ABSTRACT
Buddhism is the major religion in Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Tibet. Buddhism was founded on the Indian sub-continent about 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama, probably in what is now Nepal. Buddhists believe in a doctrine of rebirth – often thought, mistakenly, by westerners to be the same as reincarnation. There are two major schools of Buddhism, geographically divided but generally co-existing peacefully. The southern school, Theravada or the Teaching of the Elders, is found in Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and parts of India. The other main school of thought in Buddhism is the Mahayana, or Greater Way. Festivals observed by Buddhists vary quite a lot, although Theravada Buddhism will tend particularly to stress Buddha Day in the spring. Jainism is of the same generation as Buddhism and its emphasis on not killing anything living has had an influence on some Buddhists of southern Indian schools.
