Traditions

Religions, philosophical schools, spiritual movements, and mystical lineages—each with its own history and internal diversity.

• Advaita Vedantaclassical systematization often associated with Shankara (c. 8th century CE); roots earlierAdvaita Vedanta is a school of Hindu philosophy whose name means “non-dual end of the Vedas.” It teaches that the deepest Self, Atman, and u…
• Analytical psychologyearly to mid 20th century origins; continuing schoolsAnalytical psychology is the school of depth psychology founded by Carl Jung. It studies symbols, dreams, the unconscious, and the slow proc…
• Buddhismfrom c. 5th–4th century BCE onwardBuddhism is a family of traditions that grew from the teaching associated with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. It is not one single doctrine…
• Christianityfrom the first century CEChristianity is the diverse family of traditions that grew from the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians typically understand…
• New Thought19th–20th century onwardNew Thought is a modern spiritual movement that took shape in nineteenth- and twentieth-century North America. It emphasizes the formative p…
• Stoicismfrom c. 3rd century BCE; influential through Roman era and later revivalsStoicism is a school of Greco-Roman philosophy founded in Athens around the early third century BCE and developed for centuries in Greece an…
• SufismSufism is the mystical dimension of Islam: schools, poets, and teachers who seek nearness to God through prayer, remembrSufism is the mystical dimension of Islam: schools, poets, and teachers who seek nearness to God through prayer, remembrance (dhikr), ethica…
• Taoismfrom classical Chinese antiquity onwardTaoism is a family of Chinese traditions shaped by texts such as the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi, and by centuries of philosophy, ritual, …