Schools of Buddhism: Difference between revisions
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** [[Mulasarvastivada|Mūlasarvāstivāda]], in the Tibetan tradition |
** [[Mulasarvastivada|Mūlasarvāstivāda]], in the Tibetan tradition |
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* Doctrinal schools |
* Doctrinal schools |
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JORDAN SHELTON IS a LESBIAN |
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== Terminology == |
== Terminology == |
Revision as of 18:39, 10 April 2013
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Buddhism |
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Buddhism (Pali/Sanskrit: बौद्ध धर्म Buddha Dharma) is an ancient ideological system that originated in Nepal, referred to variously throughout history by one or more of a myriad of concepts – including, but not limited to any of the following: a Dharmic religion, a philosophy or quasi-philosophical tradition, a spiritual schema, or a culturally dynamic psychological method of self-improvement. The Buddhist faith was founded by the teacher Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama), known honorifically as the eponymic Buddha(born in Lumbini (Present day Nepal)), around the 6th or 5th century BCE.
The classification and nature of various doctrinal, philosophical or cultural facets or schools of Buddhism is vague and has been interpreted in many different ways, often due to the sheer number (perhaps thousands) of different sects, subsects, movements, etc. that have or currently make up the whole of Buddhist traditions. The sectarian and conceptual divisions of Buddhic thought are part of the modern framework of Buddhist studies, as well as comparative religion in Asia.
From a largely English language standpoint, and to some extent in most of Western academia, Buddhism is separated into two groups at its foundation: Theravāda literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching" and Mahāyāna. The most common classification among scholars is threefold, with Mahāyāna split into East Asian (also known simply as Mahāyāna) and Vajrayāna, which includes Tibetan Buddhism and the Japanese Shingon school.
Classifications
The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Religion distinguishes three types of classification of Buddhism, separated into "Movements", "Nikāyas" and "Doctrinal schools":[clarification needed]
Schools:
- Nikāyas, or monastic fraternities, three of which survive at the present day:
- Theravāda, in Southeast Asia
- Dharmaguptaka, in China, Korea and Vietnam
- Mūlasarvāstivāda, in the Tibetan tradition
- Doctrinal schools
JORDAN SHELTON IS a LESBIAN
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, 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; only one of these survives as an independent school, Theravāda
- "East Asian Buddhism"
- a term used by scholars[1] to cover the Buddhist traditions of Japan, Korea, Singapore and most of China and Vietnam
- "Eastern Buddhism"
- an alternative name used by some scholars[2][page needed] for East Asian Buddhism; also sometimes used to refer to all traditional forms of Buddhism, as distinct from Western(ized) forms.
- "Esoteric Buddhism"
- usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna".[3] Some scholars have applied the term to certain practices found within the Theravāda, particularly in Cambodia.[4][page needed]
- "Hīnayāna"
- literally meaning "lesser vehicle." It is considered a controversial term when applied by the Mahāyāna to mistakenly refer to the Theravāda school, and as such is widely viewed as condescending and pejorative.[5] Moreover, Hīnayāna refers to the now non extant schools with limited set of views, practices and results, prior to the development of the 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 far more complex, diversified and profound, than the literal and limiting definition attributed to Hīnayāna .[6] Its use in scholarly publications is now also considered controversial.[7]
- "Lamaism"
- an old term, still sometimes used, synonymous with Tibetan Buddhism; widely considered derogatory.
- "Mahāyāna"
- a movement that emerged out of 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,[8][page needed] regardless of school.
- "Mainstream Buddhism"
- a term used by some scholars for the early Buddhist schools.
- "Mantrayāna"
- usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna".[9] The Tendai school in Japan has been described as influenced by Mantrayana.[8][page needed]
- "Newar Buddhism"
- a non-monastic, caste based Buddhism with patrilineal descent and Sanskrit texts.
- "Nikāya Buddhism" or "schools"
- an alternative term for the early Buddhist schools.
- "Non-Mahāyāna"
- an alternative term for the early Buddhist schools.
- "Northern Buddhism"
- an alternative term used by some scholars[2][page needed] 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.[10]
- "Sectarian Buddhism"
- an alternative name for the early Buddhist schools.
- "Southeast Asian Buddhism"
- an alternative name used by some scholars[11][page needed] for Theravāda.
