There are two forms of Buddhism that are still prevalent in society today, these are Theravada and Mahayana. Both these traditions have existed for many centuries and encompass important beliefs derived from the Pali Canon and other ancient Indian Buddhist literature. They revert back to the orthodox teachings presented by the historical Gautama Buddha such as The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. Both these forms of Buddhism stay devoted to the traditional beliefs that the religion was built from and they accept the same basic understandings. However, the concept of enlightenment and how it is attained is debated among these two groups and it is the only major difference between the two Buddhist forms.
The Third Council to occur after the death of the Buddha was called the Council of Pataliputra which occurred in 350 B.C.E. This council created a huge impact on the history of Buddhism and changed the way in which Buddhism is practiced. The Great Schism occurred during this council which led to the division of a once close-knit Buddhist community. This division arose because of a disagreement between traditional orthodox Buddhists and more forward-thinking Buddhists; these groups debated the importance of arhants in comparison to Buddhas and bodhisattavas. This division was among the Sthaviras or Elders who emphasized orthodox Buddhist beliefs and subscribed to traditional values and rules set forth by the Buddha; and the Mahasamghikas or The Great Assembly who presented many innovative ideas to the Buddhism belief. The Mahasamghika sect became the most successful belief system in India and led to the development of numerous other schools to branch from the original. Mahasamghika provided a major stepping stone ...
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...ltimate purpose of what one’s life should be, whether to be an Arhat or a Bodhisattva, and they do not see eye-to-eye on how this title can be attained. These differences are important among a religion however, for it provides followers with options of how they choose to pursue their beliefs.
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Strong, John. The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print.
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Suzuki, D.T. An introduction to Zen Buddhism. Ed. Christmas Humphreys; fwd. C.G. Jung. London: Rider, 1983.
It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men. Great men are leaders. They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society. Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men. Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres. But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man. When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common. This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas: conception and birth. In these two areas, one finds that the Buddha and Jesus share many similarities.
Although Mahayana Buddhist and Mainstream Buddhists do have their differences such as there objective in training, texts, nirvana concept and the path they take and follow as I discussed earlier in this paper. They also differ in some of their meditation practice and on the concept of Buddha nature. But they also have some closely related similarities as well such as monastic practice, lay practice, social structure and
A man of noble birth, living in the time before the Common Era, preached a way to extinguish the fire of self-centered delusion. This state of Nirvana can be achieved by understanding The Four Noble Truths, suffering in life, he explains can be avoided by following an Eightfold Path. Sounds simple? This must have been an awaking for people of his time seeking a more personal religion, away from the rigidities of a priest-dominated Hinduism of India. The man, the Buddha, spent the rest of his life teaching the religion he discovered and its doctrine based upon his Dharma (cosmic law and order). The first written evidence of the existence of Buddhism is found over 400 years ago after the life of the Buddha. (Kozak) Historians pose the
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
Ford, Stephen. "Review of Buddhism." Tutorial workshop for Introduction to Religion Class at York University. Toronto. 21 Feb. 2005.
Significant differences abound between the two principal schools of modern Buddhism, Mahayana and Theravada. Among the many distinctions that exist, a few could be considered especially integral to an understanding of how these mutually exclusive divisions contrast with each other. Before treating these specific dissimilarities, however, it must be established that the one, fundamental divergence between the sects, which could possibly be understood as resulting in the following earmarks that make both brands unique unto the other, is that Mahayana practice stresses an inclusiveness that stands antithetically to Theravada’s doctrinal preservation. Where the former sort’s adaptability has both attracted new practitioners and altered itself to complement modernity, the latter’s staunch resistance to change has allowed it to remain an uncompromised vessel of original Buddhist thought, battered by, yet having weathered well, two millennia’s worth of transformation.
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
Buddha once said “As the great ocean has built one taste, the taste of salt, this Dharma has but one taste, the taste of freedom.” The Four Noble Truths sum up the basics of Buddha’s teaching, though he has left many things left unanswered. The Eightfold Path breaks down these four nobles into three different categories to help us further understand them. All over the world 300 million or about 6% of Americans practice Buddhism, which was established by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the “Enlightened One”. Buddha who also known as Siddhartha of India in the 6th century was influenced by the prevailing beliefs of his time. It was said that he was born in 566 then passed away in 480 B.C. and was born in Nepal to a chief of the Shakya clan.
Wallace, B. L., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being. Building bridges between buddhism and western psychology, 61(7), 690-699.
As with most religions, the early years of Buddhism are shrouded in obscurity. One thing is certain, however, and that is that the Sangha, the Buddhist order of monks, survived the physical death, or Parinirvana, of the Buddha. But the period between that event and the reemergence of Buddhism into the light of history around 250 B.C.E. is somewhat unclear (Hawkins, 1999). Buddhist tradition holds that there was a meeting, or council, held immediately following the Buddha's death. The major concern of this meeting was to stabilize the Buddhist scriptures by coming to an agreement as to what were the accepted scriptures as spoken by the Buddha. For a variety of reasons, no such agreement seems to have been reached, although there was some general agreement on the basic message of the Buddha. This meant that to a certain extent the interpretation of what was a genuine Buddhist scripture and what was not was left up to the individual Buddhist.
In addition, Buddhism places emphasis on the Four Noble Truths, which is the teaching of Buddha, a guide to enlightenment. These are a set of guidance that basically teaches the followers of Buddha the essence of...
Story, Francis. "Buddhist Meditation." Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
History proves that as Buddhism spread throughout the Asian world in the early 1st century, it was occasionally altered to fit the specific needs and beliefs of people it touched. Mahayana Buddhism is one such example of this gradual evolution. It was primarily a movement started and kept alive by monks that slowly gained popularity amongst lay people but was in no way a unified movement. Mahayana Buddhism still adheres to the basic fundamental beliefs presented in the Pali Canons, however, it Sutras often expand upon these basic ideas and traditions in order to answer the questions of a later generation. After closer study of the Mahayana texts the “A Sutra for Long Life” and “The World Universe as a Sutra”, it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasis on philosophical inquires; and ultimately creates a more accessible version of enlightenment, and the Buddhist faith in general, for all.