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World faiths

Buddhism

Buddhism, like most of the great religions of the world is divided into a number of different traditions. Buddhist do not believe in a transcendent or any other type of God or Gods, the need for personal saviour, the power of prayer, eternal life in heaven or hell, after death, reincarnation. They also do not have a central authority or universally accepted sacred scriptures or a set of creed.

Buddhism originated in India and has a history going back 2,500 years. It is a missionary religion and has been significant in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal and Vietnam. The majority of Buddhists are not monks or nuns but live ordinary family lives and go to work.

During the 20^th Century Buddhism has spread to the Western World. It is estimated that there are about 500 million Buddhists in the World today of which 25,000 live in Britain.