What are the differences between the various Schools of Buddhism

Asiaprod

Recently, for a number of reasons, I have been looking into what exactly are the differences between the schools of Buddhism.
Why is Zen different from Tibetan Buddhism, why is PureLand different from Nichiren. I am interested to hear your individual take on the differences, and do these differences matter. To start I have listed all the major schools with a small outline of what each school stands for. Hope you will all contribute to turning this into a very enlightening thread (excuse the pun). I have already added to the NichirenSchool which is the school I follow. Please all feel free to do the same to your own School. It would be great if when all is done we could make a sticky explaining all these schools. Thanks in advance.


Group 1. Theravada
This is the earliest form of Buddhism. Thera means 'old' and 'vada' means school, which is also translated as 'The Teaching of the Elders'. It draws its main scriptures from the Pali canon, which was written down in the first century BCE. This contains the essential teachings of the Buddha, rules for monastic life and philosophical and psychological analyses. Through the sangha (the Buddhist community of monks and nuns), the basic doctrines and practices are preserved. Both 'calm' meditation (samatha) and 'insight' meditation (vipassana) are practiced within this school but there is more emphasis on meditation.
The goal in Theravada Buddhism is to attain enlightenment.


Group 2. Mahayana
This school of Buddhism developed out of the Theravada practice between 100 BCE and 100 CE. It regarded the Theravada school as 'the lesser vehicle' (Hinayana) and themselves as 'the Great Vehicle' (Mahayana). They regarded striving to win enlightenment for oneself was a selfish act and replaced it with the 'Bodhisattva ideal'. In this is the idea that one's primary objective is not to win enlightenment for oneself but to help all sentient beings first. Although compassion is a key virtue in all schools of Buddhism, in the Mahayana tradition it gains particular prominence. Out of compassion, the Bodhisattva finds the best means possible to capture the hearts of people and lead them to nirvana, postponing ones own entry time and time again. The role of the Bodhisattva then became more and more significant as Mahayana developed. Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, became a particular focus for veneration.


The following schools - although they are quite different - all come under the broad umbrella of Mahayana.


Pure Land
This school of Buddhism arose in China in about the fifth century CE, later spreading to Japan. The starting point were the Sukhavativyuha scriptures which described a Western Paradise (Sukhavati) or PureLand. The aspiration of Pure Land Buddhists is to obtain rebirth in the PureLand, presided over by Amitabha Buddha (the Buddha of Infinite Light). Faith in Amitabha is demonstrated through the recitation of the following mantra: Namu Amida Butsu ('Hail to Amitabha Buddha'). It is believed that recitation of this mantra ten times with genuine faith will guarantee entry into the PureLand on death.

Ch'an/Zen
The words Ch'an in China and Zen in Japanese derive from the Sanskrit word dhyana meaning meditation. It's not surprising that meditation is a prime characteristic of this school of Buddhism. The founder of Zen was Bodhidharma, an Indian monk who traveled to China in the sixth century CE. For Bodhidharma, the experiential dimension was the most important so we find in Zen Buddhism a rejection of the scriptures for more direct methods of gaining insight. This included giving much more emphasis to the master and disciple relationship. Traditionally, zen masters have used koans (riddles that have no logical answer; for example, What was your face before your parents were born?) and mondos (questions and answers) which, as with koans, defy logic. The idea behind these is to jolt the mind out of its habitual thought processes into satori (a flash of insight in to the true nature of reality). The idea is to let the pure mind, the Buddha nature within, reveal itself. The practice of sitting meditation (zazen) is seen as crucial to this process. It is often referred to as 'just sitting'. The goal in Chan/ZenBuddhism is to reveal the Buddha nature within.

Nichiren (my practise )
In the thirteenth century a Japanese monk named Nichiren (1222-1282) was responsible for bringing a new perspective to the practice of Buddhism. The focus for this practice came to rest on reciting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which can be roughly translated as 'Honor to the Lotus Sutra of the True Teaching'. Nichiren believed that the essence of the Buddha's teachings resided in the Lotus Sutra, a key text of Mahayana Buddhism. Today, Traditionally, mornings and evenings, adherents will recite the Hoben and Juryo chapters of the Lotus Sutra and chant in front of a scroll known as the Gohonzon on which the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is inscribed. This practice is known as Gongyo ('diligent practice') and chanting. There are a number of different schools of Nichiren Buddhism, each with their own distinctive flavor. These include Nichiren Shu, Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu. The goal in Nichiren Buddhism is to attain enlightenment through faith, practise and study in this lifetime. Chanting is a meditation method that enables one to gain insight and reveal the Buddha nature. A Nichiren Buddhist believes him/herself to be following in the path of 'Bodhisattva and is sworn to help to ease the suffering of his fellow man. He respects the rights of all people to practice what ever religion they like. This does not mean that he/she supports that religion; Nichiren Buddhism is not a religion and does not support religions. Nichiren would appear to very clossly related to the the New Kadampa Tradition. (I need to check this out more)


