Buddhism is a religion or philosophical tradition based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who was born into a Hindu family in or around the 5th century BCE in present-day Nepal. The term ‘Buddhism’ is a Western neologism. As a religion it is most accurately described as nontheistic, i.e. it does not concern itself with the subject of deity. Buddhism is the world’s fourth-largest religion, with more than 520 million followers, i.e. 7% of the global population. In contrast to Hinduism, Judaism and Jainism, it is considered a ‘universalising religion’, like Christianity and Islam, i.e. there is no expectation on its adherents to have been born into the faith. Buddhism does not require exclusive adherence, and the Buddha specifically wanted his teachings to be for everyone. Half the global population of Buddhists live in China, comprising 18% of the country’s population. Most others live in East and South Asia, with only about 1.4% of the population living outside Asia. Thailand and Cambodia have the highest concentration of Buddhists (more than 90%), while only 1% of Indians and 10% of Nepalese identify as Buddhist, though some Hindus revere Buddha as an incarnation of the god Vishnu. The teachings of the Buddha are collectively called the Dharma. The oldest surviving scriptures date from the first century BCE and were written in the language the Buddha preached in Prakrit. The three main branches of Buddhism each rely on a different set of scriptures, written in a variety of Indian languages, including Sanskrit. Some scriptures now only exist in translation into Chinese and Tibetan languages. Buddhism teaches ‘the Middle Way’, moderation, harmony, self-respect, mindfulness and nonviolence. As with all religions, some of the most important concepts are difficult or impossible to understand with the intellect alone and are often misunderstood. The Buddha rejected the idea of any kind of creator deity but encouraged devotional habits of mind. Monastic schools developed partly as a response to the complexity of the teachings. Many Buddhist schools disallow meat consumption, but others do not follow these requirements. The Dalai Lama is the best-known living Buddhist figure in the world and heads the Tibetan school of Buddhism, in exile in India. Buddhist holidays include the Buddha’s day of birth and day of enlightenment. These dates vary from year to year and from place to place. The Qingming Festival (All Souls) is a major festival in China and Japan and is celebrated by Buddhist and Daoist temples worldwide. Buddhist devotional practices, including meditation and recitation, may be performed at home or in a temple. There is no fixed weekly holy day, though Uposotha, a Buddhist day of observance, is observed four or more times a month in some communities.