor" being, "but is becoming and perishing according to its relation to time.^[28]TheStoicphilosopher,Marcus Aurelius'Meditationscontains many comments about impermanence, such as “Bear in mind that everything that exists is already fraying at the edges, and in transition, subject to fragmentation and to rot.” (10.18)^[29]

Platorejected impermanence, arguing against Heraclitus:^[30]

How can that be a real thing which is never in the same state?... for at the moment that the observer approaches, then they become other... so that you cannot get any further in knowing their nature or state.... but if that which knows and that which is known exist ever... then I do not think they can resemble a process or flux....

Several famous Roman Latin sayings are about impermanence, includingOmnia mutantur,Sic transit gloria mundi,andTempora mutantur.

In arts and culture[edit]

Akio Jissoji'sBuddhist auteur filmMujo(also known asThis Transient Life) owes its title to the doctrine of Impermanence.
Impermanenceis the title of a novella written by Daniel Frisano.
"Impermanence" is the title of the 7th track onFor Those That Wish to ExistbyArchitects.

References[edit]

^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gThomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921).Pali-English Dictionary.Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 355, Article onNicca.ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.
^^a ^bRobert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013).The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.Princeton University Press. pp. 47–48, Article onAnitya.ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
^A. C. Paranjpe (2006).Self and Identity in Modern Psychology and Indian Thought.Springer Science & Business Media. p. 172.ISBN 978-0-306-47151-3.
^Martin G. Wiltshire (1990).Ascetic Figures Before and in Early Buddhism: The Emergence of Gautama as the Buddha.Walter de Gruyter. pp. 136 note 14.ISBN 978-3-11-009896-9.
^^a ^bRichard Gombrich (2006).Theravada Buddhism.Routledge. p. 47.ISBN 978-1-134-90352-8.,Quote:"All phenomenal existence [in Buddhism] is said to have three interlocking characteristics: impermanence, suffering and lack of soul or essence."
^^a ^bRobert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013).The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.Princeton University Press. pp. 42–43, 47, 581.ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.
^^a ^b ^cRay Billington (2002).Understanding Eastern Philosophy.Routledge. pp. 56–59.ISBN 978-1-134-79348-8.
^Anicca Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013);
Anatta Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013);
Phra Payutto(1995).Buddhadhamma: Natural Laws and Values for Life.Translated by Grant Olson. State University of New York Press. pp. 62–63.ISBN 978-0-7914-2631-9.
^^a ^b ^c ^dRichard Francis Gombrich; Cristina Anna Scherrer-Schaub (2008).Buddhist Studies.Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 209–210.ISBN 978-81-208-3248-0.
^Anicca Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013)
^^a ^bDamien Keown (2013).Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction.Oxford University Press. pp. 32–38.ISBN 978-0-19-966383-5.
^^a ^bPeter Harvey (2012).An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices.Cambridge University Press. pp. 32–33, 38–39, 46–49.ISBN 978-0-521-85942-4.
^Anatta Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013)
^[a]Christmas Humphreys (2012).Exploring Buddhism.Routledge. pp. 42–43.ISBN 978-1-136-22877-3.
[b]Brian Morris (2006).Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction.Cambridge University Press. p. 51.ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8.,Quote:"(...) anatta is the doctrine of non-self, and is an extreme empiricist doctrine that holds that the notion of an unchanging permanent self is a fiction and has no reality. According to Buddhist doctrine, the individual person consists of five skandhas or heaps - the body, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. The belief in a self or soul, over these five skandhas, is illusory and the cause of suffering."
[c]Richard Gombrich (2006).Theravada Buddhism.Routledge. p. 47.ISBN 978-1-134-90352-8.,Quote:"(...) Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."
^Brian Morris (2006).Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction.Cambridge University Press. pp. 51–53.ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8.
^John Whalen-Bridge (2011).Writing as Enlightenment: Buddhist American Literature into the Twenty-first Century.State University of New York Press. pp. 154–155.ISBN 978-1-4384-3921-1.
^Paul Williams (2005).Buddhism: Buddhism in China, East Asia, and Japan.Routledge. pp. 150–153.ISBN 978-0-415-33234-7.
^Damien Keown (2004).A Dictionary of Buddhism.Oxford University Press. p. 15.ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
^Rupert Gethin (1998).The Foundations of Buddhism.Oxford University Press. p.74.ISBN 978-0-19-160671-7.
^Katha Upanishad 1.2.10,Wikisource; Quote: जानाम्यहं शेवधिरित्यनित्यं न ह्यध्रुवैः प्राप्यते हि ध्रुवं तत् । ततो मया नाचिकेतश्चितोऽग्निःअनित्यैर्द्रव्यैः प्राप्तवानस्मि नित्यम् ॥ १०॥
^^a ^bPaul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 978-8120814684,page 283 with footnote 1
^Max Muller (1884).The Upanishads.Oxford University Press (Reprinted Dover Press, 2012). p. 9, verse 1.2.10.ISBN 978-0-486-15711-5.
^^a ^bFrank Hoffman; Deegalle Mahinda (2013).Pali Buddhism.Routledge. pp. 162–165.ISBN 978-1-136-78553-5.
^This is how Plato puts Heraclitus' doctrine. SeeCratylus,402a.
^John Palmer (2016).Parmenides.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.
^"Democritus".The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. 2016.
^Beckwith, Christopher I. (2015).Greek Buddha: Pyrrho's Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia(PDF).Princeton University Press.pp. 22–23.ISBN 9781400866328.
^Plutarch,On the “E” at Delphi
^Marcus Aurelius on impermanencephillipwells.com April 2015^{[dead link]}
^CratylusParagraph 440 sections c-d.

