With the passage of time, there arose certain developments within the Buddhist Order that finally led ti the formation of different sects. The Mahasanghika came into existence toward the end of the first century after the Buddha's death. The other major school, which claimed to be orthodox and conservative, became known as Theravada. The school of Mahasinghika was later called Mahayana. It was the later that was in due course introduce in to Tibet, acquiring its own distinct flavor and characteristics as the Vajirayana School.
Questions are often asked as to the differences between the two major traditions. To be sure, most of differences are rather superficial, and can be observed by the way monks put on their monastic garments, the way ceremonies are conducted and the languages used to the record the Buddha's teachings - Theravada adhere to the original Pali, while Mahayana uses Sanskrit.
On deeper level, there differences emphases placed on certain aspects of the Buddha's teaching and in the methods of religious training. Thus, while Theravada stresses the importance of monastic discipline as the preliminary requisite for higher spiritual development, Mahayana saw the need to modify and adapt it, in accordance with changing circumstance. The Bodhisattva ideals through accepted and tough in the Theravada tradition, are much more strongly emphasized in the Mahayana system and are consider central to their religious practice.
Actually, both Theravada and Mahayana tradition have more things in common than meet the eye, especially from the doctrinal perspective. Both agree on the teachings which are fundamental in the Buddhist system, such as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Ten Perfections [ six in Mahayana ], the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the twelve links of Dependent Origination, the Law of Conditionality , the nature of Enlightenment, Nibbana - Theravada or Nirvana - Mahayana as the summum bonum of religious training and the doctrine of kamma and rebirth.
Both sects accept the role of compassion and wisdom as crucial in any aspiration to enlightenment and uphold the cultivation of such virtues as kindness, gratitude, respect to elders, humility, altruism, generosity, morality, mindfulness, non attachment, universal compassion and so forth. It is therefore proper to conclude that all different schools of Buddhism uniformly correspond with one another in essential doctrines, objectives, practices and goals.
While Theravada Buddhism, or the Southern school flourished in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Mahayana Buddhism or the Northern school spread northward to Nepal, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Tibet's Vajarayana is recognized in its own right as a separate denomination, distinct from Mahayana to which it was earlier closely affiliated.
By THE BUDDHA'S Core Teachings
No comments:
Post a Comment