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2011-03-31T03:08:40Z

Created page with 'Many Buddhist publications are dated with reference to a '''Buddhist Era''' (BE). Several systems have been used for calculating the number of a given year based on important eve…'

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Many Buddhist publications are dated with reference to a '''Buddhist Era''' (BE). Several systems have been used for calculating the number of a given year based on important events in the life of the Buddha.

== Early Buddhist Calendar ==

The old East Asian Buddhist calender 舊佛歷 used 1027 BCE as the date of the Buddha's death, and counted years from that date.<ref>Possibility related to the fact that 1027 BCE was one of the proposed dates for the founding of the Zhōu 周 dynasty.</ref> Months and days followed the lunar calendar. This system was still in use in the early 20th century.<ref> See Joseph Edkins, ''Chinese Buddhism: a volume of sketches, historical, descriptive, and critical'', second edition, revised (London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1893), 12.</ref> Since the current Buddhist calendar uses 543 BCE as the starting date, subtract 483 from an old Buddhist year to convert into the new system.

== Current Buddhist Calendar ==

The modern East Asian Buddhist calendar 佛歷 is calculated based on the following:

* Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana in 543 BCE, on the last day of the 5th month.
* Years are reckoned from this year onwards
* The month and day follow the modern Western Gregorian system.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Chronology]]

Buddhist Era - Revision history

Greg: Created page with 'Many Buddhist publications are dated with reference to a '''Buddhist Era''' (BE). Several systems have been used for calculating the number of a given year based on important eve…'