Ancient India

When Buddhism started, there were no priests, only the teachings of the Buddha. These teachings were explained by Buddhists monks and missionaries. Today, there are about 500 million Buddhists in the world. Some Buddhist branches do have temples and priests, while others do not. But these developed over time. Buddhism today still embraces the idea of a teacher and a spiritual community. Depending upon the branch, a teacher might be a Buddhist monk, a Buddhist nun, or a regular person. Buddhism today is still primarily taught orally, passed from teacher to student. Buddhism for Kids