What are the differences between them if any at all? What are the similarities between them if any at all? If you can state your sources or leave links as well thanks.
2007-03-03 08:28:52 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Ow Seal! You expect us to fit it all in this little box? ok. There. It's done! (a little Zen joke there).
This Wiki link has quite a bit of info and further links.
Despite the differences, there are common threads to almost all Buddhist branches:
All accept the Buddha as their teacher.
All accept the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
All accept that both the members of the laity and of the Sangha can pursue the path toward enlightenment (bodhi).
All accept Buddhahood to be the highest attainment.
Beyond that I've only followed Zen so I can't comment on the other paths since I have no expertise there. But I've also added a link to 'Dharma the Cat', an educational website which has an interdenominational commentary on Buddhist concepts and presents them in a fun way.
I hope that helps a little.
Live long and prosper!
.
2007-03-03 08:51:55 · answer #1 · answered by Nobody 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot. I've studied Buddhism for a while. Basically, Buddhism started in India but spread over Asia. As it went, it incorporated local culture, myths, etc. (hence fat Buddha of China, where as the original Indian Buddha is anything but fat). But it retained it's basic spirituality, i.e. enlightenment. It did become more institutionalized, i.e. Tibetan Buddhism, but the basic concpets are all there. In most forms.
2007-03-03 08:33:53 · answer #2 · answered by Jedi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well.... okie dokie hang on for dear life...
There's what we call 3 "vehicles" of Buddhism:
Hinayana: the earliest versions of the Buddha's teachings, called the "lesser vehicle" but does not mean it's really "less than" it just means that it's the earliest in it's own way... there were 18 schools of it, of which only one, called "Theravada", is the only surviving school, generally practiced in places like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, etc..
Mahayana: the later schools which take the Buddha's teachings and philosophy a step further and further as time progresses but NOTE they don't really CHANGE, they just evolve in understanding levels and commentaries. These schools are the Chan and Zen, Tibetan, etc.
Vajrayana: Tantric level Buddhist teachings. This one's the fun-to-explain "vehicle" because you can't practice tantra w/o the sutric levels of achievements... so Vajrayana is an offshoot (slightly) from Mahayana.
Within all of these schools there are various schools of philosophy, such as the Madhyamika/Prasangikas, Cittamatrans, etc. (there are MANY more, but I'm TRYING to be brief) who all have their own "take" on the Buddha's logic and teachings.
Within the Tibetan schools of Buddhism (Mahayana and Vajrayana) there are various lineages, which encompass the various forms of logic (Cittamatra, Madhyamika/Prasangika, etc.) of which I'm a Gelugpa (one of the "youngest" lineages, and we follow the teachings of Lama Je Tsongkhapa and the various commentaries that came from his take on the Buddha's teachings, called the "Lam Rim Chenmo"), then there are the Kagyus, Nyingmapas and so on....
catch your breath yet? LOL It's quite intricate. If you're curious for a vast overview and want to narrow down from there, I humbly suggest the Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism, which breaks this (garbage babbling bull excrement I just wrote) down into simple, easier-to-understand Western terminology.
Hope you're not ready to club me to death, but I tried to be of benefit.
_()_
2007-03-03 08:41:58 · answer #3 · answered by vinslave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Several. I've only researched Buddhism in a very topical way, but I am very much impressed by Zen Buddhism, from what I've read.
2007-03-03 08:33:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The very fact that there are SECTS of Buddhism shoots down its truthfulness as a religion. They have how many Gods??? And how many sects? Sects and forms are the same thing...for those who will say they are not sects. "There are good people in all religions, but not good in all religion."-Chris' Motto.
2007-03-03 08:36:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
well this is a link of Theravada Buddhist religion in Thailand.
http://www.11meditation.co.nr
hope it helps you a bit.
2007-03-03 14:38:04 · answer #6 · answered by Jak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'd like to know as well
when u do let me know
2007-03-03 08:33:11 · answer #7 · answered by pulse 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