Three Main Schools of Buddhism

Buddhism, more literally the teachings of Buddha Siddharta Gautama, originated in India around the fifth century BCE. However, it has spread across vast lands of different cultures, beliefs and regions and even though it is the major religion of many countries, it is not as popular as Hindu beliefs in India. Since it was embraced by various cultures, the decentralized nature of Buddhism created many different syncretic Buddhist sects with the influence of the peoples’ old beliefs. In this article, we will examine the three main sects of Buddhism and try to understand the different philosophies behind them. There are some interesting points in every single one of them if you ask me. 

Theravada Buddhism 

The main teachings of Theravada come from the Pali literature, which is the earliest available teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, it can be considered as the most orthodox school of Buddhism. It is the second-largest school of the philosophy and is concentrated in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Theravadins are strict adherents of the original teachings. Moreover, the monastic discipline and the monks’ way of lives are as close as the way that they were presented by the Buddha. It emphasizes attaining self-liberation through one’s own efforts, believing that meditation and concentration are the key elements for enlightenment, making the ideal way of life to dedicate oneself to monasticism. 

Mahayana Buddhism 

Mahayana is the most popular school of Buddhism. It is the main form of Buddhism found in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia but has followers from all around the world. According to Mahayana Buddhists, enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime. Moreover, it can be accomplished by a layperson (non-clergy), which means Mahayana view of monastic lifestyle is way different than Theravada. That fact alone can be the reason Mahayana is the most popular, since it can be more secular than the orthodox schools. Mahayana also proposes that a path that leads to their awakening is a path toward the awakening of all humanity, because there isn’t a real self. We are all a part of oneness. Unlike Theravada, Mahayana school values knowledge or wisdom more than focusing solely on nirvana, as the wisdom is the mastery that constitutes awakening. 

Vajrayana Buddhism

Predominant in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Mongolia, Vajrayana translates to simply mean “the diamond vehicle”. The Vajrayana school teaches that it is possible for one to reach enlightenment in a single lifetime with morality, compassion and meditation. Vajrayana is one of the most esoteric and spiritual sects of Buddhism and values the spiritual tools such as visualization and mantra, breath and physical exercises and rituals such as: 

• Worship rituals (pujas) 
• Tantric feasts (ganachakra) 
• Tantric initiations (abhiseka)  
• Goma fire ritual 

The meditation practices in Vajrayana are way different than the Western idea of meditation. Vajrayana practitioners focus on a buddha or a bodhisattva, such as Avalokitesvara, during their meditations. That type of meditation is called yidam, and it can’t be separated from one’s teacher. 

Conclusion 

With all that being said, there are still tons of uncovered Buddhist schools in the world. Even these three sects that we’ve just covered are separated and have different schools inside them. However, since Buddhism is not a centralized belief like Abrahamic religions, they often don’t see other schools as heretics. Moreover, the monks and sometimes the laypeople are keen on learning the other schools, since they believe that Buddha has thousands of different ways and all of them are important to learn.