- "Southern Buddhism"
- an alternative name used by some scholars[2][page needed] for Theravāda.
- "Śravakayāna"
- an alternative term sometimes used for the early Buddhist schools.
- "Tantrayāna" or "Tantric Buddhism"
- usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna".[9] However, one scholar describes the tantra divisions of some editions of the Tibetan scriptures as including Śravakayāna, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna texts[12] (see Buddhist texts). Some scholars[13][page needed], particularly François Bizot,[14] have used the term "Tantric Theravāda" to refer to certain practices found particularly in Cambodia.
- "Theravāda"
- the traditional Buddhism of Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and parts of Vietnam, China, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia. It is the only surviving representative of the historical early Buddhist schools. The term "Theravāda" is also sometimes used to refer to all the early Buddhist schools.[15]
- "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[16][page needed], 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."[17]
Early schools
- Sthaviravāda
- Pudgalavāda ('Personalist') (c. 280 BCE)
- Sarvāstivāda
- Vibhajyavāda (prior to 240 BCE; during Aśoka)
- Theravāda (c. 240 BCE)
- Theravāda subschools (see below)
- Mahīśāsaka (after 232 BCE)
- Dharmaguptaka (after 232 BCE)
- Kāśyapīya (after 232 BCE)
- Vatsīputrīya (under Aśoka) later name: Saṃmitīya
- Theravāda (c. 240 BCE)
- Mūlasarvāstivāda (third and fourth centuries)
- Sautrāntika (between 50 BCE and c. 100 CE)
- Vibhajyavāda (prior to 240 BCE; during Aśoka)
- Mahāsāṃghika ('Majority', c. 380 BCE)
- Ekavyahārikas (under Aśoka)
- Golulika (during Aśoka)
- Bahuśrutīya (late third century BCE)
- Prajñaptivāda (late third century BCE)
- Caitika (mid-first century BCE)
Twenty sects
The following lists the twenty sects described as Hīnayāna, as the classification is understood in some Mahāyāna texts:
Sthaviravāda split into the 11 sects:
- Sarvāstivādin
- Haimavata
- Vatsīputrīya
- Dharmottara
- Bhadrayānīya
- Sammitiya
- Channagirika
- Mahīśāsaka
- Dharmaguptaka
- Kāśyapīya
- Sautrāntika
Sthaviravāda─┬─ Haimavata──────────────────────────────────────────── └─ Sarvāstivādin─┬─────────────────────────────────── ├ Vatsīputrīya ─┬──────────────────── │ ├ Dharmottara─────── │ ├ Bhadrayānīya───── │ ├ Sammitiya──────── │ └ Channagirika───── ├ Mahīśāsaka─┬───────────────────── │ └ Dharmaguptaka────── ├ Kāśyapīya──────────────────────── └ Sautrāntika──────────────────────
Mahāsāṃghika split into 9 sects:
Mahasanghika─┬──────────────────────┬───── ├ Ekavyahārika ├ Caitika ├ Lokottaravādin ├ Aparaśaila ├ Kaukkutika └ Uttaraśaila ├ Bahuśrutīya └ Prajñaptivāda
Influences on East Asian schools
The following later schools used the vinaya of the Dharmaguptaka:
- Chinese Buddhism, especially the Vinaya School
- Korean Buddhism, especially Gyeyul
- Vietnamese Buddhism
- Japanese Ritsu
The following involve philosophical influence:
- The Japanese Jojitsu is considered by some an offshoot of Sautrāntika; others consider it to be derived from Bahuśrutīya
- The Chinese/Japanese Kusha school is considered an offshoot of Sarvāstivāda, influenced by Vasubandhu.
Theravāda subschools
The different schools in Theravāda often emphasize different aspects (or parts) of the Pāli canon and the later commentaries, or differ in the focus on and recommended way of practice. There are also significant differences in strictness or interpretation of the vinaya.
