Buddhism: the foundations of religion, how many Buddhists are there in the world

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

The American research center Pew Research conducted a social study on the population's affiliation to a particular religion. It turned out that 8 out of 10 respondents identify themselves with one or another confession. One of the most ancient and mysterious religions in the world is Buddhism.

About how many Buddhists in the world in 2017, statistics give the following figures: more than 500 million people officially practice Buddhism. This is about 7% of the world's population. It's not very much. But it should be noted that it is the Buddhists who most clearly follow the canons, they have always been an example of humility and following the religious tradition.

Religious map of the Earth. What percentage of Buddhists in the world

Most of the believing population of the planet are Christians. In 2016, their number amounted to 32% of the world's population (about 2.2 billion inhabitants). Muslims - 23% (1.6 billion people). However, according to forecasts, Islam may soon become the most numerous religion. Hindus in the world - 15% (1 billion), Buddhists - 7% (500 million) and 0.2% (14 million) Jews.

It should be noted that only official figures are presented above. In fact, it is impossible to say exactly how many Buddhists there are in the world. The population sometimes ignores the census and does not participate in the compilation of statistics. Following fashion trends, many practice various Buddhist practices and share the Buddhist ideology.

About 400 million people practice relatively young faiths such as Shinto, Sikhism and others. 16% of the population do not identify themselves with any confession, that is 1.1 billion people.

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions

Today Eastern religions have more and more followers. For some, this is a tribute to fashion, for others - a way of life. How many Buddhists are there in the world? This is a pressing issue related to the popularity of Siddhartha's teachings.

Buddhism is called "bodhi", which means "teaching of awakening". It originated in the 1st millennium BC. e. In fact, Buddhism is a complex religious and philosophical doctrine. Followers call it "Dharma", which means "Law", or "Buddhadharma", referring to the founder - Prince Sidhartha Gautama, later to this day called Shakyamuni Buddha.

How many Buddhists are there in the world? How many branches and schools of Buddhism are there? There are 3 main areas: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

Theravada

The oldest school, preserved in its original form from the beginning of the preaching of the Buddha. Initially, Buddhism was not a religion, but a philosophical doctrine.

The main feature of Theravada is the absence of an object of universal worship, with the exception of the Buddha. This determines the simplicity of the rituals and external attributes of religion. Original Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophical and ethical teaching. The Buddha taught that the worship of the gods is equated with the denial of one's own responsibility for what one has done. According to Theravada adherents, a person should be responsible for his own actions, and therefore does not need a large number of controlling laws.

For the same reason, Theravada does not assume its own pantheon of gods, therefore, in places of distribution, religion exists in symbiosis with local faith, in case of need, turning to local gods for help.

Theravada followers live in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Mahayana

The most numerous branch among all Buddhists in the world. No matter how many Buddhist schools there are, Mahayana remains the main one to this day. The teaching of the Great Chariot can be called a full-fledged religion. Its adherents live in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. How many Buddhists there are in the world can be judged by the population of these countries.

Buddha is perceived by followers of the Mahayana as a divine figure and the first teacher, able to take on various forms.

One ofThe main tenets of the Mahayana is the doctrine of bodhisattvas. This is the name of the saints who preferred endless rebirths in the form of divine personalities or missions to Nirvana. So, for example, all the Dalai Lamas are considered bodhisattvas. Catherine II patronized the Buddhists of Buryatia, for which she was ranked among the bodhisattvas.

The Mahayana pantheon includes many deities and entities. It is about them that a large number of fairy tales and myths have been written.

Vajrayana or Tantrayana

The doctrine called the Diamond Chariot originated in Tibet under the influence of Mahayana and Indian Tantrism. In fact, it is an independent religion. The direction contains complex tantric practices that can lead to enlightenment in one earthly life. In Tantric Buddhism, fertility cults and erotic practices are revered. Vajrayana has a close relationship with esotericism. The basics of the teaching are passed on by the teacher - Lama to the student.

Tantrayana is practiced in Mongolia, Bhutan and eastern Russia.

Buddhism in Russia

Traditional adherents of Buddhism in Russia today live in the eastern regions of the country, such as the Republic of Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. In addition, Buddhist associations can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. The percentage of Buddhists living in Russia is approximately 1% of the total population of Buddhists in the world. How many followers of the teachings of Siddhartha live in Russia, it is impossible to say for sure. This is due to the fact that Buddhism is not an official religion, and many of its adherentsdid not officially declare their religious affiliation.

Buddhism is one of the most peaceful religions. Bodhi followers call for peace and love. Recently, the number of adherents is slowly but surely growing. Statistics on how many Buddhists there are in the world in 2017 suggests that each year their number is increasing by about 1.5%.