Questions about Buddhist sects

MikeCMuller

I have been studying and practicing Buddhism for several years now mostly general Buddhist knowledge. I have now become curious about the various sects and was hoping that some one can give me a general description of some of the main sects or just some good links.

Today I started reading a book called "Being Peace" by Thich Nhat Hanh. In the first ten pages I learned something that opened a door to the dharma. Breath in, breath out and smile. It makes you feel so much better and proves it makes you happy it also makes others happy to see you smile. Several times today I felt annoyed or sad, I breathed in, breathed out, and smiled. Doing this changed my mood and just seemed to open the window of the core of Buddhist practice, be happy and make others happy.

Thanks for your feed back...

Anupassī

Vajrayana/Tibetan lineages: The crazy cousins that live in the attic.

Zen/Chan/Seon/Thien: The art of hitting somebody with a big stick and writing a poem about it later.

Theravada: In which dinners and dollars are obstacles to awakening.


... yes, well, if you want me to be serious:

I'm really most familiar with the Theravada tradition.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ - The uber-resource of Theravada Buddhism, in my opinion: has both extensive scriptural translations from the Pali Canon and modern articles by Dhamma teachers of East and West.

http://www.allisburning.org/ - Pictures of Theravadan practice and life, mainly within the Thai Forest Tradition.

I'm sure Dharma brothers and sisters can tell you about things in more detail than I can, but I heartily endorse those links.


From Ajahn Chah, a famed forest monk in the Theravada tradition:

'About this mind... In truth there is nothing really wrong with it. It is intrinsically pure. Within itself it's already peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days is because it follows moods. The real mind doesn't have anything to it, it is simply (an aspect of) Nature. It becomes peaceful or agitated because moods deceive it. The untrained mind is stupid. Sense impressions come and trick it into happiness, suffering, gladness and sorrow, but the mind's true nature is none of those things. That gladness or sadness is not the mind, but only a mood coming to deceive us. The untrained mind gets lost and follows these things, it forgets itself. Then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or whatever.

But really this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful... really peaceful! Just like a leaf which is still as long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up the leaf flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind — the "fluttering" is due to those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn't follow them, it doesn't "flutter." If we know fully the true nature of sense impressions we will be unmoved.

Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind. So we must train the mind to know those sense impressions, and not get lost in them. To make it peaceful. Just this is the aim of all this difficult practice we put ourselves through.'

compassionate_warrior

Vajrayana/Tibetan lineages: The crazy cousins that live in the attic.

Zen/Chan/Seon/Thien: The art of hitting somebody with a big stick and writing a poem about it later.

Theravada: In which dinners and dollars are obstacles to awakening.

The comic relief is much appreciated.

SherabDorje

Schools of Buddhism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schools_of_Buddhism

Welcome, Mike.

Anupassī

Vajrayana/Tibetan lineages: The crazy cousins that live in the attic.

Zen/Chan/Seon/Thien: The art of hitting somebody with a big stick and writing a poem about it later.

Theravada: In which dinners and dollars are obstacles to awakening.

The comic relief is much appreciated.

I was thinking of doing a Shingon joke, but then I realised it might be too obscure.

compassionate_warrior

Buddhist stand-up comedy, why not? You might have a part-time career for yourself.

I was thinking of doing a Shingon joke, but then I realised it might be too obscure.

Brandon

lol the art of hitting someone with a stick and writing a poem about it later....


so true.

fivebells

I have been studying and practicing Buddhism for several years now mostly general Buddhist knowledge. I have now become curious about the various sects and was hoping that some one can give me a general description of some of the main sects or just some good links.

If you've been studying general Buddhist knowledge for years, you've already osmotically developed a better sense for the differences between the sects. They are inescapable. What would you like to know?

In the first ten pages I learned something that opened a door to the dharma. Breath in, breath out and smile. It makes you feel so much better and proves it makes you happy...

This is essentially the realization the Buddha had when he remembered his happy time in his father's garden, just before taking his seat under the Bodhi tree.

Thanks for your feed back...

The first part of your post sounds like a sly request for assistance with a homework assignment.

SherabDorje

The first part of your post sounds like a sly request for assistance with a homework assignment.

You can be so cynical, FB.:nyah: