Theravada Buddhism is the Buddhist school that is based on the [Pali canon], and traces its roots back to the 6th century BCE sage Siddhatha Gotama (Sanskrit, Siddhartha Gautama), also known as The Buddha. Theravada is a [Pali] word meaning "the way of the elders." The three major schools of Buddhism are Theravada, [Mahayana], and [Vajrayana].