Modern psychological research validates the solutions proposed by Buddhist teachings. Meditation, for example, has been shown helpful for reducing stress and anxiety, improving attention span, improving sleep, helping with chronic pain, and benefitting emotional health overall."Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."—The Buddha Buddhism is most widely known as a religion. But it has also been called a philosophy and a science. Because these terms—religion, philosophy, science—originated and evolved in the West, and Buddhism did not, it is perhaps not surprising that Buddhism defies easy categorization.