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Schools of Buddhism

The schools of Buddhism are the various institutional and doctrinal divisions of Buddhism, which are based on various differences, such as geography, historical schisms and sectarianism, and the differing teachings and interpretations of Buddhist texts.

The branching of Buddhism into separate schools has been occurring from ancient times up to the present, beginning with the first schism. The classification and nature of the various doctrinal, philosophical, practical, or cultural facets of the schools of Buddhism is complex and has been interpreted in many different ways. This complexity is partly due to the sheer number (perhaps thousands) of different sects, sub-sects, movements, worldviews, etc. that make up the whole of the Buddhist tradition. The study of the sectarian and conceptual divisions of Buddhist thought are part of the modern framework of Buddhist studies, as well as comparative religion in Asia. Some factors in Buddhist doctrine, such as the four noble truths, and karma and rebirth, appear to be relatively consistent across different schools. Others views vary considerably, such as the understanding of the nature of the Buddha and the canons of Buddhist scriptures.

From a largely English-language standpoint, and to some extent in most of Western academia, Buddhism is separated into two groups: Theravāda ( 'the Teaching of the Elders' or 'the Ancient Teaching'), and Mahāyāna ( 'the Great Vehicle'). The most common classification among scholars is threefold: Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna. Another common division is cultural-geographical, dividing Buddhism into: Southern Buddhism, Northern or Himalayan (Tibetan) Buddhism, and East Asian Buddhism.

Apart from these major categories, there are many Buddhist new religious movements that developed in the modern era, including the Indian Dalit Buddhist movement and many of the Japanese new religions.

Classifications

In contemporary Buddhist studies, modern Buddhism is often divided into three major branches, traditions or categories:

Another way of classifying the different forms of Buddhism is through the different monastic ordination traditions. There are three main traditions of monastic law (Vinaya) each corresponding to the first three categories outlined above:

Terminology

The terminology for the major divisions of Buddhism can be confusing, as Buddhism is variously divided by scholars and practitioners according to geographic, historical, and philosophical criteria rather than criteria of the adherents themselves, with different terms often being used in different contexts. The following terms may be encountered in descriptions of the major Buddhist divisions:

Conservative Buddhism: an alternative name for the early Buddhist schools.
Early Buddhist schools: the schools into which Buddhism became divided in its first few centuries; according to some scholars only one of these, Theravāda, survives as an independent school (derived from the early Tamraparniya school), although others would claim the various Mahāyāna branches all derived mainly from the early Caitika school.
East Asian Buddhism: a term used by scholars to cover the Buddhist traditions of Japan, Korea, Vietnam and most of China and Southeast Asia
Eastern Buddhism: an alternative name used by some scholars for East Asian Buddhism; also sometimes used to refer to all traditional forms of Buddhism, as distinct from Western(ized) forms.
Ekayāna (one yana): Mahayana texts such as the Lotus Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra sought to unite all the different teachings into a single great way. These texts serve as the inspiration for using the term Ekayāna in the sense of "one vehicle." This "one vehicle" became a key aspect of the doctrines and practices of Tiantai and Tendai Buddhist sects, which subsequently influenced Chán and Zen doctrines and practices. In Japan, the one-vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra is also a main doctrine of Nichiren Buddhist sects. The Lotus Sutra is so central to these sects that meditation was replaced by chanting the Japanese words Namu Myoho Renge Kyo ("The Way of the Lotus Sutra") in religious practice.
Esoteric Buddhism: usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna". Some scholars have applied the term to certain practices found within the Theravāda, particularly in Cambodia.
Hīnayāna: literally meaning "lesser vehicle." It is considered a controversial term when applied by Mahāyānists to refer to the Theravāda schools, and as such is widely viewed as condescending and pejorative. Moreover, Hīnayāna refers to now non-extant schools with limited sets of views, practices, and results, which emerged prior to the development of Mahāyāna traditions. The term is currently most often used as a way of describing a stage on the path in Tibetan Buddhism, but is often mistakenly confused with the contemporary Theravāda tradition, which is a far more complex, diversified, and profound phenomenon than the literal and limiting definition attributed to the word Hīnayāna in the aforementioned context. Its use in scholarly publications is now also considered controversial.
Lamaism: synonymous with Tibetan Buddhism; an old term, sometimes still used, but widely considered derogatory.
Mahāyāna: a movement that emerged from early Buddhist schools, together with its later descendants, East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrayāna traditions are sometimes listed separately. The main use of the term in East Asian and Tibetan traditions is in reference to spiritual levels, regardless of school.
Mainstream Buddhism: a term used by some scholars for the early Buddhist schools.
Mantrayāna: usually considered synonymous with Vajrayāna. The Tendai and Shingon schools in Japan have been described as influenced by Mantrayana.
Navayāna: ("new vehicle") refers to the re-interpretation of Buddhism by modern Indian jurist and social reformer B. R. Ambedkar.
Newar Buddhism: a non-monastic, caste-based Buddhism with patrilineal descent and Sanskrit texts.
Nikāya Buddhism: a non-derogatory substitute term for Hinayana or the early Buddhist schools.
Non-Mahāyāna: an alternative term for the early Buddhist schools.
Northern Buddhism: an alternative term used by some scholars for Tibetan Buddhism. Also, an older term still sometimes used to encompass both East Asian and Tibetan traditions. It has even been used to refer to East Asian Buddhism alone, without Tibetan Buddhism.
Secret Mantra: an alternative rendering of Mantrayāna, a more literal translation of the term used by schools in Tibetan Buddhism when referring to themselves.
Sectarian Buddhism: an alternative name for the early Buddhist schools.
Southeast Asian Buddhism: an alternative name used by some scholars for Theravāda.
Southern Buddhism: an alternative name used by some scholars for Theravāda.
Śrāvakayāna: an alternative term sometimes used for the early Buddhist schools.
Tantrayāna <span style="color:#555555;size:90%"> or </span> Tantric Buddhism: usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna". However, one scholar describes the tantra divisions of some editions of the Tibetan scriptures as including Śravakayāna, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna texts (see Buddhist texts). Some scholars, particularly François Bizot, have used the term Tantric Theravada to refer to certain practices found particularly in Cambodia.
Theravāda: the Buddhism of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Vietnam, China, India, and Malaysia. It is considered by some scholars to be the only surviving representative of the historical early Buddhist schools. The term Theravāda is also sometimes used to refer to all of the early Buddhist schools.
Tibetan Buddhism: usually understood as including the Buddhism of Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, and parts of China, India, and Russia, which follow the Tibetan tradition.
Vajrayāna: a movement that developed out of Indian Mahāyāna, together with its later descendants. There is some disagreement on exactly which traditions fall into this category. Tibetan Buddhism is universally recognized as falling under this heading; many also include the Japanese Shingon school. Some scholars also apply the term to the Korean milgyo tradition, which is not a separate school. One scholar says, "Despite the efforts of generations of Buddhist thinkers, it remains exceedingly difficult to identify precisely what it is that sets the Vajrayana apart."

