AP Cambodian Buddhist monks file past the U.S. flag at a ceremony in Phnom Penh for the victims of the terrorist attacks.

BUDDHISM

Buddhism began about 525 B.C.E. in India. The founder, Gautama Siddhartha, reached enlightenment through meditation. He is known as "the Buddha," or "the enlightened one." There are approximately 360 million Buddhists in the world. Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion.

MAJOR BELIEFS

• Buddhism is nontheistic; that is, there is no belief in a personal, omnipotent God.

• Sacred texts include a collection of the Buddha's teachings called the Tripitaka. Sutras make up a body of commentaries and teachings.

• Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in the law of karma. They also seek liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

• The cycle of rebirth is attributed to desire and attachment to self.

HOW THEY DRESS

Buddhists don't usually stand out by their dress, but monks often wear saffron robes and shave their heads.

TO LEARN MORE

www.buddhism.org

zen.buddhism.org/links.html