How Do You Identify The Different Schools Of Buddhism?
The religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, the prince turned enlightened holy man, does not consist of one monolithic philosophy. It is divided into a variety of schools which differ in important ways. Know that there is a great difference of opinion over how many schools Buddhism is actually divided into. To examine each individual sect and branch is beyond the scope of this article, rather only the main school will be discussed. Know that according to some there are only two schools of Buddhism, Theravada and Mahayana, the Northern and Southern schools or “Lesser Vehicle” and “Greater Vehicle.”Some would add Vajrayana Buddhism, which includes such groups as the True World sect, Tantric Buddhism, Mantrayana and Esoteric Buddhism, while others would add Tibetan, Zen and Modern Buddhism. Another view divides Mahayana into Tibetan and East Asian branches. Be aware that Theravada Buddhism is popular in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh and parts of India. Ti
