Theravada (Pali : thera “elders” + vada” word, doctrine1”), the “Doctrine of the Elders”, is the name for the school of Buddhism that draws its scriptural inspiration from the Pali Canon, or Tipitaka, which scholars generally accept as the oldestrecord of the Buddha's teachings. For many centuries, Theravada has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand ; today Theravada Buddhists number over100 million worldwide. In recent decades Theravada has begun to take root in the West -- primarily in Europe and the USA.