After Buddha's death in 483 BC, his closest adherents (his disciple monks) took time off their preaching to write down his sermons (sutras) and his regulations (vinayas). In the old convention of Buddha, monks originally walked the countryside preaching and teaching for nine months of the year and went to sit out the monsoon period in a retreat for three months.
These retreats became monasteries and temples. The retreat into monasteries was important in the development of different interpretations of Buddha's teachings and in due course led to the formation of various sects which gained popularity in various regions of Asia.
There are three foremost Buddhist sects: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddism.
Theravada Buddhism is the principal sect in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand and is the sect that stays most loyal to Buddha's original doctrines. Theravada Buddhism teaches that the path to the attainment of personal Nirvana is the aim of life. It is a very personal religion in that everybody is alone on their own route to enlightenment.
Mahayana Buddism became the largest sect and spread along the Silk Road from India through China to east Asia starting in around 200 BC. Mahayana Buddhists worship Buddha and the Buddhist saints (bodhisattvas - literally 'wisdom beings').
Bodhisattvas are beings that curb themselves from attaining Nirvana (and therefore leaving the wheel of life or cycle of birth, death and reincarnation) so that they may help others achieve Nirvana, which is a major difference between it and Theravada Buddhism.
Mahayana Buddhism is more readily absorbed by different cultures than the other forms which accounts for it having spread so far. The Buddhist emperor Ashoka (272-232 BC) gave Mahayana a huge boost in popularity by despatching missionaries to Sri Lanka, south-east Asia and China from where it was taken to Korea and Japan in the Sixth Century anno domini.
Zen Buddhism grew in popularity in Japan and China in the Seventh Century. Zen Buddhism is a variation of Mahayana Buddhism and teaches that Nirvana can be attained through mental conditioning and meditation.
Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism grew in the Seventh Century as well and is most common in Tibet and Mongolia. Vajrayana Buddhism tries to identify the initiate with a visualized deity. Tantric cannon includes esoteric writings, teaching that meditation can engage the mind by the use of mantras (chants), mudras (hand gestures) and mandalas (visible icons). The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists.
Buddhism reached its height of popularity in China during the T'ang dynasty in the Ninth Century, when it was partially suppressed by royal command. Similarly Zen attained its height of popularity in the Nineteen Century when the Japanese royal family switched to Shintoism taking numerous royal hangers-on with it. Buddhism declined in India too in the Eighth Century because lots of its principles were absorbed into Hinduism. Buddism was virtually extinct in India by the Thirteenth Century.
These retreats became monasteries and temples. The retreat into monasteries was important in the development of different interpretations of Buddha's teachings and in due course led to the formation of various sects which gained popularity in various regions of Asia.
There are three foremost Buddhist sects: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddism.
Theravada Buddhism is the principal sect in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand and is the sect that stays most loyal to Buddha's original doctrines. Theravada Buddhism teaches that the path to the attainment of personal Nirvana is the aim of life. It is a very personal religion in that everybody is alone on their own route to enlightenment.
Mahayana Buddism became the largest sect and spread along the Silk Road from India through China to east Asia starting in around 200 BC. Mahayana Buddhists worship Buddha and the Buddhist saints (bodhisattvas - literally 'wisdom beings').
Bodhisattvas are beings that curb themselves from attaining Nirvana (and therefore leaving the wheel of life or cycle of birth, death and reincarnation) so that they may help others achieve Nirvana, which is a major difference between it and Theravada Buddhism.
Mahayana Buddhism is more readily absorbed by different cultures than the other forms which accounts for it having spread so far. The Buddhist emperor Ashoka (272-232 BC) gave Mahayana a huge boost in popularity by despatching missionaries to Sri Lanka, south-east Asia and China from where it was taken to Korea and Japan in the Sixth Century anno domini.
Zen Buddhism grew in popularity in Japan and China in the Seventh Century. Zen Buddhism is a variation of Mahayana Buddhism and teaches that Nirvana can be attained through mental conditioning and meditation.
Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism grew in the Seventh Century as well and is most common in Tibet and Mongolia. Vajrayana Buddhism tries to identify the initiate with a visualized deity. Tantric cannon includes esoteric writings, teaching that meditation can engage the mind by the use of mantras (chants), mudras (hand gestures) and mandalas (visible icons). The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists.
Buddhism reached its height of popularity in China during the T'ang dynasty in the Ninth Century, when it was partially suppressed by royal command. Similarly Zen attained its height of popularity in the Nineteen Century when the Japanese royal family switched to Shintoism taking numerous royal hangers-on with it. Buddhism declined in India too in the Eighth Century because lots of its principles were absorbed into Hinduism. Buddism was virtually extinct in India by the Thirteenth Century.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on many subjects but is currently concerned with Easter.If you would like to read more, please go over to our website entitled Celebrating Easter
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