Śāsana
Śāsana (Sanskrit), (Pali: sāsana) is a term used by Buddhists and Shaivites to refer to their religion or non-religion. It has a range of possible translations, including teaching, practice, doctrine and Buddha Śãsana, which means "the teaching of the Buddha" (of which there have been several). Since in Buddhism there is no divine god the term is considered more accurate than the word "religion" as it denotes an adaptable philosophy and practice rather than a non-changing divine call from an all knowing god. Also, for many Buddhist outsiders the term religion implies faith; some might argue that faith is not a necessary feature of Buddhism, based in spirituality and logic, thus making śāsana all the more useful a term in definition.
Sasana may also refer to the 5000 year dispensation of a particular Buddha. That is, we are living in the sasana of the Śakyamuni Buddha.
