Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world!

Introduction

Buddhism can be compared to a giant and ancient tree. It sprang from a secure and firm root rising from the soil of Asia some 2,500 years ago. From the greater parts of Asia where Buddhism was at one time or another, the dominant religious influence, its branches stretched and crossed the oceans to reach the Western horizon, and today Buddhism is found in all five continents of the globe. Like a living thing, Buddhism has grown with, changed with, and, in its turn, influenced every culture it has met. There is no one true Buddhism, just as there is no one true fig tree. Each grows and flowers in a way unique to the environment in which it finds itself. As of now, Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, exceeded numerically only by Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.