What is Buddhism?
Buddhism has alternately been called a religion, a philosophy, an ideology and a way of life.

As with all the other great spiritual traditions that have withstood the test of time, Buddhism offers many different paths for people with different kinds of sensibilities, needs and capacities.

Core Teachings

There are immutable core teachings expounded by the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, that create a collective wellspring for all forms of Buddhism. Specifically, these are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Yet these basic teachings have themselves been subject to interpretation and again have various flavors within different Buddhist cultures.
There is No One Buddhism
There has never been, nor is there now, a central authority in Buddhism.

There is no equivalent to the Holy Father of the Roman Church or to anything that resembles papal law. With no supreme arbitrator, the diversification of Buddhism has flourished.

This also means that there is no one Buddhism.

There are many Buddhisms.

So when we try to answer the question, "What is Buddhism?" we can only try our best to present the most inclusive and pan-Buddhist answers. And yet, it will serve you well to remember that the vast array of traditions, combined with the absence of a singular authority, means that in general, thinking in terms of "right and wrong" answers and "good and bad" answers is not a very useful approach.

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