THERAVADA

BUDDHISM
WHAT IS THERAVADA
BUDDHISM?
 Theravada Buddhism ("doctrine of the elders") is the
oldest and most orthodox of Buddhism's three major
sects. Regarded as the belief closest to the one taught
by The Buddha himself, it is based on the recollections
of The Buddha's teachings amassed by the Elders—the
elder monks who were Buddha's companions.
Theravada Buddhism is strongest in Sri Lanka,
Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and the
Mekong Delta areas of Vietnam. It is sometimes called
'Southern Buddhism'.
Theravada Buddhism stresses spirituality, the
enlightenment of the individual, self-discipline, the
importance or pure thought and deed, the importance of
the monastic life and the strict observance of the ancient
Vinaya code It has distinct roles for monks and lay
people, emphasizes that each individual is responsible
for his or her salvation and takes the position that only
monks are capable of reaching nirvana.
Theravada Buddhism believes that it has
remained closest to the original teachings of the
Buddha.However, it does not necessarily over-
emphasize these teachings in a conservative,
fundamentalist way, rather they are viewed as tools
to help people understand the truth, and not as
having merit of their own
 The Language of Theravada
Buddhism

The language of the Theravada canonical texts is Pali (lit., "text"), which is based on a dialect of Middle
Indo-Aryan that was probably spoken in central India during the Buddha's time. Ven. Ananda, the Buddha's
cousin and close personal attendant, committed the Buddha's sermons (suttas) to memory and thus
became a living repository of these teachings. Shortly after the Buddha's death (ca. 480 BCE), five hundred
of the most senior monks — including Ananda — convened to recite and verify all the sermons they had
heard during the Buddha's forty-five year teaching career of these sermons therefore begin with the
disclaimer, "Evam me sutam" — "Thus have I heard.
RITUALS OF THERAVADA
BUDDHISM
 Meditation-Mental concentration and mindfulness
 Mantras-Sacred sounds
 Mudras- Symbolic hand gestures
 Prayer Wheels- Reciting mantras with the turn of a wheel Monasticism
 Pilgrimage- Visiting sacred sites
 Veneration of buddhas and deities
WHO IS THE GOD OF
THERAVADA BUDDHISM?