The Oxford Encyclopedia of Buddhism is a first-of-its-kind reference project: a systematic effort to identify and analyze the ways in which Buddhist studies has developed, the new sub-fields of inquiry, and the evolving relationships between disciplines that broaden our knowledge of the religion. The Encyclopedia draws from a wide range of scholarly perspectives, and its 138 chapters cover several major thematic areas, including historical and historiographical studies, historical figures, buddhas and deities, regional studies, global and diasporic Buddhism, art and architecture, contemporary social and academic issues, rituals, philosophical and doctrinal studies, textual and philological studies, and the most influential educational institutions.