Download Buddhist Sects

Buddhist Sects
Development of Religious Sects:
• Reasons for the development of sects:
– Disputes over translation and interpretation of
scripture
– Impact of local / indigenous cultures, lead to
the development of different practices and
rituals
• There are 2 main sects in Buddhism –
referred to as “rafts”
The Big and Little Rafts:
• The word yana means raft.
• Idea that Buddha’s teachings provide a
vehicle for crossing the sea of life to the
tranquil shores of Nirvana.
• There is the “Little” raft & the “Bigger” raft
Hinayana Buddhism: The Little Raft
• The “lesser” way (raft), or Theravada (the “Way of the
Elder”)
• Claims to represent the original and true teachings of
Buddha.
• The individual must save himself.
• The ideal is the arhat (holyman) who renounces the
world to seek Nirvana through intense meditation.
• Adheres strictly to monastic practices.
• Very little flexibility.
• Buddha is not worshipped as a God, but revered as a
great teacher.
Mahayana Buddhism: The Bigger Raft
• The “Greater Vehicle”
• Greater flexibility of interpretation  greater # of
followers.
• Ideal is bodhisattva (the essence of Buddha)
• Buddha turned his back on salvation to help others, 
Mahayanaists follow this example & remain in the world
to serve others.
• Materialistic view of Nirvana
• Reject idea that man’s salvation is entirely his own
responsibility  Buddha’s claim that there is no
individual self means each person’s fate is bound up with
that of everyone else.
• Buddha worshipped as a god.
• Salvation possible for all.
• Flexibility  susceptible to local customs and cultures.
Shin Buddhism:
• Mahayana Buddhism arrived in China in the 6th century
and spread slowly due to the strength of Taoism and
Confucianism.
• Declared on the ‘Three Great Truths’ (along with
Taoism & Confucianism), and was incorporated into
Chinese culture.
• Concept of Amida Buddha  supreme Buddha &
compassionate saviour of mankind
•
• All bobhisattvas are manifestations of Amida  similar
to avatars of Hinduism.
• Man is incapable of achieving Nirvana without Amida
Buddha’s saving grace.
• Spread to Korea and Japan in the seventh century.
The Vajrayana School
• Found mostly in Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal
• Founder – Padmasambhava in 750 CE
• Buddhist thought was combined with the original religion of Tibet
called Bon
• Tibet became a theocracy – governed by monks
• Religious leaders called lamas.
• The highest religious leader is called the Dalai Lama – believed to
be the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion –
Avalokiteshvara
• When the Dalai Lama dies his released consciousness immediately
enters the body of a newborn male child.
• Monks use a complex set of procedures to find the new Dalai Lama
• Emphasis placed on rituals, matras (chants) and visual creations
such as thangkas (wall hangings) and mandalas
Zen
A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence on words and letters;
Direct pointing to the mind of man;
Seeing into one's nature and attaining
Buddhahood.
Zen Buddhism
Buddhism was introduced into
Japan from China in the mid 6th
century
Zen is from the Chinese word
Ch’an, which comes from the
Sanskrit word Dhyana, meaning
meditation
Zen therefore emphasizes
meditation
We cannot learn truth through
reason, philosophy or thought as
we cannot – we must free our mind
from this trap
Enlightenment must be
experienced directly by
experiencing your Buddha nature
All beings by nature are Buddhas,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddhas.
• Hakuin Ekaku
Koans:
The Rinzai School
Focus is on attaining
enlightenment through
insight into your true
nature
The use of koans – nonrational riddles –
designed to break down
your reliance on logic to
understand your true
nature
Satori - When the
student “gets” the
answer in a sudden flash
of inspiration
• What was the original face,
the one before my father and
mother were born?
• The bridge flows, the water
is motionless. Why?
• "If you understand, things
are just as they are... If you
do not understand, things
are just as they are..."
Soto School
Enlightenment achieved through
strict meditation
Meditation is done “lotus” style –
enlightenment can only come
slowly through strict discipline
Favoured by the peasant class
The symbol of the circle is a
common zen symbol - Enso
The open circle reminds us that
imperfection is found in all things –
stop striving for perfection and
allow things to be as they are
The closed circle represents the
totality of experience and life