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TWO BRANCHES OF BUDDHISM.
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Compares and contrasts two different Buddhist paths to enlightenment.... More...
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4 sources, 12 Citations, APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Compares and contrasts two different Buddhist paths to enlightenment. The Mahayana and the Theravada. Geographical location of each branch. Ciety belief of the Mayayana present in the three Bodies (Forms) of Buddha. Theravada notion of revering the "Awakened one" as a supreme sage and model. Approaches to salvation.

Paper Introduction:
Buddhism is a belief system that has been around since around the 6th century B.C. and most Buddhists today still hold to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path that the Buddha is said to have taught back then, along with his concept of the middle path, or moderation in all things. Several different branches of Buddhism have developed since then, however, with Buddhists primarily following two different paths to enlightenment. The two main branches of Buddhism currently in existence are the Mahayana and the Theravada. The Mahayana sect is otherwise known as the Greater Vehicle or Northern Buddhism. The Mahayana Buddhists are based mostly in China, Korea, Japan and Tibet. The Theravada, the other main path, is also known as the Smaller

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Epstein, R. While both paths follow the FourNoble Truths and the Eightfold path, the Theravada path strives to achieveNirvana, or enlightenment, by extinguishing belief in a separate self byusing loving-kindness, compassion, charity, moral conduct, wisdom, andmeditation to separate oneself from all worldly cravings, desires, andattachments. So, deity belief, whether or not Buddha is an incarnation, and thepath to salvation are three ways in which the Mahayana path is differentfrom the Theravada path. Found online at:http://www.beliefnet.com/story/8 /story_8 42_1.html ("What Mahayana...", 2 ). These forms are: 1)The Body of Essence or the Ultimate Truth that is Nirvana; 2) The Body ofBliss or Buddha as a divine deity, formless, with the saving power ofgrace, omnipotence, and omniscience; and 3) The Body of Transformation orthe illusion or emanation in human form provided by the divine Buddha toguide his followers along their paths. Anyonecan achieve Buddhahood by becoming one with the Ultimate Reality and thosewho sacrifice their liberation to help others find their Buddhahood and areknown as Bodhisattvas and are worshipped as gods or saints. Buddhism A to Z. They do, however, believe thatall matter is illusion or a manifestation of the Ultimate Reality ("WhatMahayana...", 2 ). Beliefnet, Inc. These Buddhists are foundprimarily in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and other Southeast Asian countries(Epstein, 1992). New York: GrovePress. The Theravada, the other main path, is also knownas the Smaller Vehicle or Southern Buddhism. References Rahula, W. In fact, theyeven go so far as to say there are countless Buddhas presiding overcountless universes (2 ). The Heritage of the Bhikku. The next difference between the two paths is the slightly differentway that each path approaches salvation. 1 , 1137-8. Beliefnet; The Source forSpirituality, Religion and Morality. (1974). A Publication of theBuddhist Text Translation Society. Buddhism is a belief system that has been around since around the 6thcentury B.C. In fact, in 1966 the first WorldBuddhist Sangha Council was convened to establish that all Buddhists,whether Mahayana or Theravada, hold that the Buddha is their only Master,follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path, and do not believethat this world was created and is ruled by a God (Rahula, 1974). Since Mahayana Buddhists do not believe in a Creator God, they don'tfind modern science discoveries to be in any way contradictory to what theybelieve about the origin of the universe. and most Buddhists today still hold to the Four Noble Truthsand the Eightfold Path that the Buddha is said to have taught back then,along with his concept of the middle path, or moderation in all things.Several different branches of Buddhism have developed since then, however,with Buddhists primarily following two different paths to enlightenment.The two main branches of Buddhism currently in existence are the Mahayanaand the Theravada. p. However, both paths do strive to work with oneanother in achieving their mutual goals. The Mahayana Buddhists are based mostly in China,Korea, Japan and Tibet. This will liberate one from the endless cycles of rebirth andsuffering ("What Theravada...", 2 ). One starts on the path to Buddhahood when onegives up one's ultimate liberation by becoming a bodhisattva -- a beingreborn voluntarily to aid all living things (Epstein, 1992). This is what is known as an Arhat,or one who no longer undergoes rebirth (Epstein, 1992). Following this vein of belief, the Theravada believe that the Buddhawas fully human and no incarnation of the devine ("What Theravada...",2 ), while Mahayana Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama, the firstBuddha, was an emanation or illusion of the highest power, also calledBuddha ("What Mahayana...", 2 ). Beliefnet; The Source forSpirituality, Religion and Morality. (1992). Found online at:http://www.beliefnet.com/story/8 /story_8 45_1.html "What Theravada Buddhists Believe." (2 ). The Theravada, however, have no such writingsto support any sort of deity belief other than revering the "Awakened One"as a supreme sage and as a model of how fully enlightened a person maybecome ("What Theravada...", 2 ). The Mahayana sect is otherwise known as the Greater Vehicle orNorthern Buddhism. One of the differences between those of the Mahayana and those of theTheraveda path is that although neither Theravada nor Mahayana proposesthat there is a God or Creator, within the Mahayana sect there is deitybelief present in The Three Bodies (forms) of Buddha. Beliefnet, Inc. Theravada Buddhists, while basically agreeing withthe concept of no Creator, thereby having no argument with the scientificcommunity, maintain that the universe creates and recreates itself millionsof times every fraction of a second ("What Theravada...", 2 ). Found online at:http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BuddhistDict "What Mahayana Buddhists Believe." (2 ). For the Mahayana,while one of the goals is enlightenment, using loving-kindness, compassion,charity, moral conduct, wisdom, and meditation to become an Arhat, theultimate goal is Buddhahood.

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