Early schools

The early Buddhist schools or mainstream sects refers to the sects into which the Indian Buddhist monastic saṅgha split. They are also called the Nikaya Buddhist schools, and in Mahayana Buddhism they are referred to either as the Śrāvaka (disciple) schools or Hinayana (inferior) schools.

Most scholars now believe that the first schism was originally caused by differences in vinaya (monastic rule). Later splits were also due to doctrinal differences and geographical separation.

The first schism separated the community into two groups, the Sthavira (Elders) Nikaya and the Mahāsāṃghika (Great Community). Most scholars hold that this probably occurred after the time of Ashoka. Out of these two main groups later arose many other sects or schools.

From the Sthaviras arose the Sarvāstivāda sects, the Vibhajyavādins, the Theravadins, the Dharmaguptakas and the Pudgalavāda sects.

The Sarvāstivāda school, popular in northwest India and Kashmir, focused on Abhidharma teachings. Their name means "the theory that all exists" which refers to one of their main doctrines, the view that all dharmas exist in the past, present and in the future. This is an eternalist theory of time. Over time, the Sarvāstivādins became divided into various traditions, mainly the Vaibhāṣika (who defended the orthodox "all exists" doctrine in their Abhidharma compendium called the Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra), the Sautrāntika (who rejected the Vaibhāṣika orthodoxy) and the Mūlasarvāstivāda.

The Pudgalavāda sects (also known as Vātsīputrīyas) were another group of Sthaviras which were known for their unique doctrine of the pudgala (person). Their tradition was founded by the elder Vātsīputra circa 3rd century BCE.

The Vibhajyavādins were conservative Sthaviras who did not accept the doctrines of either the Sarvāstivāda or the Pudgalavāda. In Sri Lanka, a group of them became known as Theravada, the only one of these sects that survives to the present day. Another sect which arose from the Vibhajyavādins were the Dharmaguptakas. This school was influential in spreading Buddhism to Central Asia and to China. Their Vinaya is still used in East Asian Buddhism.

The Mahāsāṃghikas also split into various sub groups. One of these were the Lokottaravādins (Transcendentalists), so called because of their doctrine which saw every action of the Buddha, even mundane ones like eating, as being of a supramundane and transcendental nature. One of the few Mahāsāṃghika texts which survive, the Mahāvastu, is from this school. Another sub-sect which emerged from the Mahāsāṃghika was called the Caitika. They were concentrated in Andhra Pradesh and in South India. Some scholars such as A.K. Warder hold that many important Mahayana sutras originated among these groups. Another Mahāsāṃghika sect was named Prajñaptivāda. They were known for the doctrine that viewed all conditioned phenomena as being mere concepts (Skt. prajñapti).

