What is it that unites all schools of Buddhism?

DairyLama

And I mean all schools, everything from Secular Buddhism to Pureland to Nichirin, all of them.

My starting suggestion is to say that they all share the goal of liberation from suffering, though this may be expressed in different ways.

It would be tempting to add the Four Noble Truths, but those are not made explicit in all schools, so I'm not sure.

Your thoughts?

federica

I would have thought The Buddha....

Jeongjwa

The idea of cultivation? That there is something to realize and/or do? I think most every school I can think of as a sort of more-active-than-passive sort of way/method/practice/religion.

David

That's a tough one but besides the liberation from suffering and the historical Buddha himself I can't think of any one concept all schools agree on.

I'd also like to add the 4 Noble Truths but it seems there are a few sects that you wouldn't know teach it if you've never heard of it.

Wait though... Wouldn't the Eightfold path pretty much have to be represented even if it's called something else?

karasti

I don't know enough about all of the schools to be able to say. The 4 Noble Truths are not explicitly taught in all schools, for sure (they aren't focused on in mine but we do touch on them and talk about them with our teacher) but I think they are still the underlying theme. They wind in and out of everything I've ever read. But like I said, I can hardly say I've read a lot off other schools, especially Pureland, and some of those that are more "outliers" for lack of better term.

Buddhadragon

The three marks of existence: anicca (impermanence), anatta (not-self) and dukkha (affliction).

I have read the Dalai Lama mention the Four Noble Truths as a core teaching in Buddhism, so, if initially it was more of a Theravadan concept, it would seem it is beginning to get widespread in other schools.

karasti

It is a core teaching. But it is not always specifically taught. My teacher is a vajrayana teacher, and like I said, we cover the 4NT, but not to any great extent. We don't touch on the eightfold path at all. It never even comes up, despite it being an extension/continuation of the 4NT. All of those things, and more, are wound into the teachings we cover. But we do not cover them separately and we have not even mentioned them again that I can think of in the last 4 years.

Buddhadragon

I know.
My former teacher was Gelug and the subject of the 4NT never came up.
In the Dzogchen sangha where I currently participate, the truths have been touched, though not quite as such.

@Citta once mentioned that the 4NT did not figure highly in Tibetan schools, that's why I was rather surprised to find them extensively dealt with on at least three books by HH the Dalai Lama.

karasti

I wonder if he made that choice to include them in his books and teachings because of his position. Since he has a worldwide audience, it makes sense to start with the basics, instead of assuming your everyday reader might already realize they are wound into everything else. Makes it easier to understand, perhaps?

Buddhadragon

For whatever reason, specifically in his book "The Heart of the Buddha's Path," which happens to be one of my favourites by him, he says:

"The Four Noble Truths are the very foundation of the Buddhist teaching and that is why they are so important. In fact, if you don't understand the Four Noble Truths, and if you have not experienced the truth of this teaching personally, it is impossible to practise Buddha Dharma. Therefore, I am always very happy to have the opportunity to explain them."

Nirvana

Question: Does Pure Land emphasize The three marks of existence: anicca (impermanence), anatta (not-self) and dukkha (affliction).

I think not, but would like to be better informed.

Dakini

@federica said:
I would have thought The Buddha....

Yes, this is what immediately came to mind. The Buddha and the basics: 4 NT, 8fold Path, meditation/insight, mindfulness, compassion, emptiness/selflessness. If some Tibetan Buddhist teachers don't cover the 4 NT and 8fold Path explicitly, those principles are in the Lamrim and other teachings implicitly. The DL lectured on them in the first lecture he ever gave in the US, back in 1979.

As they say, TB's foundational stage is Theravada ("Hinayana"), the 2nd stage, the 2nd "Turning of the Wheel" is Mahayana, and the final, or advanced stage, the 3rd Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, is Vajrayana. So when you begin at the beginning, so to speak, with the basic teachings of the Buddha, which define the Theravada/Hinayana stage, you naturally learn the 4 NT and 8fold Path. Not all teachers begin at the beginning though. The DL does. He's very methodical.

seeker242

Enlightenment!

Chaz

@DhammaDragon said:
The three marks of existence: anicca (impermanence), anatta (not-self) and dukkha (affliction).

I have read the Dalai Lama mention the Four Noble Truths as a core teaching in Buddhism, so, if initially it was more of a Theravadan concept, it would seem it is beginning to get widespread in other schools.

My guru, who's Kagyu insists on study that includes 4NT, N8FP and other concepts found in what's referred to as Hinayana. Practice, from a Mahayana perpsective is ephasized, but has it's basis in the Hinanya.

It's not "Theravadin". Lot's of different schools teach it.

I don't think there's anything that truly "unites" Buddhism, nor do I think there needs to be. As a Kagyupa, I don't really care much about what they teach in Theravada, or the Nyingma, or Pure Land. If there's common ground, that's fine, but I don't really need that for my study or practice.

Chaz

@Dakini said:
the 3rd Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, is Vajrayana.

