Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

Question 1

what does Theravada mean?

Answer 1

Theravada means the way of the olders . followers believe it is the form of Buddhism that has remained closest to the original teachings of Buddha

Question 2

what does Mahayana mean?

Answer 2

Mahayana means great vehicle because of its great motivation and cultivating love and compassion for living things. Mahayana is the path of the Bodhisattva,
who aspires to free all living beings from
suffering and lead them to complete
enlightenment

Question 3

what is Theravada tradition of lay Buddhists?

Answer 3

the lay Buddhists are ordinary day to day Buddhists that follow the five precepts and live by the sangha and dharma . to become a lay Buddhist you must take refuge in Buddha. the lay people also support monks financially and increasingly practise meditation. no tradition of nuns

Question 4

what is Theravada tradition of monks?

Answer 4

Monks are the leaders and teachers of religion. they live by the strict set of 227 rules given by the Vinaya Pitaka. some of these rules include not allowed to touch money, to cook their own food ,to eat after miday and to not marry , be celibrate. non tradition of nuns

Question 5

what is the Mahayana tradition of monks?

Answer 5

there are many different versions of Buddhism in Mahayana tradition . therefore in different types of Buddhism they are monks and no monks . for example in Tibetan Buddhism some men become monks. they wear distinctive burgundy robes and follow similar rules to Theravada monks. but Japenese Buddhism for example there is no monks that follow the traditional sense of the word e.g marriage

Question 6

What is the Mahayana tradition of nuns?

Answer 6

In some Mahayana traditions, there are still nuns for example in Korea, China , Vietnam and Taiwan

Question 7

What is the Theravada beliefs about enlightenment?

Answer 7

it is up to each individual to make their own way to enlightenment without the help of god. teachings of the buddha show the way but it is up to you

Question 8

What is Mahayana beliefs about enlightenment?

Answer 8

enlightenment is reached by meditating and looking inward, not by looking outwards at other teachings. because words can not describe Nirvanna , we have to use our feelings and intuition . instead of these words, symbols and images help guide people

Question 9

What is Theravada beliefs about enlightened beings?

Answer 9

enlightenment= arhat =worthy person.. life of arhat=no longer reincarnate ,as the holy life is achieved

Question 10

What is the Mahayana beliefs about enlightened beings?

Answer 10

bodhisattvas are wise Buddhists who come back after death to help out others. the bodhisattvas path is to deep wish for all beings to be liberated from suffering

Question 11

What is Theravada beliefs about holy texts?

Answer 11

follows the Pali canon is known as the Tipitaka [three baskets] because it is divided into three sections
- the Vinaya Pitaka[monks code]
-the sutta pitaka[teachings of the buddha]
the Abhidamma pitaka[other philosophies and analysis of the sutta pitaka

Question 12

What is the Mahayana beliefs about the holy beliefs?

Answer 12

read Tipitaka
- follow set of writing called the Mahayana Sutras
-these are set to be the original teachings of the Buddha but were lost and rediscovered[ Theravada wouldn’t agree with this, especially as some of them disagree with the Tipitaka
These extra sutras are the main reason for the different beliefs that the Mahayana Buddhists have about the buddha, including what happened to him after he died

Question 13

What is the Theravada beliefs about the Buddha?

Answer 13

• Siddharta Gautama was a ordinary man
• since his death the only contact with him is through teachings that lead to enlightenment

Question 14

What is the Mahayana beliefs about the Buddha?

Answer 14

-Siddharta Gautama was not a human being who was just born, gained enlightenment and died
- real Buddha who lives in pure land a world said to be beautiful and peaceful, sent a human body to earth in order guide human beings on the path to enlightenment

Question 15

What is Theravada places of worship?

Answer 15

-Theravadin Viharas are essentially plain meditation halls , where a Buddha figure is included as a focal point in the meditation hall, but this figure is not for worship
-buddha is a example and to be followed not worshiped
- in the far east , Theravada Buddhist countries such as Thailand ,lay Buddhists join with monks for meditation practise and learning of the 227 rules and sangha

Question 16

Which countries follow the Theravada school?

Answer 16

SRI LANKA
THAILAND
LAOS
BURMA
it is sometimes called southern Buddhism

Question 17

Which countries follow the Mahayana school?

Answer 17

TIBET
CHINA
TAIWAN
JAPAN
KOPREA
MONGOLIA

Question 18

what are the main differences between Mahayana and Theravada ?

Answer 18

the main differences include
-different ideas of Buddha [ Theravada believes Siddharta Gautama was a ordinary human being who is dead , with teachings leading to the enlightenment being the only sense of contact with him , but the Mahayana believes Siddharta Gautama is not a ordinary human being who did not just die and gain enlightenment . instead he lives in a beautiful pure land , by sending a human body to guide people to enlightenment
- different ideas of enlightened beings [ Theravada believes a enlightened being is a arhat , a worthy person that cannot be reincarnated and achieved a holy life but Mahayana believes that a enlightened beings come back to after life to help others - these are called bodhistavas , this path is considered a deep wish for all beings to be liberated from suffering ]