“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happienss never decreases by being shared” (The Buddha). Through the way the beliefs and believers and expressed, the sacred texts are written, the practices and rituals are conducted, and the ethics are derived, we can see that the four main components of Religion contribute to a dynamic, living religious system for adherants of Buddhism.

Buddhism originated 2,500 years ago during the life of Buddha. Buddhism can be divided into two branches; Theravada and Mahayna. Buddhism has a range of teachings, and things for people to live by, which increases people’s chances of reaching Nirvana, which is the ultimate state of enlightenment. By reaching this stage, you will be fully happy and content with your life, and Buddha was the first man to reach Nirvana.

The first characteristic of religion relates to the sacred texst. Buddhism has a sacred text called “Tripitaka” which translates to “The Three Baskets”. The Tripitaka was originally composed in Pali, which is the language primarily used by Monks. It refers to the oldest Buddhist cannon, the Pali Cannon (authorized body of texts). It is broken up into three sections; The Sutta Pitaka (earliest and most meaningful teachings of Buddha), The Vinaya Pitaka (Rules and regulations that monks must follow, which not only teaches them the way to be, but supports them in becoming closer to Nirvana) and the Abhidhammapitaka