Buddhism is a major religion world wide. Buddhism originated in the northeastern parts of India. Buddhism is the teachings of Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama.

Buddhism is divided into two major branches. They are called Thervada, the Way of the Elders; and Mahayana, the Great Vehicle.

Buddhism is not only found in India, but it is found spreading across many other countries on the Asian continent as well. The other countries that worship the art of Buddhism are places like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, and Laos.

The reason this religion began spreading across Asia is King Ashoka's son and daughter, Mahinda and Sanghamitta. They spoke with the Buddhist leaders in Sri Lanka and they agreed to help and allow Buddhism spread. The king's son and daughter were the first ones to spread Buddhism in the Asian areas.

Buddhism, in recent history has encountered many problems. The monasteries of monks and nuns have been converted into schools, stores, and other public utilities in many countries. The monks and nuns of the monasteries were required to undertake employment because of their religious functions. The benefits in today's Buddhism are that new countries are starting to incorperate Buddhism as one of their practiced religions. For example, Japan has started learning Buddhism after it was introduced to them by Korea following World War II. Another example is that Zen, another type of Buddhism, is growing in our country, the United States. As the influence of the west grows, Buddhism is once again beginning to undergo a process of acculturation to new environments.