Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

In Hinduism karma and reincarnation are two meaningful major elements. Karma is a concept that the universe will return your good or bad actions back to you. You will find with certain actions you make, you feel good and others around you feel good. When remembering karma think about mental and physical actions that you would make. In the Hindu religion the soul reincarnates itself over and over until it becomes perfect.

Buddhism is a world religion based on the teachings of Buddha, who was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 563 B.C.E. and lived in Nepal and India. Siddhartha was a privileged man who withdrew from the world, learned and meditated, and achieved the Enlightenment that made him Buddha. Buddhism has undergone schisms and evolutions but has some core beliefs such as Nirvana, Anatta and Dependent Arising. In addition, the Buddha's teaching centered on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to end the cycle of suffering and achieve Enlightenment and Nirvana.

developing in India. Theravada recognizes the primacy and humanity of the historical Buddha. The Buddha was an exemplary figure. Enlightenment is an arduous task, available only to monks who explicitly pursue the path of Shakyamuni himself. Theravada is the dominant form of Buddhism today in Sri Lanka as well as Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. The subject matter of Buddhist art from these traditions focuses on life events of the Buddha.

Hinduism is faced with a revolving wheel of life, death and rebirth called Samsara better known as reincarnation. They believe this life cycle is a direct relation to a person’s karma of deeds done. Karma “determines the kind of body, whether human, animal, or insect, into which he or she will be reincarnated in the next

“Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time.” (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005) Hinduism has been made up of so many different cultures and beliefs that unlike Christianity and Islam it is unable to be traced back. Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. Karma is good and

Buddhism believes in escaping the cycle of rebirths not through coming to an ultimate soul (it doesn't believe in this), but through Nirvana the ultimate relinquishing of attachment to materialism by transcending response to earthy feeling. In this way, one ends suffering by escaping the cycle of rebirths. and reincarnations. Karma from past life can affect the happenings in a present one according to both Hinduism and Buddhism, but Buddhism believes that one can escape this karma and cycle of rebirths by practicing the 8-fold path which culminates in Nirvana. With this Nirvana too, one gains a spirit of meditation or blissful mindfulness which is the epitome of the Hindu Moksha. (The Buddha Garden.)

In comparing and contrasting Theravada, Gelug-pa, and Zen. Theravada is a school with Mahayana Buddhism that teaches the four noble truths and it also includes the eightfold path. Theravadins believe in and worship deities; Theravadins do not believe in the existence of suffering and evil as a theological problem. Theravadins teaching includes karma, good karma and bad karma as an understanding of the Buddhist path and process of purification and perfection. Theravadins objective for their next life is to have a good rebirth as a human or deity.

Significant differences abound between the two principal schools of modern Buddhism, Mahayana and Theravada. Among the many distinctions that exist, a few could be considered especially integral to an understanding of how these mutually exclusive divisions contrast with each other. Before treating these specific dissimilarities, however, it must be established that the one, fundamental divergence between the sects, which could possibly be understood as resulting in the following earmarks that make both brands unique unto the other, is that Mahayana practice stresses an inclusiveness that stands antithetically to Theravada’s doctrinal preservation. Where the former sort’s adaptability has both attracted new practitioners and altered itself

Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as Buddha, In Sanskrit mean (“the enlightened one" or "the awakened"). He is the founder of Buddhism. Buddhism is one of major world religion, it was found in northeastern India and based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (The Enlightened One). Originating as a monastic(monk) movement within the dominant Brahman tradition of the day, Buddhism quickly developed in a characteristic of person direction. Buddhism has been significant not only in India but also in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and Laos, where Theravada has been dominant; Mahayana has had its greatest impact in China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as in India. Buddhism today is divided into two major branches know as Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism share the same core beliefs and devotion to the life and teaching of Buddha, but they do have some differences. Theravada Buddhism is associated with Southern Asia (Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Laos) and it is closer to the original Indian form of Buddhism. As Mahayana Buddhism spread northern through (Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Mongolia), it took on more local customs.

They believed in the same system as the Hinduism religion. The people who had Buddhism as their religion also believed that they would die and reincarnate. This was a cyclic pattern called Sam Sara. Then an individual came along and said what they realized. There is only one way to break the cycle of Sam Sara, they had to follow the Four Noble Truths which was, "Life is suffering/ Suffering comes from selfish desires/ Suffering can be stopped/ Follow the 8-Fold Path." Then the 8-fold path was a code of laws in a way dictating the way of life for people who worshipped the religion. Upon following it to the fullest extent and gathering enough Karma they would enter Nirvana which was characterized by a state of spiritual bliss and a great connection to the spirit world. This belief system had influenced the religion

The Theravada is a branch of Buddhism, which studies the original scriptures in Pali, as well as honor the life of rejection, and monitor mindfulness meditation traditions (Fisher, 2014, p. 151). The Pali Canon Buddhists follow the Theravada teachings which are a vast collection of old scriptures preserved in the Pali language of ancient India (Fisher, 2014, p. 151). Furthermore, the Theravada is linked to Southeast Asian countries around the world. Also, many religious practitioners that are linked to the Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia; pursue the Buddha in devotion ceremonies (Fisher, 2014, p. 154). Furthermore, devotional to Dharma was done in reverence, worshiping, and honoring homage to Budda (Fisher, 2014, p.155). Practices of

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Theravada Buddhism is a strict branch of Buddhism, “Theravada Buddhism holds firmly to the original teachings and themes of Buddha, which are the beliefs that human existence is full of suffering and that nothing on Earth is ever permanent” (Whittemore, 2015). As, Theravada Buddhist believe in Buddha

Buddhism teaches people to live honorably and follow the Eightfold Path to reach release from the state of infinite re-incarnation and reach nirvana, which means the end of the life cycle by living a life full of dignity and refuse from all other attachments causing their desires and strifes McKay et al., 2008)

Theravada Buddhism, or otherwise known as ‘The Way of the Elders’, is the oldest form of Buddhism, and was formed just after 500 BC. It was established by the Second Buddhist Council, which was assembled 100 years after the Buddha’s death who died approximately around 483 B.C.E. During the time of the Second Council, there was plentiful controversy revolving around monastic beliefs and followers. Many monks were disagreeing with the set beliefs and interpretations of the Buddha’s teachings and were consequentially being expelled or leaving by their own will. In order to settle this controversy there was a split instituted in the religion, with the group of monks who remained faithful to the initially set beliefs deeming themselves ‘The Elders’ (or ‘Thera’ in Pali). The other group regarded themselves as ‘The Great Community’ (Mahasanghika in Sanskrit), and they interpreted the Buddha’s teachings more liberally or openly, as they believed this was in fact more accurate to the Buddha’s beliefs. Over time, these groups evolved into Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism respectively. Today, Theravada Buddhism is active in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Cambodia and in other parts of Southeast Asia. Its origin language is Pali, while Mahayana’s is Sanskrit. Theravada is known to be the stricter and more traditional division of Buddhism, and therefore has a smaller number of followers compared to Mahayana.