The 4 types of Buddhism

Buddhism is not classified like other religions, according to hierarchies of power, whose summit is located in the figure of a person who harbors the wisdom of sacred texts. However, we can find different schools, branches or types of Buddhism.

Buddhism is both a religion – although it does not completely fit the formal definition of the term – and a philosophical doctrine. The set of traditions, beliefs and practices make up a behavior shared by 365 million people called Buddhists. Like other types of Eastern practices, the practice of some of its doctrines has become popular in the West.

What characterizes Buddhism?

Buddhism, originating in India between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. C., It is the fourth religion in the world in terms of number of followers. Some attribute two main branches to it: Therevada (or School of the Elders) and Mahāyāna (Great Way), although these are greatly diversified and there is no consensus.

For Buddhism, the Buddhist scriptures, their sacred texts, are the object of study. The objective is cultivate wisdom, practice meditation, renounce material things, favor kindness and compassion, among others. There are monastic variants of Buddhist practices, but most of those belonging to this religion practice it in a less intense way. Despite everything, the philosophical principles of Buddhism are shared by the entire community.

The understanding of Buddhism is holistic: The teachings of this practice are interrelated and composed of each other. At the same time, it is emphasized that these teachings are nothing more than a guide to the Dharma (“things as they are”, in Sanskrit).

Branches or types of Buddhism

Depending on the classification criteria, we can find various ways of practicing Buddhism. According to the number of practitioners, the Three main branches of Buddhism are Mahāyāna, Therevāda and Vajrayāna. However, when it comes to looking for other types of classifications, Buddhism appears enormously decentralized.

It is somewhat inaccurate to speak of “types of Buddhism”, since its variants coincide at some point in various aspects, such as the historical starting point of the doctrine. The different teachings come closer and farther apart in a way that makes it difficult for us to classify them. Taking into account this fact, it is possible to organize the different beliefs artificially, according to affinities and dissimilarities.

1. Traditional Buddhism and modern Buddhism

The first classification that we can make has to do with the origin of the practice. While traditional or original Buddhism is a set of ancient beliefs, traditions and practices, there are also modern interpretations of that system.

2. Original Buddhism of Nikāya schools

According to this classification, there are 19 kinds of Buddhism, 19 nikāya schools. This is the name given to the early schools of Buddhism. Of these 19, only Therevāda Buddhism has survived. This branch of Buddhism identifies the contents of the Pāli Canon, a set of sacred texts, as true sutras.

In Therevāda Buddhism, introspection takes center stage. Individual experience and critical reasoning are opposed in this introspection to blind faith, with the aim of freeing oneself and achieving nirvana.

Currently, Therevāda Buddhism is practiced in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. One of its central aspects is the shanga, or monastic community. The monks own very few possessions and live in austere accommodations..

Their main activity is meditation, which they practice to empty the mind of the self and get closer to nirvana. Although the ideal is a fully monastic life, lay people also have their place in Therevāda Buddhism. These play an important role, contributing to the sustenance of the monks in their pursuit of an ascetic way of life; For example, they provide food in exchange for blessings and teachings.

3. Mahāyāna branch

If we look at the Mahāyāna branch of Buddhism, the classification of its types is different. As we have already seen, this is one of the three major branches of this set of beliefs. Unlike Therevāda Buddhism, the teachings are more a guide than a doctrine, with the aim of unraveling the truth, through criticism and reasoning, calling into question the theories of the past. We could assimilate it to the scientific method. He also departs from Therevāda Buddhism in accepting other kinds of sutras.

Zen Buddhism appeals for meditation, the achievement of enlightenment, the value of experience above the scriptures and the belief that human beings are one with the cosmos and share identity with everything in it. The intuitionism and irrationalism of Zen Buddhism have attracted the attention of philosophers in the United States and Western Europe.

For practitioners of this current, Zen affects all aspects of life: physical, intellectual and spiritual. In addition, writing poetry and creating minimalist rock gardens are considered especially expressive activities. The best-known Zen schools are Rinzai and Soto.

4. Vajrayana Buddhism

Also called “Tibetan Buddhism”, it developed in the Himalayas and is the main religion of Bhutan and Mongolia. If we look at this type of Buddhism, we find 4 schools:

Nyingma: This school is related to the purification of the body, speech and mind, relative to deities and promoter of absolute truth.Kagyu: This school promoted the transcendence of conceptual elaboration, the simplification of phenomena and the possession of the path above meditation.Sakya: is based on the Lamdré teaching or “way of fruit”. The main Dharma system of this school is the “path with its result.”Gelug: It is one of the main schools of Buddhism in Tibet, and the Dalai Lama belongs to it. She is sometimes included in Mahāyāna Buddhism for sharing certain sutras with him.

Divided into more or less types, Buddhism has inspired one of the main currents of thought that survive in an increasingly fast-paced world, that looks more outward and less inward.

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