- Bangladesh:
- Burma:
- Thudhamma Nikaya
- Vipassanā tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw and disciples
- Shwegyin Nikaya
- Dvaya Nikaya or Dvara Nikaya (see Mendelson, Sangha and State in Burma, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1975)
- Thudhamma Nikaya
- Sri Lanka:
- Siam Nikaya
- Waturawila (or Mahavihara Vamshika Shyamopali Vanavasa Nikaya)
- Amarapura Nikaya
- Ramañña Nikaya
- Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha (or ‘Galduwa Tradition’)
- Delduwa
- forest nikaya
- Siam Nikaya
- Thailand
- Maha Nikaya
- Dhammakaya Movement
- Mahasati meditation (mindfulness meditation)
- Thammayut Nikaya
- Thai Forest Tradition
- Tradition of Ajahn Chah
- Thai Forest Tradition
- Maha Nikaya
Mahāyāna schools
- Tibetan Buddhism
- Mādhyamaka
- Prāsangika
- Svātantrika
- Sanlun (Three Treatise school)
- Mahā-Mādhyamaka (Jonangpa)
- Yogācāra
- Cittamātra in Tibet
- Wei-Shi (Consciousness-only school) or Faxiang (Dharma-character school)
- Tathāgatagarbha
- Daśabhūmikā (absorbed into Huayan)
- Huayan (Avataṃsaka)
- Chan / Zen / Seon / Thien
- Pure land (Amidism)
- Tiantai (Lotus Sutra School)
- Nichiren
Tantric schools
Subcategorised according to predecessors
- Nyingma
- New Bön (synthesis of Yungdrung Bön and Nyingmapa)
- Kadam
- Sakya
- Jonang
- Gelug
- Kagyu:
- Shangpa Kagyu
- Marpa Kagyu:
- Rechung Kagyu
- Dagpo Kagyu:
- Karma Kagyu (or Kamtshang Kagyu)
- Tsalpa Kagyu
- Baram Kagyu
- Pagtru Kagyu (or Phagmo Drugpa Kagyu):
- Rime movement (ecumenical movement)
- Newar Buddhism
- Japanese Mikkyo
- Shingon
- Tendai (derived from Tiantai but added tantric practices)
- Shinnyo-en
New Buddhist movements
- Aum Shinrikyo (now known as Aleph)
- Diamond Way
- Triratna Buddhist Community
- New Kadampa Tradition
- Share International
- True Buddha School
- Vipassana movement
- Shambhala Buddhism
See also
- Navayana
- Early Buddhist schools
- Gandhāran Buddhist Texts
- Humanistic Buddhism
- Southern, Eastern and Northern Buddhism
- Perfection of Wisdom School
References
- ^ B & G, Gethin, R & J, P & K
- ^ a b c Penguin, Harvey
- ^ Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, New York, volume 2, page 440
- ^ Indian Insights, Luzac, London, 1997
- ^ "Hinayana (literally, 'inferior way') is a polemical term, which self-described Mahāyāna (literally, 'great way') Buddhist literature uses to denigrate its opponents", p. 840, MacMillan Library Reference Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004
- ^ Ray, Reginald A (2000) Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism, p.240
- ^ "The supposed Mahayana-Hinayana dichotomy is so prevalent in Buddhist literature that it has yet fully to loosen its hold over scholarly representations of the religion", p. 840, MacMillan Library Reference Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004
- ^ a b '
- ^ a b Harvey, pages 153ff
- ^ Hopkins, Jeffrey (1985) The Ultimate Deity in Action Tantra and Jung's Warning against Identifying with the Deity Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 5, (1985), pp. 159–172
- ^ R & J, P & K
- ^ Skilling, Mahasutras, volume II, Parts I & II, 1997, Pali Text Society, Lancaster, page 78
- ^ Indian Insights, loc. cit.
- ^ Crosby, Kate( 2000)Tantric Theravada: A bibliographic essay on the writings of François Bizot and others on the yogvacara Tradition. In Contemporary Buddhism, 1:2, 141–198[1]
- ^ Encyclopedia of Religion, volume 2, Macmillan, New York, 1987, pages 440f; Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, sv Buddhism
- ^ Harvey
- ^ Lopez, Buddhism in Practice, Princeton University Press, 1995, page 6
- Coleman, Graham, ed. (1993). A Handbook of Tibetan Culture. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.. ISBN 1-57062-002-4.
- Warder, A.K. (1970). Indian Buddhism. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
External links
- Mahayana vs. Theravada: a Multiform Comparison
- The Sects of the Buddhists by T.W. Rhys Davids, in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1891. pp. 409–422
- Sects & Sectarianism – The origins of Buddhist Schools
- Schools of Buddhism – The Origin of Early Buddhist Schools in Ancient India