Theravāda Buddhism

Theravāda, meaning “teaching of the elders,” is a term often used synonymously with Hīnayāna (see Hīnayāna Buddhism) for the early form of Buddhism that accepts only the teachings of Sākyamuni Buddha (see Gautama Buddha) and stresses the ideal of the arhat (see Arhat), or personal salvation through the Buddha as opposed to the Mahāyāna (see Mahāyāna Buddhism) ideal of the bodhisattva (see Bodhisattva), who chooses to remain in this world to help others to salvation. Technically, however, Theravāda, the form of Buddhism (see Buddhism) practiced primarily in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, is only one branch of Hīnayāna—albeit the only extant branch. The early Hīnayānas, or adherents of the ancient Pāli canon (see Pāli) split into two major factions, in one of which the Theravāda group was dominant. Given the strict adherence to the teachings of the Buddha, mythology beyond that of the life of the Buddha does not play a major part in Theravāda. In southeast Asia (see Southeast Asian entries), however, there is a tendency to absorb indigenous earth spirit and ancestor elements as well as a cosmology (see Three Worlds).