Buddhist

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablereligion

   A person who follows Buddhism, the faith based on the teachings of the Buddha about suffering and how to be free from it.

   Grammar: Takes a plural: many Buddhists. Use an or a before the singular: she is a Buddhist.

   Patterns

   • a practicing Buddhist
   • become a Buddhist

   My neighbor is a Buddhist and meditates every morning before work.

   Millions of Buddhists travel to holy sites in India each year.

   He became a Buddhist after spending a summer in a monastery.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounreligion

   Connected with Buddhism, its teachings, practices, buildings or followers.

   Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a Buddhist temple, not a temple Buddhist.

   Patterns

   • Buddhist temple
   • Buddhist monk

   We visited a Buddhist temple on the hillside above the town.

   She wrote her thesis on Buddhist ideas about compassion.

   A Buddhist monk gave a short talk on mindfulness.

Word forms

Common combinations

Buddhist monk

A Buddhist monk in orange robes walked past the market.

Buddhist temple

The Buddhist temple is open to visitors every afternoon.

devout Buddhist

His grandmother was a devout Buddhist who rose before dawn to pray.

Buddhist teaching

One Buddhist teaching says that attachment causes suffering.

Buddhist philosophy

The course compares Buddhist philosophy with Greek thought.

Synonyms and how they differ

follower of the Buddha

This longer phrase is a descriptive way to say it, but Buddhist is the normal everyday word.

practitioner

Practitioner focuses on someone who actively practices, for example through meditation, and may not say which religion.

Word family

Buddhism noun

the religion itself

Buddha noun

the title of its founder, or a statue of him

Buddhistic adjective

a rarer adjective meaning similar to Buddhism

Commonly confused: Buddhist or Buddhism?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “Buddhist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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