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Śāsana (Sanskrit: शासन, śāsana; Pali: sāsana) is a Buddhist term for the distribution time or availability of the teachings of a Buddha. The currently available philosophy and practice are dated back to Siddhartha Gautama and are only available for a limited time span. It can be translated as teaching, practice, discipline, doctrine, and "the Teaching of the Buddha". Śāsana is considered a more accurate description than "religion" as it avoids the implication of a non-changing divine call from an all-knowing creator god.
Śāsana is also used for the 5000-year Buddha's Dispensation; the current śāsana is that of Śakyamuni Buddha.
References
- Damien Keown (26 August 2004). A Dictionary of Buddhism. OUP Oxford. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.