External links[edit]

The Buddhist Philosophy of Universal Flux (1935)by Satkari Mookerjee
All About ChangebyThanissaro Bhikkhu
Three marks of existencebyNyanaponika Thera
Time and Temporality: A Buddhist Approach,Kenneth K. Inada (1974), Philosophy East and West

[DavidsStede1921p355-1] ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gThomas William Rhys Davids; William Stede (1921).Pali-English Dictionary.Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 355, Article onNicca.ISBN 978-81-208-1144-7.

[buswelllopez47-2] Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013).The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.Princeton University Press. pp. 47–48, Article onAnitya.ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.

[3] A. C. Paranjpe (2006).Self and Identity in Modern Psychology and Indian Thought.Springer Science & Business Media. p. 172.ISBN 978-0-306-47151-3.

[4] Martin G. Wiltshire (1990).Ascetic Figures Before and in Early Buddhism: The Emergence of Gautama as the Buddha.Walter de Gruyter. pp. 136 note 14.ISBN 978-3-11-009896-9.

[gombrich47-5] Richard Gombrich (2006).Theravada Buddhism.Routledge. p. 47.ISBN 978-1-134-90352-8.,Quote:"All phenomenal existence [in Buddhism] is said to have three interlocking characteristics: impermanence, suffering and lack of soul or essence."

[buswelllopez42-6] Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013).The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.Princeton University Press. pp. 42–43, 47, 581.ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8.

[Billington2002p56-7] Ray Billington (2002).Understanding Eastern Philosophy.Routledge. pp. 56–59.ISBN 978-1-134-79348-8.

[8] Anicca Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013);
Anatta Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013);
Phra Payutto(1995).Buddhadhamma: Natural Laws and Values for Life.Translated by Grant Olson. State University of New York Press. pp. 62–63.ISBN 978-0-7914-2631-9.

[GombrichScherrer2008p209-9] Richard Francis Gombrich; Cristina Anna Scherrer-Schaub (2008).Buddhist Studies.Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 209–210.ISBN 978-81-208-3248-0.

[10] Anicca Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013)

[damienkeown32-11] Damien Keown (2013).Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction.Oxford University Press. pp. 32–38.ISBN 978-0-19-966383-5.

[Harvey2012p46-12] Peter Harvey (2012).An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices.Cambridge University Press. pp. 32–33, 38–39, 46–49.ISBN 978-0-521-85942-4.

[britannicaanatta-13] Anatta Buddhism,Encyclopædia Britannica (2013)

[14] [a]Christmas Humphreys (2012).Exploring Buddhism.Routledge. pp. 42–43.ISBN 978-1-136-22877-3.
[b]Brian Morris (2006).Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction.Cambridge University Press. p. 51.ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8.,Quote:"(...) anatta is the doctrine of non-self, and is an extreme empiricist doctrine that holds that the notion of an unchanging permanent self is a fiction and has no reality. According to Buddhist doctrine, the individual person consists of five skandhas or heaps - the body, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. The belief in a self or soul, over these five skandhas, is illusory and the cause of suffering."
[c]Richard Gombrich (2006).Theravada Buddhism.Routledge. p. 47.ISBN 978-1-134-90352-8.,Quote:"(...) Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."

