“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, along 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 Buddha's main teachings are the Four Noble Truths, which lays out the foundation and metaphysics of Buddhism in the following list. This is often expanded into the Noble Eightfold Path, outlining the 'proper' conduct to achieve nirvana and break free from the karma-ridden samsara (rebirth) cycle, and the simplified Threefold Training for laypeople, combined in the following chart.

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.

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⁾ add in material offerings to the bowls,⁵⁾ then there's some 'energy cleaning' ritual, and it ends with a monk tying a blessed pirit string to your wrist. Of course, my memory is 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 the agnostic secular Buddhism.

• Theravāda (Way of the Elders)⁶⁾
  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 (e.g. China, Japan, Korea) and parts of Maritime Southeast Asia.
• Vajrayāna (Indestructible Vehicle)⁷⁾
  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 covers the more 'notable' branches of Buddhism, typically under Mahayana and Vajrayana since people have an odd fascination with East Asian culture. However, these aren't really 'serious' descriptors, as they're more like 'humorous' or 'less serious' observations that I've taken over the years. This would *inevitably* clog up this article's notes section, so I had to give these their own dedicated section over here.

• 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/Zen Buddhism (禅)
  Mahayana branch with a heavy emphasis on meditation, sometimes including puzzling koans (e.g. sound of one hand, killing the Buddha, the 'mu' koan, etc.). Some famous Zen Buddhist monks include Budai (“Fat Buddha”)⁸⁾ and Hakuin Ekaku. Too many sects to note.
• Nichiren Buddhism
  Mahayana branch, derived from Nichiren's teachings, 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 (SGI)
  Mahayana branch which acts like Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō is a cheat code. Related to Kōmeitō,⁹⁾ often called a cult. Surprisingly large international presence.¹⁰⁾ Atama ga pān. ┗(^o^)┛
• 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.¹¹⁾

First off, Buddhism has many different branches and sects, so it tends to be practiced in all sorts of ways, and you shouldn't assume that every Buddhist actively meditates or has a monastic mindset. In fact, the average Buddhist layperson meditates very little. Furthermore, it's not a 'one-step solution for happiness', but it isn't just 'antisocial' or 'nihilistic' either, especially when you can be engaged about it.

The most important part of Buddhism is, arguably, how one conducts themselves to alleviate 'suffering', which means “we all go through the bullshit, so learn to drop the ego” in contemporary terms, much like Stoicism. From a Theravada perspective, Buddhism isn't very text heavy unless you intend to become a monk, but there are many other branches that introduce Buddhist texts (e.g. Lotus Sutra) if a layperson is willing.

• Buddhism is a religion, given the monastic chants, but it can be argued that the Buddha was more of a philosopher. It is nontheistic, as he isn't a deity, and 'escaping to nirvana' is the entire point.
  • I'd assume that the confusion either stems from the Mahayana 'Buddhahood' concept, or the fact that some branches would claim that notable figures, past or present, were 'reincarnations'.
• 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, which came during the Buddhist revival after years of suppression by Christian missionaries.
• In the Theravada branch, the term 'sādhu', sometimes rendered 'sathu', is roughly equivalent to the Abrahamic 'amen' in parts of Southeast Asia and their respective immigrant communities.
• There's the Chinese term 'nāmó sānbǎo' (南无三宝), meaning "find refuge in the three treasures", which has the mangled Japanese reading of 'namu sanbō' (南無三宝). This was later shortened down to 'namusan' (南無三) in modern Japanese, sometimes rendered '763' if using goroawase.
  • At some point, the term 'namo' was equivalent to the Theravada 'sadhu' or Abrahamic 'amen'.
  • Of course, the term 'nāmó' (南无) is a transliteration of the Pali term 'namo' (नमो), but this detail was lost and became 'namu' (南無) when it should really be 'namo' (ナモ) in Japanese.
• Japan has a small Theravada Buddhist Association, so you can find the proper Pali-language chants in katakana if you're curious about that sort of thing.¹²⁾
• 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 nobody in the thread was actually Buddhist.