What is the difference of Theravada Buddhism and Dalai Lama's tradition?

Answer 1

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.