Types of Buddhism

The Buddha is a term that describes the person who has managed to awaken in a spiritual way and who assumes happiness without suffering. It is important to note that Buddha is not a deity, prophet or supernatural entity.

Buddhism does not create norms related to a supreme being and its teachings are not expressed as dogmas, but it is the disciples themselves who must examine them for themselves, to later assume them internally.

The goal of Buddhism is the eradication of feelings of vital discontent, also known as dukkha , which is generated by craving or greed. This, at the same time, is the result of an incorrect appreciation of the nature of life, being or existence.

Types of Buddhism

Zen Buddhism

It is one of the kinds of Buddhism. It originated in China , during the sixth century, is characterized by the expression of a single essence of Buddha and all entities, in the symbolization of the natural way, the tao, which is more outstanding than all theoretical procedures.

Unlike other disciplines, Zen Buddhism spreads immediate clarity. The intuitionism and irrationalism of Zen Buddhism have caught the attention of philosophers in the United States and Western Europe.

Tantric Buddhism was born within the customs of Mahayana Buddhism. The tantras are books that were secretly spread during the 5th and 6th centuries after Christ. These texts originated in India. The tantras promote invocation of the gods, sacred songs, meditation, body gestures and the search for supernatural powers.

Tantric Buddhism focuses on the present rather than on nirvana (the stage of liberation from all suffering) in a future goal. It was introduced in Tibet by Padmasambhava , there it achieved great notoriety.

Mahayana Buddhism

This type of Buddhist is much more liberal than Theravada Buddhism, the Mahayana states that everyone can achieve salvation.

Mahayana means great vehicle, and as a variant of Buddhism it arose in the first century after Christ. It is part of the types of Buddhism experienced in areas such as Tibet, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Korea, among others. There are experts in Buddhism who have expressed that 50 percent of Buddhists practice this kind of Buddhism.

His exercise circumvents various modes of popular worship and believes that the goal of life is not to achieve perfection, but to assist others to achieve enlightenment.

Thus they will use wisdom and compassion as tools to achieve enlightenment. Among the most notable Mahayan Buddhist disciplines, the Pure Land and Zen can be highlighted .

Theravada Buddhism

It is the oldest type of Buddhism, according to its philosophy, salvation is possible only for those who make the appropriate effort to achieve it. This means that the laity are not on the path to enlightenment. Buddhism experts indicate that Theravada Buddhism is practiced by 30 percent of Buddhists.

This variant of Buddhism is practiced in countries such as Thailand , Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, among others. Its rules respect the customs of the third century BC. The Tipitaka is its essential doctrine. Theravada practitioners deny bodhisattavas, because their goal is to transform themselves into perfect beings.