[15] Brian Morris (2006).Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction.Cambridge University Press. pp. 51–53.ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8.

[16] John Whalen-Bridge (2011).Writing as Enlightenment: Buddhist American Literature into the Twenty-first Century.State University of New York Press. pp. 154–155.ISBN 978-1-4384-3921-1.

[17] Paul Williams (2005).Buddhism: Buddhism in China, East Asia, and Japan.Routledge. pp. 150–153.ISBN 978-0-415-33234-7.

[18] Damien Keown (2004).A Dictionary of Buddhism.Oxford University Press. p. 15.ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.

[19] Rupert Gethin (1998).The Foundations of Buddhism.Oxford University Press. p.74.ISBN 978-0-19-160671-7.

[20] Katha Upanishad 1.2.10,Wikisource; Quote: जानाम्यहं शेवधिरित्यनित्यं न ह्यध्रुवैः प्राप्यते हि ध्रुवं तत् । ततो मया नाचिकेतश्चितोऽग्निःअनित्यैर्द्रव्यैः प्राप्तवानस्मि नित्यम् ॥ १०॥

[Deussen283-21] Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 978-8120814684,page 283 with footnote 1

[22] Max Muller (1884).The Upanishads.Oxford University Press (Reprinted Dover Press, 2012). p. 9, verse 1.2.10.ISBN 978-0-486-15711-5.

[HoffmanMahinda2013p162-23] Frank Hoffman; Deegalle Mahinda (2013).Pali Buddhism.Routledge. pp. 162–165.ISBN 978-1-136-78553-5.

[24] This is how Plato puts Heraclitus' doctrine. SeeCratylus,402a.

[Palmer-25] John Palmer (2016).Parmenides.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.

[26] "Democritus".The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. 2016.

[auto-27] Beckwith, Christopher I. (2015).Greek Buddha: Pyrrho's Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia(PDF).Princeton University Press.pp. 22–23.ISBN 9781400866328.

[28] Plutarch,On the “E” at Delphi

[29] Marcus Aurelius on impermanencephillipwells.com April 2015^{[dead link]}

[30] CratylusParagraph 440 sections c-d.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

