Mahayana Vstheravada Buddhism

Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist

Buddhism is a philosophy or religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as the Buddha. Buddhism gradually spread from India throughout Asia to Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Southeast Asia, as well as to East Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan. The term Buddha does not just refer to Gautama, but is a word that means "one who has awakened" and is referenced to a type of person. The focus of the Buddhist practice is to end the suffering of ones natural existence, by awakening the practitioner to the realization of true reality, the achievement of liberation or nirvana. To obtain this goal, one should purify and train their mind and act according to the laws of karma, or cause and effect: by performing positive actions, positive results will follow, and vice versa. Buddha's teachings were based on the unpure cravings of mankind and those who choose to follow this belief must cure themselves from these worldly desires. Buddhist morality is guided by the principles of harmlessness and moderation. Mental training focuses on moral discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Buddha's Four Noble Truths is a way to ridding yourself of the cravings:

1. Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.

2. Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire rooted in ignorance.

3. Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.

4. Maggo: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

In addition to the Four Noble Truths that Buddhists follow, there are also training rules or precepts set to guide the practitioner in their journey. The Five Precepts are:

1. To refrain from harming living creatures (killing).

2. To refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing).

3. To refrain from sexual misconduct.

4. To refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat).

5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness.

While other religion institute commandments and are based on the wishes or commands of a divine being or supreme god, the Buddhist precepts are based more on what they consider common sense that the Buddha highlights to its followers.

Within the Buddhist belief structure, there are two major types of Buddhists: the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist. Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism do