Comparative Analysis: Buddhism in India and China Buddhism is the non-theistic religion and philosophical system founded in northeastern India in the 6th century by Gautama Siddharta (the Buddha). His followers seek to emulate his example of perfect morality, wisdom, and compassion, resulting in a transformation of consciousness known as enlightenment. Buddhism teaches that greed, hatred, and delusion separate the individual from true perception of the nature of things, causing them to remain bound to bhavachakra (Ch'en, 1989). The apparent physicality of all objects, including the self, is an illusion; anything mundane is temporary and ultimately unsatisfying. The central beliefs of Buddhism are based on the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, the last of which is the Eightfold Noble Path, through which enlightenment can be achieved and the individual annihilated into Nirvana. Buddhism is not dogmatic, but over its long history it has developed into many schools (Mahayana, Theravada and Zen) (Ch'en, 1989). With more than 500 million followers in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Japan and elsewhere in the Far East, Buddhism is also currently gaining followers in the West. The predominant forms, however, are Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, the former being practiced in China while the latter is widespread in India. These two forms are very different from each other and the following essay will attempt to compare and contrast Buddhism in India and China. Theravada Buddhism is the conservative old school, also called Hinayana by its detractors. Widespread in India, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand, it emphasizes the ideal of the arhat – one who, as a monk, achieves enlightenment through his own efforts. In Theravada, the Buddha is in the middle of the paper...doesn't realize it. The goal of meditation is to realize that our true nature is nothing less than Buddha nature. The above analysis therefore shows that a number of similarities and differences can be found in Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. These two forms, however, have one thing in common: the transient nature of human life as we know it. Even though in our hearts we long for eternity, the inevitable fact is that we are only temporary beings and true spirituality begins with recognizing this. References Ch'en, Kenneth KS. Buddhism: the light of Asia. Woodbury, New York: Barron's Educational Series, 1989. Conze, Edward. Buddhism: its essence and development. New York: Harper & Row, 1979. Scuhmann, Hans Wolfgang. Buddhism. Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 1974. Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha taught. New York: Grove Press, 1991.