Buddhism

==Monasteries and temples==
{{Main|Buddhist architecture}}
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| image4 = Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.jpg
| image5 = Kinkaku-ji the Golden Temple in Kyoto overlooking the lake - high rez.JPG
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Buddhist institutions are often housed and centred around [[monasteries]] (Sanskrit:''[[Vihāra|viharas]]'') and temples. Buddhist monastics originally followed a life of wandering, never staying in one place for long. During the three-month rainy season (''[[vassa]]'') they would gather together in one place for a period of intense practice and then depart again.{{sfnp|Hirakawa|1993|p=68}}{{sfnp|Dutt|1988|p=53}} Some of the earliest Buddhist monasteries were at groves (''vanas'') or woods (''araññas''), such as [[Jetavana]] and [[Sarnath|Sarnath's Deer Park]]. There originally seems to have been two main types of monasteries, monastic settlements (''sangharamas'') were built and supported by donors, and woodland camps (''avasas'') were set up by monks. Whatever structures were built in these locales were made out of wood and were sometimes temporary structures built for the rainy season.{{sfnp|Hirakawa|1993|p=34}}{{sfnp|Dutt|1988|p=55}} Over time, the wandering community slowly adopted more settled [[Cenobitic monasticism|cenobitic]] forms of monasticism.{{sfnp|Dutt|1988|pp=57–59}}

There are many different forms of Buddhist structures. Classic Indian Buddhist institutions mainly made use of the following structures: monasteries, rock-hewn cave complexes (such as the [[Ajanta Caves]]), [[stupa]]s (funerary mounds which contained relics), and temples such as the [[Mahabodhi Temple]].<ref>Huu Phuoc Le (2010). ''Buddhist Architecture.'' Grafikol.</ref> In Southeast Asia, the most widespread institutions are centred on [[wat]]s. East Asian Buddhist institutions also use various structures including monastic halls, temples, lecture halls, bell towers and [[pagoda]]s. In [[Buddhist temples in Japan|Japanese Buddhist temples]], these different structures are usually grouped together in an area termed the [[Shichidō garan|garan]]. In Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhist institutions are generally housed in [[gompa]]s. They include monastic quarters, stupas and prayer halls with Buddha images. In the modern era, the Buddhist "meditation centre", which is mostly used by laypersons and often also staffed by them, has also become widespread.<ref>Schedneck, Brooke (2015). ''Thailand's International Meditation Centers: Tourism and the Global Commodification of Religious Practices.'' Routledge</ref>