In short: Theravāda ("teaching of the elders") is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism. It keeps the early teachings in the Pāli language (the Pāli Canon) and is the main tradition of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Its focus: ethics, meditation and wisdom, practiced by monastics and lay people together.
☸ At a glance
- 📖 Texts: the Pāli Canon (sutta library, Dhammapada)
- 🪷 Goal: nibbāna, the end of suffering
- 🧘 Practice: calm and insight meditation
- ♡ Lay life: precepts, giving, moon days
- ✦ Refuge: the Three Jewels
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What is Buddhism? · 3 minutes of practice
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What is Theravada Buddhism?
Theravāda means 'teaching of the elders'. It is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism, based on the Pāli Canon, and the main tradition in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.