Monday, January 31, 2011

Theravada vs. Mahayana

Rituals:

- Shared

o Meditation

o Recitation of the Three Jewels

o Following the Five Precepts

o Funeral rites

o Merit transfer ceremonies

o Pilgrimages

o Focus on veneration

o Mudras, thangkas, mandalas

o Wesak celebration

o Asala celebration

o Kathina robe ceremony for monks

o Vassa celebration

o Obon Matsuri celebration in Japan

- Theravada

o No birth or marriage

o Pirit ceremonies

o Initiation ceremonies for new monks

o Ordination ceremonies for monks

o Male monks superior to female

o

- Mahayana

o More lay oriented

o More extravagant funerals

o New year festival

o Bodhisattva include women

Sacred Texts

- Shared

o Pali and Sanskrit represent different interpretations

o Oral collation of texts

- Theravada

o The Pali Canon

o Tipitaka

o Sutta Pitaka

o Siddhartha Gotama

- Mahayana

o The Diamond Sutra

o Lotus Sutra

o Heart Sutra

o Sukhavati sutras

o Shastras and Agamas develop texts

Doctrine and Beliefs

- Shared

o The Three Jewels

o Four Noble Truths

o Eightfold Path

o The Precepts

o The three Marks of Existence

§ Anicca, anatta, dukkha

o The Three Poisons

§ Ignorance

§ Desire

§ Aversion

o Samsara

o Lokas – planes of existence

- Theravada

o Siddhartha Gotama founded beliefs

o No claim to creator or God

o Cycle of existence

o More authority to monks than lay people

o Original form of Buddhism – “way of the elders”

o

- Mahayana

o Prominent Bodhisattvas and the historical Buddha founded the beliefs

o Bodhisattvas attain Buddha hood for others not themselves

o There are Buddhas in other realms

o Emphasis on monks but all aim for nirvana

o “The Great Vehicle”

Religious Experience

- Shared

o Conversion only includes the realization that everything is maya

o Monks meditate but most buddhists do not, they venerate the Buddha

o Women are presented in scripture negatively at times

o Essential role of women in Tebetan rituals is sex which leads to liberation and union of wisdom and compassion

- Theravada

o All boys are required to spend time in the monastery

- Mahayana

o Daily service to monks

o Lay community of both genders

Ethics and moral Conduct

- Shared

o Abolition of caste system

o Difference in authority is between monks and laypeople

o Nuns and monks who teach are highest with founders of schools

o Scriptures are extremely important

o Karuna (compassion for all)

o Role of karma and ethical action

- Theravada

o The Dhali Lama is one of the highest people in the faith

o Different rules of the monastery

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