Group 3. Vajrayan (Vajrayan contains 5 schools)

The Nyingma-pa ('Old School')
This school stems from Padmasambhava, a Tibetan master, and relies on very early esoteric scriptures known as tantras. In this school there is a good deal of emphasis placed on meditation.

The Kagyu-pa ('SpeechSchool')
As its translation suggests, this is an oral tradition which is very much concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation. Its most famous exponent was Milarepa, an eleventh century mystic who meditated for many years in ice-cold Tibetan mountain caves before eventually reaching enlightenment.

The Sakya-pa ('TawnyEarthSchool')
This school very much represents the scholarly tradition. It was founded in 1073 CE by a layman named Konchol Gyelpo.

The Gelug-pa ('VirtuousOnesSchool')
The Dalai Lama heads the Gelug school and is regarded as the embodiment of Chenrezig, The Bodhisattva of Compassion (the equivalent of Avalokitesvara). He is therefore regarded as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. However, he also has a political role which has become even more significant since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 and the Dalai Lama's subsequent exile since 1959.

The New Kadampa Tradition
The 'New Kadampa Tradition' is a western break-away group started by one Tibetan monk, Kelsang Gyatso, in the late 70s. Unlike the historical Tibetan lineages, they do not follow the Dalai Lama. The teachings of the NKT are very much in line with traditional Vajrayana teachings but have their own distinctive flavor that emphasis on integrating the Buddha's teachings into one's daily life gives it a very real, practical advantage for developing your spirituality. In accordance with the Bodhisattva ideal (winning enlightenment so that you can ultimately be of benefit to others) is highlighted, along with cherishing others and the significance of compassion. It also explains the importance of the human rebirth, and the opportunities it affords for spiritual progress and fulfillment, something denied rebirth in the other realms of samsara.

Group 4.Tien-ts'ai (Tendai, in Japanese) school which was founded by Chi-i, one of the greatest Chinese Buddhist masters, its doctrine was based on the Lotus-sutra and its main is samatha and samadhi, one of the Buddhist meditation methods. "

And, by the way, it seems also to be a close connection between the Gelug-pa and the Kadampa direction:

The Geluk or Gelug (Wylie transliteration: Dge-lugs, Tibetan: དགེ་ལུགས་པ་) school of Buddhism was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader. (...)
A great admirer of the Kadampa (Bka'-gdams-pa) teachings, Tsongkhapa was an enthusiastic promoter of the Kadam School's emphasis on the Mahayana principles of universal compassion as the fundamental spiritual orientation. He combined this with a strong emphasis on the cultivation of in-depth insight into the doctrine of emptiness as propounded by the Indian masters Nagarjuna (2nd century) and Candrakirti (7th century). Tsongkhapa said that these two aspects of the spiritual path, compassion and insight into wisdom, must be rooted in a wholehearted wish for liberation, all impelled by a genuine sense of renunciation. He called these the "Three Principal Aspects of the Path", and suggested that it is on the basis of these three that one must embark on the profound path of Vajrayana Buddhism. The Geluk sect is the only Tibetan sect that insists on the celibacy of its clergy.

Nara Buddhism
Nara Buddhism' broadly refers to the six schools of Buddhism officially sponsored while the capital was at Nara (710-794). Three of these schools have survived, though they had little influence in Japan in later centuries compared with far more popular and powerful denominations such as Shingon, Tendai, Pure Land, Nichiren or Zen. Many of the monks and nuns connected with the early Nara schools of Buddhism were Korean or Chinese. The city of Nara grew around the imperial palace, major shrines connected with the ancestors of the ruling families and Buddhist temples connected with the Nara schools. These early Buddhist monastic institutions were supported by the ruling Yamato clan in return for prayers and rituals for the protection of the state, in conformity with the Chinese idea of the Buddha as guardian of the empire. The Nara schools together comprise around 400 temples and other meeting places, 1400 clergy and 2.5 million adherents. (Source: Hori (ed.) Japanese Religions 1972)

The six schools of Nara Buddhism , introduced into Japan during the seventh and eighth centuries CE were
Hosso (Mind-Only, Yogacara)
Sanron (Three Treatises, Madhyamika)
Kegon (Flower-Garland, Avatamsaka)
Ritsu (Rules of Discipline, Vinaya)
Jojitsu (Establishment of truth, Satyasiddhi)
Kusha (study of the Abhidharma-kosha texts).

