buddhism

IPA/ˈbʊdɪzəm/
KK[bˈudɪzəm]IPA/ˈbuːdɪzəm/

buddhism — noun

1. a religion that began in India from the Buddha's teaching and says people can mo

1.nounB2
Definition

a religion that began in India from the Buddha's teaching and says people can move beyond suffering through right understanding and spiritual practice.

Example

Mei began studying Buddhism after visiting old temples in Kyoto.

study + Buddhism

A monk in Chiang Mai explained Buddhism to the school group.

explain Buddhism to + group

Common collocations
  • study Buddhism
  • follow Buddhism
  • teach Buddhism
  • convert to Buddhism
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

study/follow Buddhism

Buddhism teaches that + clause

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and written with a capital B when naming the religion in general. Say 'study Buddhism' or 'Buddhism teaches ...', not 'a Buddhism'.

Common Mistakes

She is learning a Buddhism at college.
She is learning Buddhism at college.
The name of the religion is usually uncountable and takes no article.
My uncle studies buddhism every weekend.
My uncle studies Buddhism every weekend.
The religion name is normally capitalized in English.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, Buddhism is the broadest and safest name for the religion as a whole. The Buddhist faith is a little more personal and is often chosen when the speaker wants to stress belief or membership. Buddhist teaching is narrower: it points to the ideas or lessons, not to temples, art, or the whole history of the religion. Buddhist tradition is useful when talking about long practice, customs, or branches such as Zen or Theravada. In short, use Buddhism for the general religion, but switch to Buddhist teaching when one idea is under discussion. Compare: Buddhism spread widely in East Asia. The class discussed Buddhist teaching on suffering.

Buddhism ↗Buddhist faithBuddhist teachingBuddhist tradition

Common collocations

Phrases

  • study Buddhism
  • follow Buddhism
  • spread of Buddhism
  • convert to Buddhism

Prepositions

  • in Buddhism
  • to Buddhism

Etymology

SanskritPaliEnglish

Buddhism was formed in English from Buddha and the ending -ism, which is often used for religions, beliefs, and movements. Buddha comes from Sanskrit and Pali buddha, meaning awakened one. So the English word literally means the religion or system connected with the Buddha.