Download Major Branches of Buddhism

Major Branches of Buddhism
Theravada
The path of mindfulness
o Attempts to maintain the original teachings of Buddhism
o Dominated by devotional practices
o Theravadin monks live simple lives
o Uses the Pali Canon as its central text
o The three refuges:
1. The Buddha
2. Dharma
3. Sangha
Mahayana
The path of compassion and wisdom
o Represents innovations in Buddhist thought
o Seeks to liberate all beings and promotes wisdom and compassion
o Includes many Buddha’s and Boddhisatvas
o Uses a number of different holy texts to complement the Pali Canon
o Sunyata: Emptiness and nothingness
o Claims that the Buddha is a universal principle with 3 aspects:
o The enlightened formless wisdom body
o The celestial bliss body
o The transformation body (Gautama Buddha)
BRANCHES OF
MAHAYANA
Zen
The great way of enlightenment
o Attempts to recover the original experience of direct enlightenment
o Maintains that all beings have Buddha-nature (insight into ones mind) within
them
Zazen: Rigorous sitting meditation
Kensho: Sudden bursts of insight
Koans: Paradoxical riddles
“What is the sound of one hand clapping?”
A monk asked Kegon, "How does an enlightened one return to the ordinary world?"
Kegon replied, "A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to
the old branches.”
Zen Poetry
The old pond
A frog leaps in.
Splash!
-Basho
To what shall
I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected
In dewdrops,
Shaken from a crane's bill
-Dogen Zenji
The wind has settled, the blossoms have fallen;
Birds sing, the mountains grow dark -This is the wondrous power of Buddhism.
-Ryokan
Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma
see no Dharma in everyday actions.
They have not yet discovered that there are no
everyday actions outside of Dharma.
-Dogen Zenji
Pure Land
Devotion to Amida Buddha
o Amida Buddha is the Buddha of “Infinite Light”
o Followers pray to Amida to be able to be reborn in the pure land
o Prayers involve repeating Amida’s name over and over
o Offers an alternative path apart from Zen Buddhism
Nchiren
Salvation through the Lotus Sutra
o The Lotus Sutra is another key Buddhist religious text
o A thirteenth century Buddhist teacher named Nchiren founded this branch on
the basis that the Lotus Sutra represents the
highest form of Buddhism
o Followers recite the Lotus Sutra to achieve
enlightenment
Vajrayana
The Indestructible Path
o Influenced by Tibet’s indigineous shamanic
religion, “Bön,” and Tantric Yoga from India
o Sometimes viewed as the third stage (vehicle) of
Buddhist teaching
o Practitioners are lead by Lamas (incarnations of
Boddhisatvas who lead others to enlightenment)
o Practices include:
Deity Yoga
Thangkas (paintings depicting Buddhist deities)
Mandalas (Diagrams of the universe)
Mantras