Are there types of buddhism?I've heard about Zen Buddhism from Japan...?

Question

And what are other paths of buddhism then?

Answer 1

The main branches are:

Mahayana Buddhism--aka Northern Buddhism, practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia

Theravada Buddhism--aka Southern Buddhism, practices in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar

Tibetan Buddhism. Developed independently of the two main branches of Buddhism due to the severe isolation of Tibet.

Pure Land Buddhism. A very simplified version of Buddhism originally developed to allow the illiterate and uneducated to participate in Buddhism. It is stripped of the strenuous mediation and ritual of other, more formal versions of Buddhism

Zen Buddhism: a combination of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. It began in China, spread to Korea and Japan, and became very popular in the West from the mid 20th century. Also known as Modern Buddhism

There are several offshoots of these main paths (check out the link for details.)

Answer 2

http://www.dharmamemphis.com/buddhism/index.htm <<< scroll down to 'types of buddhism'

The main branches:
1. Theravada / Hinayana (The great tradition or the way of the elders)

2. Mahayana or "Greater Vehicle" : Variants of Mahayana Buddhism:
-Tibetan Buddhism
-Zen Buddhism
-Pure Land Buddhism
-Nichiren Buddhism

Try not to get confused with the various traditions: just go for what feels right and ideally do a course. Amazingly, it seems to me that at least 90% of the people stick to the tradition they started in - somehow karma seems to be at work there... Anyway, the biggest differences between the Buddhist traditions are usually more on the surface than in the ideas behind the appearances. Although for example in Zen you will find very little ritual etc., and in Tibetan Buddhism you may be overwhelmed by it, at the core of the practice are the same ideas, just different methods.



there is Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Yogacara Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism but it is all Buddhism and it all has the same taste - the taste of freedom. Buddhism has evolved into different forms so that it can be relevant to the different cultures in which it exists. It has been reinterpreted over the centuries so that it can remain relevant to each new generation. Outwardly, the types of Buddhism may seem very different but at the centre of all of them is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. All major religions, Buddhism included, have split into schools and sects.

Answer 3

I don't know the specific names but yes, there are quite a few different 'types' of Buddhism. Wikipedia might have more information, failing that try your local ... uh... 'buddhist temple' (unsure what they're called).

Your local University/College may have a professor who knows more too ^__^

Answer 4

like every big religion there is different sect(different school of thought)in Buddhism for more detail please visit wikipedia.org and type Buddhism in search you will receive most information you want about Buddhism and many other usefull link also i think wikipedia is like encyclopedia and very popular

Answer 5

properly i'm going to supply you a sentence which will illustrate Zen. once you run down the stairs rapid you do no longer think of roughly which foot is going whilst or the place or you're possibly to break your neck. it is Zen.