Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 1

Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan Buddhism and

Christianity, Islam, Wicca, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and
Tibetan Buddhism – Comparisons and Contrasts

Ian S. Banwell

Grand Canyon University

November 29, 2008

 Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 2

Theravada Buddhism continues for individuals following its tenets to include

one Buddha

leading a faith mainly formed in order to relieve the grasping and thirsting,
associated with suffering so

very much related to the actions that include ignorance and the cycle termed
samsara of birth, death

and Rebirth. There is associated evolvement or resolution of this chain by way of

the Eightfold Path to a

Nirvana mostly devoid of any real grasp for physical corporality or happiness to
essentially a right middle

path of living without many of these aforementioned undesirable actions. Both

Mayhana and Tibetan

Buddhism differs markedly in many other respects; however.

Mayhana Buddhism holds that the Buddha could represent anyone, even to the
extent that there

are fervent believers in Bodhisattvas, who assist other humans with pressing
difficulties while living out

lives quite removed from the mundane and some who are in the afterlife or on
Earth.

This allowed the spread of Mayhana Buddhism into China and led to Mayhana
representing

part of Buddhism, continuing into Korea and it is practiced in three interesting

ways as well. This

includes the four sects, 1) the Pure Land Sect that believes there are many Buddhas
which control

different Buddha lands in Heaven; including the ever more expanding Amitabha.
The Pure Land Sect

believes deeply that monks can marry, spreading a message to the people that they
might attend

services and have congregations to the monks with faith in the aforementioned
Amitabha for hope to

live in paradise, or a pure land very different indeed than the concept in Theravada
traditional type
 Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 3

Buddha where there is no eternal planned for soul that raises to another location, 2)
the Intuitive Sects

including the acceptance that real truth is a measure of flashes of realization or

some insight sought out

originally by the Buddha who, after studying with a group of Brahmin gurus, found
much more

success elsewhere in meditation towards his most insightful reception of special

knowledge he is known

to have possessed among other Buddhists who are the other meditating members
of this aspect of

Buddhist faith in the divine pursuit , 3) the studious Rationalist Sect who maintains
that in addition to

Meditation, study in the Buddha, scripture and rational thought or discourse

seemingly offers more

than simply devout meditation or; finally 4) the influential Sociopolitical Sect led by
study in Lotus Supra,

later transformed through enlightenment subsequently into their leader deemed

Nichiren where some

two million followers arise from the religion itself Soka Gokkai.

The main difference then between the Theravadas and Mayhana Buddhist are listed
below in a larger

graphic included here below as a colorful, keyed chart, too.

The differences in Tibetan Buddhism are striking; as well, in that rather than
seeking out the

Exacting Buddhism practiced by the Theravada Buddhists, or the intuitive, studious,

Pure Land

Advocates of attaining paradise or reformist Sociopolitical Mayhana Buddhist sects,

the Tibetan monks

were originally concerned with recantations of sacred words to will away evil
demons from their

rougher terrain in the early periods. In addition, they believe that the best use of
Buddhism as they
 Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 4

practice it today can help with real world issues such as births unencumbered of evil
spirits or

Enlightenment in following yet another, newer Buddha, their ever more

compassionate leader in faith

Bodhisattva Avolakiteshvara, who removes his ardent supporters from the violent
world, itself.

While the three parts of most of the world’s Buddhists are different, and they
might share

similar aspects of the faith, much of the remaining emphasis is placed on individual,
important diffences

among the three as they practice their form of a new or brighter enlightenment
through China and

even in the disruptive land of Mongolia. The scene of the recent disputes between
what the

Chinese leadership in the capital Begin often sees as dissent worthy of cracking
down upon; recently,

Mongolia and its Tibetan monks led by the exiled Dalia Llama represent only one
example of the

differences, diversity and vast religious landscape of Buddhism around the world.
 Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 5

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Belief in Divine
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Grace
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Belief in Revelation
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Belief in No
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0 50 100 150
 Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 6

References

Fingesten, P. (1956). East Is East: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, a

Comparison (Working paper). ATLA Religion Database. Philadelphia, PA:

Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Pr. Retrieved November 29, 2008,

from the ATLA Serials database.

Hopfe, L. M. (2007,2005,2004,2001,1998). Buddhism (M. R. Woodward, Ed.).

In L. M. Hopfe (Author), & M. R. Woodward (Ed.), Religions of the World

(10th ed., pp. 123-150). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,

Inc.

McDERMOTT, M.A., Ph.D., J. P. (Ed.). (2008, November 29). BUDDHISM. Funk

& Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from

http://firstsearch.oclc.org.library.gcu.edu:2048/webz/fsquery?format=bi

:next=html/records.html:bad=html/records.html:numrecs=10:sessioni

d=fsapp6-34516-fo58gpyr-

z92fp0:entitypagenum=8:0:searchtype=basic
Running Head: THERAVADA, MAYAHANA, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND 7