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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 is the Dalai lama's role in Buddhism?
The Dalai Lama is the temporal head of Gelug(pa), "Way of Virtue" school of Tibetan Buddhism. He has also assumed the role of the Panchan lama while his latest reincarnation is sought. Gelug is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is a part of Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) tradition of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is one of the two major divisions of Buddhism, the other is Theravada (The School of the Elders)
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 are the various Buddhist schools?
nobody knows ++ Buddhism has some central teachings at its very heart, these have been developed in a range of ways,reflecting the individual needs of different people over many centuries. Each of these different approaches can be thought of as a 'school' of Buddhism.
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.
What are the two branches of Buddhism?
Theravada Buddhism focuses on the individual; Mahayana Buddhism focuses on society as a whole.
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.
How is Korean Buddhism different than other forms Buddhism?
Korean Buddhism is somewhat concerned with theological doctrines, as are many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. There are several forms of Buddhism practiced in South Korea, but the most common is the Chogye, the Korean Rinzai Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism. There is little truly distinct about Korean Buddhism. There is one element, however. In Mahayana Buddhism, there is the view that the Buddha left a successor, Mahakashyapa, as the second Buddhist patriarch. Zen Buddhism believes that the founder of Ch'an/Zen, Bodhidharma, was the tenth Buddhist patriarch. Most of Zen Buddhism believes that there were only 28 Buddhist patriarchs. The 28th gave his transmission to many successors, thus ending the lineage of Buddhist patriarchs. But there are two schools of Korean Rinzai Zen, Chogye and one other, which both believe that the head of their sect is the current patriarch of all Buddhism. Thus these two schools of Korean Rinzai Zen are sometimes referred to as "Patriarchal Zen".
Is Theravada Buddhism different from Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism?
Theravada is the only remaining school of Hinayana ('small vehicle') Buddhism which only follows the original Pali Canon of Buddhist teachings. These teachings are the closest we have to the actual words of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. It is mostly practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Laos.Mahayana ('big vehicle') Buddhism comprises several different traditions including Tibetan Buddhism Tibat, Nepal, Bhutan and India), Zen/Ch'an Buddhism (China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam) and Pure Land Buddhism (Japan). It follows both the Pali Canon of teachings and a number of other teachings that have arisen since which may or may not be attributed to the historical Buddha such as The Lotus Sutra, The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras (including The Heart Sutra and The Diamond Sutra), the Lankavatara Sutra and many others.Mahayana Buddhist teachings first arose in India in the first century AD and it is thought that these began in both monastic and lay settings. The main differences are twofold:1. Mahayana Buddhism rests on the idea of the bodhisattva who will not achieve enlightenment until ALL beings are enlightened. This is said to be in contrast to Hinayana/Theravada teachings which emphasise personal liberation.2. Mahayana Buddhism teaches the idea of inherent Buddha nature (tathāgatagarbha in Sanskrit) in which we are fundamentally pure from the beginning. In this it is also often taught that the historical Buddha was already enlightened when he was born and only manifested to teach the dharma (truth) to others.The teachings on sunyata ('emptiness') are also taught far more deeply in Mahayana Buddhism whereas Theravada Buddhism concentrates more on ethical behaviour. In Mahayana Buddhism it is perfectly allowable to break religious rules if the end result is beneficial (the notion of skillful means or upaya).Both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism do share the same basic beliefs of Buddhism such as the four noble truths and eightfold path set out by the Buddha himself and the aspiration to become free from suffering and help others. Mahayana Buddhism (of which Tibetan Buddhism is a part) currently forms the majority of Buddhist practice in the world although there are still strong areas of Theravadin practice in south Asia.
How are Buddhism and Zen related?
legend tells of the coming of a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma (da-mo) to China from India....he was schooled in the popular Indian mahayana (greater vehicle), and zen is the school of thought that arose when Buddhism encountered and eventually assimilated the native indigenous faith called 'taoism".
Which of these statements best describes the Buddhist school of Mahayana?
The followers of Mahayana worshipped Buddha as a god and also believed that there are many Buddhas.
What is a ultimate goal?
Depending on the school of Buddhism the goal of achieving Nirvana is somewhat different, Thedavara Buddhism see transitioning to Nirvana as happening after enlightenment (and death). Mahayana Buddhists feels the enlightened will refuse to go to Nirvana until all sentient beings are enlightened and thus return to the cycle of death and rebirth..
