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)：“长老们的说法”。是以巴利语传承至今最古老形式的佛教。上座部是早期佛教宗派中唯一还活跃至今的一派。目前泰国、斯里兰卡和缅甸的佛教主流即是上座部佛教。