The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2149 page)

 
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(P
li)
or
sana
(Skt.). Teaching, instruction, message of the
Buddha
; however, the term by custom has come to mean the Buddhist religion (Buddha-s
sana) or tradition itself, especially with respect to the period of its duration as a historical phenomenon. So s
sana refers to the ‘dispensation’ of the teaching. When a
samm
sambuddha
discovers and imparts the
dharma
, his message and its impact on society and the world endures for a limited period of time only. The circumstances or fortunes of the dharma change, being subject, like all things, to the law of impermanence (
anicca
), although the dharma itself, of course, never changes. Gradually Buddhist tradition wanes until it eventually disappears from the earth altogether. It remains lost until the next samm
sambuddha appears and introduces dharma to the world again.

 
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sanadevat
.