The number of Buddhists world wide is estimated to be between 150 and 300 million people. This general total is split between five seperate branches off the main religion.

The two original forms of Buddhism wereTheravada and Mahayana. Theravada, of the Way of the Elders, is prominent in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, and Laos. People of the Mahayana religion, or the Great Vehicle, sometimes refer to Theravada as the Lesser Vehicle. The next branch of Buddhism to be created was Tantrism, of the Diamond Vehicle. Tantrism became popular in Tibet, China, and Japan. Bodhidharma, an Indian monk, later founded Zen, another form of Buddhism. The last branch is Pure Land, Buddhism.