Home›Buddhist Sites›TraditionBrowse ByTraditionThis page groups sacred sites by the specific religion or culture that consecrated them. Wikipedia defines a sacred space as "a designated area, often marked by physical boundaries or symbols, that is considered holy or consecrated by a particular religion or culture." Browsing by tradition lets a visitor read every site belonging to one tradition together.FactsLearn MoreTraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe places of the Buddha's own life, together with the monasteries, stupas, cave-temples and sacred mountains of every land Buddhism reached. The group spans Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and most of its members lie outside the country the tradition began in - Buddhist sacred geography followed the religion's expansion rather than staying with its origin. 2Size of the Traditional SetWell-attestedFour: the places the Mahaparinibbana Sutta names as those a Buddhist should visit - the birth, the awakening, the first teaching and the final nirvana of the Buddha. Later tradition extends the four to a set of eight. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedSacred Sites 1Learn MoreThe Holy Places of Buddhism This group holds the sacred sites of Buddhism, spread across Asia along the paths of the religion's expansion from India. Buddhist sacred geography begins with the places of the Buddha's own life (his birth, awakening, first teaching and passing), and extends to the great monasteries, stupas and cave-temples raised over relics and images. The browser will find the pilgrimage places of the Buddha's biography together with the monastic and devotional centres of the lands to which Buddhism spread. The entries describe each site's history and significance, noting the tradition (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) to which it chiefly belongs.TraditionFilter Results7 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll5,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll4,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (1)Independent Survey (4)National Census (1)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (5)Establishment StatusAllDisestablished (1)Varies by Province (4)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (1)Customary Norm (3)Obligation to Support, No Set Rate (1)Membership Figure As OfAll2001-01-01 (1)2010-01-01 (4)2011-01-01 (1)2011-01-27 (1)2011-12-19 (1)2012-12-18 (2)2016-12-31 (1)2020-01-01 (4)2021-01-01 (1)Origin Period End YearAll500 BCE (1)400 BCE (2)50 (1)632 (1)712 (1)1100 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll1500 BCE (1)600 BCE (1)500 BCE (1)300 BCE (1)30 (1)610 (1)1000 (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage may licitly be polygynous (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (1)Position on UsuryAllInterest of any kind on a loan is forbidden (1)Practice StatusAllLiving, and practised in varied local forms (3)Partly restricted: some elements are closed to outsiders (4)Standard Rate ExpectedAllTwo and a half percent. (1)Status TodayAllLiving tradition, practised today (7)TheologyAllAnimist: persons and powers in land, water and living things (2)Monistic: one ultimate reality behind all appearance (1)Monotheistic: one God (2)Non-theistic: no creator god is central (2)Panentheistic: the divine both within the world and beyond it (1)Polytheistic: many gods (3)Show ResultsBrowseCompareBonTradition1 entryBuddhismTradition34 entriesChristianityTradition1 entryHinduismTradition3 entriesIslamTradition1 entryJainismTradition1 entryShintoTradition1 entrySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, 2nd editiontier 1Peter Harvey, Cambridge University Press, 2013View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.