Buddha Dharma Education Association
Buddha Net: Fundamentals of Buddhism: Pre Buddhist Background
A site detailing Buddha and the fundamentals of Buddhism. Provides a brief history of India in relation to the growth of the spiritual movement.
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg University: An Introduction to Buddhism
University-level introduction to Buddhism. Includes a biography of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), a general history of Buddhism, and a look at many Buddhist teachings, meditations, songs, poems, and more.
Other
Wikipedia: Simple English Wikipedia: Buddhism
An easy-to-read entry on Buddhism, from open-source encyclopedia Wikipedia, that answers basic questions about the religion and its practices. Explains the Buddhist belief system and what the word "Buddha" means. Also discusses Buddhist...
Royal Botanic Gardens
Plant Cultures: Themes: Sacred and Spirtual: Buddhism
An overview of Buddhism that considers the role of the pipal tree, among other things, in the establishment of the faith. The tree is sacred to Buddhists as the tree under which the meditating Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Mandala of the Buddhist Deity Chakrasamvara
A mandala is a schematic diagram that portrays the sacred environment of a particular deity. The mandala is used by practitioners as a guideline for meditation. It helps people visualize the way in which they will restructure the world...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Tibetan Thangka Painting (Sacred Pictures)
In Tibet, religious paintings come in several forms, including wall paintings, thangkas (sacred pictures that can be rolled up), and miniatures for ritual purposes or for placement in household shrines. Thangkas were commissioned for...
Other
Access to Insight: Lay Buddhist Practice
An online guidebook to lay Buddhist daily practice. Information on meditation, chanting, and "The Laity's Practice of Dhamma."
Smithsonian Institution
Freer | Sackler Galleries: Tibetan Healing Mandala
A site in response to the September 11 tragedies. Twenty Buddhist monks constructed a madala at the Sackler gallery.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Seated Amitabha Buddha (Amida Nyorai)
Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of a historical figure known as the Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived about 2,500 years ago. This sculpture shows Amitabha, identified as the Buddha of the Western Paradise. Amitabha is shown...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Buddha Shakyamuni
How do we recognize this figure as Shakyamuni Buddha? This is the traditional representation of the Shakyamuni Buddha or the historical Buddha. The statue shows the moment of his enlightenment at a place called Bodh Gaya in India, which...
Curated OER
Meditation Club: Dalai Lama a Biography
An extensive biography of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Also includes a bibliography of the Dalai Lama's writings and news items concerning both him and Tibet.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Buddhist Monasteries
The monastery typically becomes the spiritual focus of the nearest town or village. In early Buddhism, monastic complexes were created for the monks close enough to a town in order to receive alms or charity from the villagers, but far...
Other
Benefits of Prayer Wheels
A teaching by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the use of the Tibetan Prayer Wheel. Explains why Tibetan Buddhist use the prayer wheel. Discusses the different kinds of prayer wheels and the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung. Includes a glossary of...