The Branches of Buddhism

by Pablo Antuna⁽²⁾

As any other ancient and large religion, Buddhism evolved over time and divided itself in many branches. In Buddhism, these different schools are so different from each other in some cases, that it is difficult to know what to call Buddhism, or why this or that school is Buddhist. Well, the name Buddhism comes from the title given to a man named Siddharta Gautama by his followers. He was called the Buddha, that means the enlightened one or awakened one.

He founded the Buddhist tradition. Some time after his death, conflicts started to arise within the community. These conflicts are recorded in old scriptures, by we now look at them just as historical curiosities, because the divisions that originated here don't exist anymore today.

Buddhism is often divided in two main branches: Theravada and Mahayana. The Theravada is the oldest surviving school, and it could be considered the conservative one. The name Theravada means "doctrine of the elders". It tries to follow the oldest canonical scriptures of the Buddhist tradition, called the Tripitaka, trying to imitate the beliefs and practices of the early followers of the Buddha. The Theravada is practiced mainly in countries of South East Asia: Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka. It is also gaining some acceptance around the world, as in the Buddhist revival in India and also in the Buddhists communities in America.

The other and largest Buddhist school is the Mahayana. Mahayana means "great vehicle". It is a reform movement which basic premise is that the real teaching of the Buddha isn't found in the Tripitaka. They claim that the Buddha gave his final and real teaching to a select group of followers, and they were recorded in what they call the Sutras. There are many variants of Mahayana Buddhism: Pure Land Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen and others. They all change the beliefs and practices of traditional Buddhism, adapting it to new environments and cultures.

To learn more about Buddhism and its different schools, you might be interested in reading more articles by author Pablo Antuna in his site:

Article submitted Monday, November 03, 2008 & read 226 times.

Leave your comments through Blogz:

No comments yet.

103-0-2-2-3-ADSO

Most Recent