TRADITIONS

Traditions

Buddhism did not remain one thing. Each tradition carries the teaching forward in its own way — with its own texts, practices, and understanding of the goal.

Theravada

The Teaching of the Elders — the oldest surviving school, dominant in Southeast Asia and S

Mahayana

The Great Vehicle — the bodhisattva path and the philosophy of emptiness.

Zen and Chan

The tradition of direct pointing — from Bodhidharma to the great Japanese and Korean maste

Tibetan Buddhism

The Vajrayana — the diamond vehicle, with its four schools and vast tantric heritage.

Pure Land Buddhism

The path of faith and recitation — Amitabha, nembutsu, and the Western Paradise.

Buddhism in the West

How Buddhism arrived in the West, what changed, and what stayed the same.