According to the Indian philosopher Paramartha, a further split among the Mahāsāṃghika occurred with the arrival of the Mahayana sutras. Some sub-schools, such as the Kukkuṭikas, did not accept the Mahayana sutras as being word of the Buddha, whole others, like the Lokottaravādins, did accept them.

Although there are differences in the historical records as to the exact composition of the various schools of early Buddhism, a hypothetical combined list would be as follows:

Theravāda

Theravāda is the only extant mainstream non-Mahayana school. They are derived from the Sri Lankan Mahāvihāra sect, which was a branch of the South Indian Vibhajjavādins. Theravāda bases its doctrine on the Pāli Canon, the only complete Buddhist canon surviving in a classical Indian language. This language is Pāli, which serves as the school's sacred language and lingua franca.

The different sects and groups in Theravāda often emphasize different aspects (or parts) of the Pāli canon and the later commentaries (especially the very influential Visuddhimagga), or differ in the focus on and recommended way of practice. There are also significant differences in strictness or interpretation of the Vinaya Pitaka, the Theravādin Vinaya followed by monastics of this tradition.

The various divisions in Theravāda include:

Mahāyāna schools

Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism

Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle) Buddhism is category of traditions which focus on the bodhisattva path and affirm texts known as Mahāyāna sutras. These texts are seen by modern scholars as dating as far back as the 1st century BCE. Unlike Theravada and other early schools, Mahāyāna schools generally hold that there are currently many Buddhas which are accessible in other realms or pure lands, and that they are transcendental or supramundane beings with vast powers.

Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism was varied, with many different groups in different geographical locations producing a wide variety of texts. As noted by travelers like Xuanzang, many Mahāyānists lived in mixed monasteries with non-Mahāyānists, but there were also specifically Mahāyāna monasteries. In Indian Buddhist scholasticism, there were two major traditions of Mahāyāna philosophy. The earliest was the Mādhyamaka ("Middle Way"), also known as the Śūnyavāda ("Emptiness-view"). This tradition followed the works of the philosopher Nāgārjuna (–). Later Madhyamaka thinkers formed different schools of thought, including the Svatantrika (following Bhāviveka), the Prasangika (which follows Chandrakirti) and the Yogācāra-Madhyamaka. The other major school of Indian Mahayana was the Yogācāra ("yoga practice") school, also known as the Vijñānavāda ("the doctrine of consciousness"), Vijñaptivāda ("the doctrine of ideas or percepts"), or Cittamātra ("mind-only") school, founded by Asanga and Vasubandhu in the 4th century AD.

Some scholars also note that the compilers of the Tathāgatagarbha texts constitute a third "school" of Indian Mahāyāna. This movement heavily influenced East Asian and Tibetan Mahayana schools such as the Dashabhumika, Huayan, Tiantai, Jonang, Nichiren and Zen sects, as did both Madhyamaka and Yogacara.

East Asian Mahayana

East Asian Buddhism or East Asian Mahāyāna refers to the schools that developed in East Asia and use the Chinese Buddhist canon. It is a major religion in China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. East Asian Buddhists constitute the largest body of Buddhist traditions in the world, numbering over half of the world's Buddhists.

East Asian Mahāyāna began to develop in China during the Han dynasty (when Buddhism was first introduced from Central Asia). It is thus influenced by Chinese culture and philosophy. East Asian Mahāyāna developed new, uniquely Asian interpretations of Buddhist texts and focused on the study of Mahāyāna Sutras as well as on the writings of East Asian masters like Zhiyi, Fazang and Linji.

East Asian Buddhist monastics generally follow the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya.

Main sects

Esoteric schools

Esoteric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayāna, Mantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra (Guhyamantra), and Tantric Buddhism is often placed in a separate category by scholars due to its unique tantric features and elements (instead of being grouped as part of Mahayana school). Esoteric Buddhism arose and developed in medieval India among esoteric adepts known as Mahāsiddhas. Esoteric Buddhism maintains its own set of texts alongside the classic scriptures, these esoteric works are known as the Buddhist Tantras. It includes practices that make use of mantras, dharanis, mudras, mandalas and the visualization of deities and Buddhas.

Main Esoteric Buddhist traditions include:

New Buddhist movements

One of the most significant and popular major branches of the new Buddhist movements is:

• Navayana ("New Way"), also known as Dalit Buddhist movement or "Ambedkarite" Buddhism, developed by B. R. Ambedkar based on the idea of “Implementing the Principles of Buddhism for the Welfare of Many People.”

• Hoa Hao is a Vietnamese Buddhist reform movement founded in 1939 by Huynh Phu So in the Mekong Delta, follow the true teachings of Buddha, follow the true teachings of Buddha to improve oneself, attain liberation from the cycle of reincarnation and ascend to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Various Buddhist new religious movements arose in the 20th century, including the following:

See also

Notes

Other notes

References

Further reading

External links