BUDDHISM

Buddhism

Buddhism

Introduction

This paper presents answers to the questions in relation to Buddhism.

Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions

The Theravada school, whose name means “Doctrine of the Elders,” is the only surviving school of Nikaya Buddhism, and is practiced natively in Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and portions of Vietnam and Malaysia. The doctrine and practice of the Theravada school is completely based on the Pali Canon, which is considered to be the scripture closest to the authentic teachings of the Buddha. The Pali Canon was written on palm leaves in Pali, the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism (Fisher, 2008).

The Mahayana school of Buddhism focuses on universal compassion and the ideal of selflessness as exhibited by the Bodhisattva. Native Mahayana Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, and most of Vietnam. In addition to the Nikaya scriptures, which are the sole scriptures of Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana schools also recognize sutras (written in Sanskrit) that are concerned with the purpose of achieving Buddhahood. Buddhahood is achieved by following the path of the Bodhisattva over eons of time. However, given the large amount of time that this enlightenment is explained to take, many schools of Mahayana Buddhism allow for the concept of working toward enlightenment in a Pure Land or an environment that is highly conducive to the enlightenment process.

Native Vajrayana is practiced today mainly in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia, and areas of India, China, and Japan. The Vajrayana school of Buddhism is framed on Theravada and Mahayana teachings, but also include the Buddhist tantras, which provide spiritual techniques aimed at refining Buddhist practice and supporting one's path toward enlightenment (Fisher, 2008).

Today's Trends

What we call Buddhism today is an amalgamation of the true teachings of Buddha combined with invented myths and large amounts of culture derived from the country in which the Buddhism ...