“Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā saṃ-buddhassa.”
– The first line of the Dhammacārī initiation

Buddhism is an Indian religion and philosophy that mainly focuses on the teachings of the Buddha, technically preserved in the sutras, but reading isn't necessary for laypeople as practice is what really matters. It is one of the three teachings with Daoism and Ruism.

In the Buddhist folklore, the Buddha had become aware of 'suffering' and embarked on this spiritual quest for answers, initially practicing asceticism until an ordinary woman named Sujātā had saved him from a near-death experience. Still seeking answers, the Buddha sat underneath the Bodhi Tree for days until, one day, he had this standoff with Māra and achieved 'enlightenment' after rejecting his temptations.

The first teachings of the Buddha involve the Four Noble Truths, which lays out the whole foundation and metaphysics of Buddhism. These four truths are as follows:

1. Dukkha - There is inevitable suffering in life.
2. Samudaya - There is a cause for our suffering: taṇhā (i.e. cravings, desires, ego).¹⁾
3. Nirodha - There is an end to suffering!
4. Marga - In order to end suffering, follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

From there, the Noble Eightfold Path outlines the proper conduct that is necessary to achieve nirvana and break free from the karma-ridden samsara (rebirth) cycle. In order to put these lessons into practice, the Threefold Training presents a simplified version for laypeople to follow. For convenience, these lessons have been combined into the following chart below:

In my Theravada Buddhist experience, a visit to the wat (temple) involves removing your shoes, echoing chants³⁾ in the Pali language with your soles pointed away,⁴⁾ adding offerings to their offering bowls, some sort of 'energy cleaning' ritual, and it ends with a monk tying a blessed white pirit string to your wrist. Of course, my memory is a bit hazy, so I can't remember the brief lulls and order of these things.

Buddhism is commonly divided into three branches, categories, schools of thought, or traditions, but the three categories can be rather broad or vague, especially with the vast array of sects, subsects, and movements. Additionally, you also have Buddhist modernism that tries to reinterpret and reformulate Buddhist concepts, with one example being secular Buddhism which minimizes the superstitions.

• Theravāda (Way of the Elders)⁵⁾
  The oldest surviving branch of Buddhism, which believes in one Buddha, and the highest rank is the arhat. Focuses on a solo journey. Most prevalent in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• Mahāyāna (Greater Vehicle)
  The adaptive branch of Buddhism that noticeably draws from the Lotus Sutra, establishing the bodhisattva and a belief in multiple Buddhas. Focuses on a collective effort. Most prevalent in East Asia, namely China, Japan, and Korea, and 'distant' parts of Southeast Asia.
• Vajrayāna (Indestructible Vehicle)⁶⁾
  The lesser known branch of Buddhism, which focuses on mantras, mudras, and mandalas. Most prevalent in the historical regions of Mongolia, including Inner Mongolia, and Tibet.

This section will cover the more 'notable' branches of Buddhism, usually under the Mahayana and Vajrayana branches since people have an odd fascination with East Asian countries. However, I want to be clear that these aren't necessarially 'descriptors' as they're more like notes that I've taken over the years, so it's more of a humorous or serious tone, plus I didn't want to clog up the entire notes section of this article.

• Pure Land Buddhism
  Mahayana branch that invents a 'pure land', also called 'jìngtǔ' (淨土) or 'jōdo' (浄土), since the idea of nirvana clearly wasn't enough. Named the J-pop song, Gokuraku Jodo, by Garnidelia.
• Chán Buddhism / Zen Buddhism
  Mahayana branch that puts heavy emphasis on meditation. Their monks solve intentionally puzzling 'riddles' called a koan, like the sound of one hand clapping or killing the Buddha. Some of its famous Zen Buddhist monks include Budai (“Fat Buddha”)⁷⁾ and Hakuin Ekaku.
• Nichiren Buddhism
  Mahayana branch, derived from the teachings of Nichiren, which tacks on a Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō chant. Apparently, praise the Lotus Sutra enough and you'll lower your credit score karma.
• Sōka Gakkai / Soka Gakkai International
  Mahayana branch that acts like Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō is a cheat code. Related to Kōmeitō,⁸⁾ so it might be a cult. Surprisingly large international presence.⁹⁾ Your Head A-Splode.
• Gelug / Tibetan Buddhism
  Vajrayana branch that has a Dalai Lama, who allegedly reincarnates in Tibet (Xisang), but its liberation and CIA-provoked exile (see Gyalo Thondup) has put the whole thing into question. It fell out of relevance once the BRI and Xinjiang became the bigger 'threat' to imperialism.¹⁰⁾

First off, Buddhism is not this one-step solution for happiness, which is consumerist bunk, but it's also not 'antisocial' or 'nihilistic', which are just disingenuous assumptions.¹¹⁾ Next, the average Buddhist layperson mediates very little, which may come from people failing to separate laypeople from monks. That's like seeing a preacher preach, then going “You're a Christian? So, you say shit in front of people?”

Buddhism isn't really text heavy to begin with, unless you intend to be a monk, so what really matters is how the core lessons are communicated and how a layperson conducts themselves to alleviate suffering. The whole point of Buddhism is “look, we're all going through the bullshit, so learn to let go and show compassion to others”, meaning “drop the fucking ego” in the most contemporary terms. It's kinda like Stoicism.

• Buddhism doesn't necessarially believe in any deities. The Buddha was more of a philosopher.
• The Buddhist flag is a flag which borrows the aura colors supposedly emanated by the Buddha upon attaining enlightenment: blue, yellow, red, white, and orange. This flag was designed by the Theravada Buddhist-led Colombo Committee in British-occupied Sri Lanka around 1885 CE, which came during the Buddhist revival after years of suppression by Christian missionaries.
• Sādhu is the Buddhist equivalent of the Abrahamic amen, but I have only heard it used among Theravada Buddhists and Southeast Asians. I have no clue if the other branches even use it.
• In the Japanese branches, the term 'namusan' (南無三) is a clipping of 'namu sanbō' (南無三宝), which means to pay homages to the three treasures: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
  • The term 'namu' (南無) is a mangled transliteration.¹²⁾ It was meant to be read as 'nāmó' (南无), based on the Pali word 'namo' (नमो), the first word you hear in the Dhammacārī.
• Personally, I don't like to talk about Buddhism on the public internet since these conversations usually get derailed by people trying to find analogues for everything, then the conversation somehow derails to the 'evils of the Catholic Church' since it turns out that nobody in the thread is actually Buddhist.