The Nara schools have been well described a 'islands of Buddhism' in early Japan. They were simply extensions into Japan of well-established Korean or Chinese Buddhist institutions and their text-based philosophical doctrines were derived directly from Chinese or Korean parent denominations. For example, the Sanron school was led in Nara by a Korean monk and took as its basic scriptures the same three Madhyamaka texts (Middle Treatise, Hundred Treatise, Twelve-Topic Treatise) as the 'Three Treatises' school in China and Korea of which it formed a part. (For more details of the various schools, see INDIAN BUDDHISM or CHINESE BUDDHISM.) Descendants of the Ritsu, Hosso and Kegon sects survive today.

maitri

Very nice presentation!
It's interesting to learn about the different "schools".
I've read though, that even though the Dalai Lama belongs to tha Gelug-pa school, as you rightly say, the official head of the school is the Ganden Tripa. But the Dalai Lama in a way represents all the tibetan schools, doesn't he, being the spiritual leader of Tibet?

I've read about one more school:

"Tien-ts'ai (Tendai, in Japanese) school which was founded by Chi-i, one of the greatest Chinese Buddhist masters, its doctrine was based on the Lotus-sutra and its main is samatha and samadhi, one of the Buddhist meditation methods. "

It might be quite similar to your school as well? Maybe?

And, by the way, it seems also to be a close connection between the Gelug-pa and the Kadampa direction:

The Geluk or Gelug (Wylie transliteration: Dge-lugs, Tibetan: དགེ་ལུགས་པ་) school of Buddhism was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader. (...)
A great admirer of the Kadampa (Bka'-gdams-pa) teachings, Tsongkhapa was an enthusiastic promoter of the Kadam School's emphasis on the Mahayana principles of universal compassion as the fundamental spiritual orientation. He combined this with a strong emphasis on the cultivation of in-depth insight into the doctrine of emptiness as propounded by the Indian masters Nagarjuna (2nd century) and Candrakirti (7th century). Tsongkhapa said that these two aspects of the spiritual path, compassion and insight into wisdom, must be rooted in a wholehearted wish for liberation, all impelled by a genuine sense of renunciation. He called these the "Three Principal Aspects of the Path", and suggested that it is on the basis of these three that one must embark on the profound path of Vajrayana Buddhism. The Geluk sect is the only Tibetan sect that insists on the celibacy of its clergy.

Regards,

Maitri

PS: Isn't there a Buddhist saying: "Many schools - one Dhamma!"? :-)

Asiaprod

maitri wrote:

Very nice presentation!

Thanks you.

And thank you for reminding me of "Tien-ts'ai
I cannot believe how dumb I am, duh! That is the forerunner of the Nichiren school my school.
Interesting to learn of the close connection you pointed out between the Gelug-pa and the Kadampa direction. That's good Info. I have added Tien-tsai to my original post so I have one long record. Re The Dalai Lama, I am not sure of his position. I know from reading the book that the Hierarchy in Tibet is very complex. Maybe one of our Tibetan Buddhists can fill us in?
Thanks for all your research.
<Thunder and Lightning in Tokyo>

maitri

Asiaprod wrote:

I cannot believe how dumb I am, duh!

Hey, you're not dumb!

And then there is the Yun Wha denomination/ Lotus sangha of World social Buddhism, with centres in Korea and the United States. They focus on the Lotus Sutra and I have the impression that they are a bit similar to Pure Land Buddhism in some of their thinking, but I don't know much about either of them, so I'm not sure.


{In Oslo we had rain and sun at the same time yesterday - must be a good sign }

Chopper

Excellent, Most illuminating thread....

Many questions answered before I could even ask :-)

Asiaprod

Welcome to our new sticky. It is my hope that it will illustrate that no matter what school we have individually decided is right for us, under the skin, we all adhere to the same basic principles, and welcome ALL practitioners and seekers equally.

Black Thorn

Thank you for this. I have been trying to find information about the different schools as I am very lost in them all not knowing the differences and finding it difficult finding the information here. I still don't know which would be what I am to be in but I figure that in the end it doesn't matter as focusing too much on a school is focusing too much on that which really isn't important. Though finding others of similar thought to mine would be a nice outlet.

stomprockin

Here is an interesting talk that will shine some light on this subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owq_ougaikU&feature=related

Asiaprod

stomprockin wrote: »

Here is an interesting talk that will shine some light on this subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owq_ougaikU&feature=related

Thanks, that was enjoyable indeed.

yomchi

Thank you Asiaprod for taking the time to post up such detail!

