Buddhism

[boo-diz-uh m, boo d-iz-] /ˈbu dɪz əm, ˈbʊd ɪz-/
noun
1.
a religion, originated in India by Buddha (Gautama) and later spreading to China, Burma, Japan, Tibet, and parts of southeast Asia, holding that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject.
Compare Eightfold Path, Four Noble Truths, Hinayana, Mahayana.
Origin
Buddh(a) + -ism
Related forms
Buddhist, noun, adjective
Buddhistic, Buddhistical, adjective
Buddhistically, adverb
non-Buddhist, noun, adjective
non-Buddhistic, adjective
pre-Buddhist, adjective
pro-Buddhist, noun, adjective
pseudo-Buddhist, adjective, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Buddhism

Buddhism

/ˈbʊdɪzəm/
noun
1.
a religious teaching propagated by the Buddha and his followers, which declares that by destroying greed, hatred, and delusion, which are the causes of all suffering, man can attain perfect enlightenment See nirvana
Derived Forms
Buddhist, noun, adjective
Word Origin and History for Buddhism
n.

1801, from Buddha + -ism.

Buddhism in Culture
Buddhism [(booh-diz-uhm, bood-iz-uhm)]

A reli-gion, founded by the Buddha, that emphasizes physical and spiritual discipline as a means of liberation from the physical world. The goal for the Buddhist is to attain nirvana, a state of complete peace in which one is free from the distractions of desire and self-consciousness. Buddhists are found in the greatest numbers in eastern Asia.