The path of Theravada (pronounced tehr-ah-VAH-dah), translated as ‘the ways of the elders,’ is considered to be the oldest existing Buddhist sect adhering to the Teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha as they were agreed upon at the first ‘Buddhist Council’ by 500 of his closest monks, shortly after his death. These teachings, known as the Pali Canon, are the essential Theravada Teachings. Later schools refer to the Pali Canon as Sakyamuni’s first body of Teachings after he awakened spiritually, but not the highest Teachings.

The Pali Canon consists of the ‘three baskets’ or ‘tipitaka.’ These ‘baskets’ are the Vinaya, rules of monastic discipline; the Sutta, Teachings of the Buddha, generally in the form of dialogues; and the Abhidhamma, a compilation of various teaching texts, and debated points of teaching.

The goal of a Theravadin monk is to become an arhat, which is one who walks the middle way between dualities’ extremes, has relinquished all traces of attachment and desire for worldly things and thus, having no karmic cause for future rebirths, will enter nibbana (also called nirvana) upon death, never to be born again.

Theravada is focused mainly on the teachings of the Four Noble Truths* and Eightfold Path,* monasticism, worldly renunciation, and self-refinement through chanting, praying, studying Teachings, vipassana* or ‘insight meditation,’ and vibhajjavada, the ‘study of analysis.’

Historically, lay followers played a minor role in this tradition. They were given only five basic precepts to follow: do not kill, do not steal, abstain from sexual misconduct, do not lie, and do not consume intoxicating substances. They also practiced development mainly through attempting to acquire karmic merit by providing for the renunciant monks and performing tasks related to that.

Theravadins often attempt to live closely to how Sakyamuni lived in 500 B.C.E. They accept Sakyamuni and Buddhas previous to him as having attained Buddhahood, but do not recognize later Mahayana Teachers as Buddhas. They are the original traditionalists of Buddhism.

At one point in time, there were 18 distinct schools of the old tradition. Modern Theravada is the only remaining one, having thrived in Sri Lanka long after the others faded away. The Theravada school is the predominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

*Practices and teachings in bold are also incorporated in HÜMÜH Buddhism.