Just a quick word on the Gelugpa and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is internationally known as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. However each section of Tibetan Buddhism has its own 'leader' as such and operates completely seperately to the Dalai Lama. For example the Kagyu Karma school has been in existance long before the Gelugpa and its leader, the Karmapa has been in existance for centuries before the the first reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
The lineage goes back a few centuries before Milerepa, to the time of Tilopa. Although Milerepa is probably the best known as he was a convicted murderer who found the Dharma and changed his ways - there's hope for us all!
Just my little bit.

www.karmapa.org

Lineage - http://www.karmapa.org/karmapa_org_redesign/history/kagyu_school/index_kagyu_school.htm

Maxine :)

that was all very interestin

stomprockin

stomprockin wrote: »

Here is an interesting talk that will shine some light on this subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owq_ougaikU&feature=related

Ajahn Brahm talks about different sects of Buddhism, how it all came to be this way and what it means. Ultimately it's all the same cake, just different icing on top.

m4cc4

hi newbie here, is it hypicritical if you were catholic but wanted to practice therevada?

yomchi

m4cc4 wrote: »

hi newbie here, is it hypicritical if you were catholic but wanted to practice therevada?

You may be better starting a new thread for this.

Seeing as there is no worship of any supernatural being in Buddhism, I would think not.
Therevadan meditiation has its goals set in the spiruatually enlighting of the self - which in Buddhist terms is a paradox but we won't get into it!

There a plenty of Christians practicing Buddhist concepts and meditation.

lukester

Just stumbled across this section, and this thread- nice to see a Buddhism section.

Don't wish to be controversial, but the New Kadampa Tradition doesn't fit as a group on its own. It's a kind of break away group set up by one person, that would basically follow Vajrayana, and has been the subject of a lot of controversy.

yomchi

lukester wrote: »

Just stumbled across this section, and this thread- nice to see a Buddhism section.

Don't wish to be controversial, but the New Kadampa Tradition doesn't fit as a group on its own. It's a kind of break away group set up by one person, that would basically follow Vajrayana, and has been the subject of a lot of controversy.

Hi Lukester, I don't quite follow, would you mind expanding a little?

Thanks:)

lukester

Jon wrote: »

Hi Lukester, I don't quite follow, would you mind expanding a little?

Hi Jon, I don't mind at all .

The groups outlined include Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, which are broad, well established categories or schools of Buddhism.

The 'New Kadampa Tradition' is a western break-away group started by one Tibetan monk, Kelsang Gyatso, in the late 70s. As I said previously, they have been the subject of quite a bit of controversy- a quick Google will give more info. Unlike the historical Tibetan lineages, they do not follow The Dalai Lama, and currently actively oppose him. Recently they have accused him of lying and opposing religious freedom!

I don't want to divert this thread into a discussion of them, but certainly they do not qualify as a Buddhist school along with the three major schools already listed. Their founder was a monk in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, so if anything they would be classified under Vajrayana.

yomchi

lukester wrote: »

Hi Jon, I don't mind at all .

The groups outlined include Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, which are broad, well established categories or schools of Buddhism.

The 'New Kadampa Tradition' is a western break-away group started by one Tibetan monk, Kelsang Gyatso, in the late 70s. As I said previously, they have been the subject of quite a bit of controversy- a quick Google will give more info. Unlike the historical Tibetan lineages, they do not follow The Dalai Lama, and currently actively oppose him. Recently they have accused him of lying and opposing religious freedom!

I don't want to divert this thread into a discussion of them, but certainly they do not qualify as a Buddhist school along with the three major schools already listed. Their founder was a monk in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, so if anything they would be classified under Vajrayana.

Ah I see. I actually misread your first post and thought you said Karmapa. This is interesting about this Kadampa group. Worth a read alright.

Thanks again!

Asiaprod

lukester wrote: »

Hi Jon, I don't mind at all .

Thanks for the information lukester, I have edited the original post to reflect this new information:)

deisekidd

DOES ANYBODY KNOW IS THERE ANY BUDDHIST CENTRES IN COUNTY WATERFORD OUR EVEN OUTSIDE WATERFORD
THANK YOU

bou

There is a Rigpa group in Waterford but I don't know exactly what they are doing at present. Email waterford@rigpa.ie to find out.

IrishGuyCork

Is there any people from Cork here who studies buddism?