v t e Topics inBuddhism
Outline Glossary Index
Foundations	Four Noble Truths Three Jewels Buddha Dharma Sangha Noble Eightfold Path Nirvana Middle Way
The Buddha	Tathāgata Birthday Four sights Eight Great Events Great Renunciation Physical characteristics Life of Buddha in art Footprint Relics Iconography in Laos and Thailand Films Miracles Family Suddhodāna(father) Māyā(mother) Mahapajapati Gotamī(aunt, adoptive mother) Yaśodharā(wife) Rāhula(son) Ānanda(cousin) Devadatta(cousin) Places where the Buddha stayed Buddha in world religions
Bodhisattvas	Avalokiteśvara Guanyin Mañjuśrī Mahāsthāmaprāpta Ākāśagarbha Kṣitigarbha Samantabhadra Vajrapāṇi Skanda Tārā Metteyya/Maitreya
Disciples	Kaundinya Assaji Sāriputta Mahamoggallāna Ānanda Mahākassapa Aṅgulimāla Anuruddha Mahākaccana Nanda Subhūti Punna Upāli Mahapajapati Gotamī Khema Uppalavanna Asita Channa Yasa
Key concepts	Avidyā (Ignorance) Bardo Bodhicitta Buddha-nature Dhamma theory Dharma Enlightenment Five hindrances Indriya Karma Kleshas Mental factors Mindstream Parinirvana Pratītyasamutpāda Rebirth Saṃsāra Saṅkhāra Skandha Śūnyatā Taṇhā (Craving) Tathātā Ten Fetters Three marks of existence Anicca Dukkha Anatta Two truths doctrine
Cosmology	Ten spiritual realms Six realms Deva realm Human realm Asura realm Hungry Ghost realm Animal realm Naraka Three planes of existence
Branches	Mahayana Zen Chinese Chan Japanese Zen Korean Seon Vietnamese Thiền Pure Land Tiantai Huayan Risshū Nichiren Madhyamaka Yogachara Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Shingon Dzogchen Theravada Navayana Early Buddhist schools Pre-sectarian Buddhism Basic points unifying Theravāda and Mahāyāna
Practices	Bhavana Bodhipakkhiyādhammā Brahmavihara Mettā Karuṇā Mudita Upekkha Buddhābhiṣeka Dāna Devotion Deity yoga Dhyāna Faith Five Strengths Iddhipada Meditation Mantras Kammaṭṭhāna Recollection Smarana Anapanasati Samatha Vipassanā(Vipassana movement) Shikantaza Zazen Tukdam Koan Ganana Mandala Tonglen Tantra Tertön Terma Merit Mindfulness Mindful Yoga Satipatthana Nekkhamma Nianfo Pāramitā Paritta Puja Offerings Prostration Chanting Refuge Sādhu Satya Sacca Seven Factors of Enlightenment Sati Dhamma vicaya Pīti Passaddhi Śīla Five precepts Eight precepts Bodhisattva vow Pratimokṣa Threefold Training Śīla Samadhi Prajñā Vīrya Four Right Exertions Twenty-two vows of Ambedkar
Nirvana	Bodhi Bodhisattva Buddhahood Pratyekabuddha Four stages of awakening Sotāpanna Sakadagami Anāgāmi Arhat
Monasticism	Bhikkhu Bhikkhunī Śrāmaṇera Śrāmaṇerī Anagārika Ajahn Sayadaw Zen master Rōshi Lama Rinpoche Geshe Tulku Western tulku Kappiya Donchee Householder Upāsaka and Upāsikā Achar Śrāvaka The ten principal disciples Shaolin Monastery
Major figures	Gautama Buddha Nagasena Aśvaghoṣa Nagarjuna Asanga Vasubandhu Kumārajīva Buddhaghosa Buddhapālita Dignāga Bodhidharma Zhiyi Emperor Wen of Sui Songtsen Gampo Xuanzang Shandao Padmasambhāva Saraha Atiśa Naropa Karmapa Hōnen Shinran Dōgen Nichiren Shamarpa Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Ajahn Mun B. R. Ambedkar Ajahn Chah Thích Nhất Hạnh
Texts	Early Buddhist Texts Tripiṭaka Mahayana sutras Pāli Canon Chinese Buddhist canon Tibetan Buddhist canon Dhammapada Sutra Vinaya Madhyamakālaṃkāra Abhidharmadīpa
Countries	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Russia Buryatia Kalmykia Tuva(ru) Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Africa Central Asia Middle East Iran Western countries Argentina Australia Brazil Canada France Mexico United Kingdom United States Venezuela
History	Timeline Ashoka Kanishka Buddhist councils History of Buddhism in India Decline of Buddhism in India Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution Greco-Buddhism Menander I Buddhism and the Roman world Buddhism in the West Silk Road transmission of Buddhism Persecution of Buddhists Banishment of Buddhist monks from Nepal Buddhist crisis Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Buddhist modernism Vipassana movement 969 Movement Women in Buddhism
Philosophy	Abhidharma Atomism Buddhology Creator Buddhism and democracy Economics Eight Consciousnesses Engaged Buddhism Eschatology Ethics Evolution Humanism Logic Reality Secular Buddhism Socialism The unanswered questions
Culture	Architecture Temple Vihāra Kyaung Wat Ordination hall Stupa Pagoda Burmese pagoda Candi Dzong architecture List of Buddhist architecture in China Japanese Buddhist architecture Korean Buddhist temples Thai temple art and architecture Tibetan Buddhist architecture Art Greco-Buddhist Bodhi Tree Budai Buddha in art Calendar Cuisine Funeral Holidays Vesak Uposatha Māgha Pūjā Asalha Puja Vassa Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Kasaya Mahabodhi Temple Mantra Om mani padme hum Mudra Music Pilgrimage Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kushinagar Poetry Prayer beads Hama Yumi Prayer wheel Symbolism Dharmachakra Flag Bhavacakra Swastika Thangka Temple of the Tooth Vegetarianism
Miscellaneous	Abhijñā Amitābha Brahmā Dharma talk Hinayana Kalpa Koliya Lineage Māra Ṛddhi Siddhi Sacred languages Pāḷi Sanskrit
Comparison	Baháʼí Faith Christianity Influences Comparison East Asian religions Gnosticism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Psychology Science Theosophy Violence Western philosophy
Lists	Bodhisattvas Buddhas Buddhists Suttas Sutras Temples Festivals
Category Religion portal