Two Major Religions Originating in Asia: Buddhism and Hinduism

Asia is the birthplace of most world religions. Two of the largest and most influential:

1. Buddhism (~500+ million adherents)

• Origin: 6th–5th c. BCE, northeastern India (modern Bihar). Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha).
• Core Teaching: Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path. Goal: **Nirvana**—liberation from suffering (dukkha) and the cycle of rebirth (samsara).
• Major Branches: Theravada (Sri Lanka, SE Asia), Mahayana (East Asia), Vajrayana (Tibet, Mongolia).
• Spread: Along Silk Road to Central, East, Southeast Asia. Non-theistic; adaptable to local cultures.

2. Hinduism (~1.2+ billion adherents)

• Origin: Indus Valley (3rd millennium BCE) → Vedic synthesis. No single founder. Oldest living major religion.
• Core Concepts: Dharma (duty), Karma (action/consequence), Moksha (liberation from samsara), Brahman (ultimate reality), Atman (soul).
• Practice: Polytheistic/henotheistic (Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, etc.), temple worship, yoga, festivals (Diwali, Holi), caste system (varna/jati—social, not purely religious).
• Geography: Dominant in India, Nepal; significant in Bali, diaspora.

Other major Asian-origin faiths: **Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism**. Christianity and Islam originated in West Asia but are global.