Theravãda: “Doctrine of the Elders”. Handed down to us in the Pãli language, it is the oldest form of the Buddha”s teachings. Theravãda is the only one of the early schools of Buddhism to have survived into the present. It is currently the dominant form of Buddhism in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Burma.

　　上座部(Theravāda)：“長老們的說法”。是以巴利語傳承至今最古老形式的佛教。上座部是早期佛教宗派中唯一還活躍至今的一派。目前泰國、斯裏蘭卡和緬甸的佛教主流即是上座部佛教。