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What are three differences in theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism?
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∙ 10y ago
- The goal in the Theravada is enlightenment for oneself. Such a person is called an arahat. The goal in the Mahayana is the enlightenment of all beings. A person who has vowed to enlighten all beings is called a bodhisattva.
- Source of authority for the Buddha's teachings: In the Theravada, the final source for the Buddha's teachings is the Pali Tipitika. In the Mahayana, it is not clearly defined what the final authority for the Buddha's teachings is. For some, it is their own experience. For others, it is what their teacher says. For still others, it is the Tripitika.
- Number of schools: The Theravada has not had any further schisms since the Sthiravada/Mahasanghika split a couple of hundred years after the Buddha. The Theravada is basically the same in all Theravadin temples throughout the world. The Mahayana, on the other hand, has continued to schism for the past two thousand years, to the point where there are thousands of distinct Mahayana sects throughout the world, and the teachings are somewhat different between them, though there is still substantial overlap.
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∙ 10y ago
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What are the three main groups of Buddhism?
Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan.
What are the names of the three different sects of Buddhism?
Theravada,Mahayana, and Mantrayana
What are the four strands of Buddhism?
There are three major strands of Buddhism which are, Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana. If you include Ch'an / Zen Buddhism as a separate school then you have four.
What are the 3 sects of Buddhism?
This is too complex to answer in full here, but please refer to this excellent website which has a detailed discussion of the schools and lineages:http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/schools.htmThe three branches of Buddhism are Mahayana Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Theravada Buddhism.
In your opinion which school of Buddhism is the best and why?
Basically there are three main schools, Theravada, Mahayana and Trantric. The Theravada promotes self practise according to the Buddha's way of life; the Mahayana promotes practise inclusive of other beings while the Trantric promotes mystic qualities of being. To answer the question of which is the best practise of Buddhism will depend on the level of evolution of the person; his past lives; his quality of mind energy.
Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetian Buddhism are the same?
Tibetan, or Vajrayana, Buddhism is one of the four major schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The other three are Zen, Nichiren and Pure Land.The term Mahayana has two distinct usages. Firstly, it refers to one of the two branches of Buddhism, the other being the Theravada. Mahayana Buddhism in this sense includes Tibetan Buddhism. Secondly, within Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana refers to the second of the three levels of teachings, the other two being Hinayana and Vajrayana.In some of the other schools of Mahayana Buddhism, the studying of sutras plays a crucial role in understanding reality. In Tibetan Buddhism, more emphasis is placed on studying the texts of the Prasangika-Madyamaka school (supposedly derived from Nagarjuna's teachings). Also some schools of Tibetan Buddhism constantly engage in philosophical debates on Buddhist principles to cultivate their wisdom. However, it must be noted that both the the Mahayana sutras and Prasangika-Madyamaka schools study the emptiness philosophy of Nagarjuna. So, in essence, they should be the same (differences only arising in the conceptual dimension).The most famous book in Tibetan Buddhism is the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which can be seen not only literally as dealing with the states after death, but also with the consciousness states.Another difference betwen Tibetan Buddhism and other Mahayana schools is that Tibetan Buddhists will often practice tantra, which they believe is higher than the highest practices of the other Mahayana schools.
What is major types Buddhism?
There are three major types, or vehicles, in Buddhism. They are the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
What do Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism have in common?
Similarities are the four noble truths. -There is suffering. -Suffering is caused by attachment. -There is an end to suffering. -Suffering's end is found in the Path. The differences are of intention and focus. (T: me; M: all)
What are the three main divisions in Buddhism?
Theravada and Mahayana. Within Mahayana, you find Zen Buddhism.Answer: Theravada ('way of the elders') is more similar to original Buddhism, whereas Mahayana ('greater vehicle') has an unknown origin.
Which sect of Buddhism was connected with the tang dynasty?
Mahayana, one of three main branches of Buddhism, was connected with the Tang Dynasty. This particular tradition calls for enlightenment to benefit all sentient beings. Mahayana is the largest Buddhist sect in existence today with 56% of all Buddhists.
Difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism?
Buddhism encompasses several sects that hold a wide range of beliefs, with core Buddhist concepts. The Tibetan branch of Buddhism contains animistic and shamanistic elements. Tibetan Buddhists believe that when the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama die, they are re-incarnated in this world, for them to follow again. So, the present Dalai Lama is the re-incarnation of his predecessor.
What is the difference of Theravada Buddhism and Dalai Lama's tradition?
Theravada Buddhism is the oldest surviving school of Buddhist thought. Much of the Theravada Buddhist philosophy and lifestyle is based on the Pali Canonical Texts that are said the original Teachings given by the Buddha. The practitioners live their lives in pursuit of becoming an Arhat (sometimes said to mean "One who has vanquished his enemies"). The enemies being vanquished are greed, hate, and ignorance. In Theravada Buddhism, an Arhat is considered to be enlightened. Practitioners primarily look at the Tripitaka, consisting of the Vinaya Pitaka, which lays out the rules for monastic life, the Sutta Pitaka, which includes the texts that are said to be the teachings of the Buddha, and the Abhidhama Pitaka, which lays out the ideas of the Suttas in a scholastic sort of way. The Dalai Lama practices Vajrayana Buddhism. A little background is needed to say what this is. A type of Buddhism, referred to as Mahayana (the "Great Vehicle"), emerged with the evolution of Buddhist philosophy and thought. It is not my purpose for this discussion to go into legitimacy or origin of certain texts, so I will not expound much upon where the Mahayana canonical texts originated. A major thing stressed by Mahayana is the figure of the Bodhisattva; this, in short, is a person who vows to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. This messianic goal is said to arise from bodhicitta (the mindset that, from compassion, causes you to want to be a Buddha for the sake of all other beings). Mahayana Buddhists argue that becoming an Arhat is an incomplete attainment of enlightenment and that one must become a Bodhisattva to eventually attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It is said, that from the moment of bodhicitta's arising in a practitioner and his or her taking of the Bodhisattva vows, it will take three incalculable eons to achieve Buddhahood (Three enormous periods of death and rebirth). There are some philisophical differences from Theravada here in that the idea of selflessness is extend to all symbolic constructs (Sunyata). Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, is made for those who can not wait that long. This is for people that want to attain enlightenment in a very short period of time. Tantra is an esoteric tradition that is said to use Artful Means (a major idea in Mahayana) to speed the process along. Rather than deny and renounce one's poisons(those that an Arhat rids himself of), one uses their immense power and focuses it to produce profound results in meditation and realization in a relatively short period of time. This is done with the guidance of a teacher who is said to be accomplished in the Tantric ways, lest the practitioner wishes to be very misguided (possibly lose his mind). This is the form of Buddhism practiced by the Dalai Lama.