Uhhhhhh no.

The third turning is teachings on Buddha Nature.

Vajrayana is something else, sometimes referred to as a 4th turning but not by all.

zombiegirl

@federica said:
I would have thought The Buddha....

Adding in (SGI) Nichiren Buddhism kind of throws a wrench in this. I was taught to never place any idols on my shrine and didn't learn much about Buddha in general. I never learned the 4 Noble Truths or 8 Fold Path or other common Buddhist teachings. The only sutra we studied was the Lotus Sutra, which many think was never written by the Buddha (which I also think we've discussed until we turned blue here in the past). But even so, we mostly studied the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and his teachings revolve around his interpretations of the Lotus Sutra.

Even more interesting, if you look at a break down of the Gohonzon (literally "object of veneration" aka a scroll used for practice, I'd show you a picture but it is forbidden...even if they are easy to find online), you'll find that Shakyamuni Buddha's place is somewhat small despite it being a text description of the Ceremony in the Sky from the Lotus Sutra. Here is a breakdown of the Gohonzon He comes in at point 8 while the most prominent features are the Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren himself, and Nichiren's personal seal.

But Nichiren was a Buddhist and did study all of the sutras and did venerate the LS, so it wouldn't be correct to say that they don't study the Buddha. But in my experiences with the SGI, it certainly did not feel like the focus. (Also relevant is that the SGI is a lay organization, but my group had many members from Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan, and of course, America, so I felt like it was a pretty good sampling.)

lobster

@seeker242 said:
Enlightenment!

Good answer.
Of the religions I prefer the company and environment associated with Buddhist dharma. Not all Buddhists, not all dharma . . . maybe it is too much of a generalisation . . . m m m . . .

However for what it is worth the qualities I find most often that I like:

1. Acceptance. They even let non believers, heretics like myself and other religions practice.
2. Respect for people's space. Not constantly trying to improve me, befriend me, indoctrinate me.
3. Simple teachings. Have cushion, will travel (internally).
4. Profound teachings. Still trying to work out all the ramifications of the Heart Sutra . . .
5. Humour, often dry.
6. Good temples and gardens.
7. The people involved, especially those sangha, senior, thoughtful types.
8. Buddha, sits, wakes up. Cool.

So even though I can not pin down what art or what the unifying Buddhist trait is, 'I know what I like' . . . just a pleb Buddhist I iz . . .

misecmisc1

When spelled in English, they all have Buddhism word in their end.

genkaku

What is it that unites all schools of Buddhism?

Me.

Jeffrey

The nature of mind is the same in each person if not each school.

Buddhadragon

Looking for some information as to which could be the common points in most Buddhist traditions, if at least not in all, I found what nowadays might strike us as a rather naïve point of view, but which was apparently quite promising in his time.

In one of my rare books, Henry Olcott's "The Buddhist Catechism" (I have the 1915 edition), I found these fourteen points which Olcott back then submitted to several authorities from different schools and got them to sign his document in agreement.

These authorities were from Japan (different Zen schools, including Nichiren), Burma, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Bangladesh and Mongolia.
I can't see any Tibetan authority subscribing to it, though.
Did they not agree or maybe Olcott did not have access to any authority of Tibet?

http://www.dharmadana.org/pdfs/Essay5/Colonel Olcott and his Buddhist Catechism - Text.pdf

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tbc/tbc13.htm

FUNDAMENTAL BUDDHISTIC BELIEFS.

I. Buddhists are taught to show the same tolerance, forbearance, and brotherly love to all men, without distinction; and an unswerving kindness. towards the members of the animal kingdom.

II. The universe was evolved, not created; and it functions according to law, not according to the caprice of any God.

III. The truths upon which Buddhism is founded are natural. They have, we believe, been taught in successive kalpas, or world periods, by certain illuminated beings called BUDDHAS, the name BUDDHA meaning "Enlightened."

IV. The fourth Teacher in the present Kalpa was Sâkya Muni, or Gautama Buddha, who was born in a royal family in India about 2,500 years ago. He is an historical personage and his name was Siddârtha Gautama.

V. Sâkya Muni taught that ignorance produces desire, unsatisfied desire is the cause of rebirth, arid rebirth, the cause of sorrow. To get rid of sorrow, therefore, it is necessary to escape rebirth; to escape rebirth, it is necessary to extinguish desire; and to extinguish desire, it is necessary to destroy ignorance.

VI. Ignorance fosters the belief that rebirth is a necessary thing. When ignorance is destroyed the worthlessness of every such rebirth, considered as an end in itself, is perceived, as well as the paramount need of adopting a course of life by which the necessity for such repeated rebirths can be abolished. Ignorance also begets the illusive and illogical idea that there is only one existence for man, and the other illusion that this one life is followed by states of unchangeable pleasure or torment.

VII. The dispersion of all this ignorance can be attained by the persevering practice of an all-embracing altruism in conduct, development of intelligence, wisdom in thought, and destruction of desire for the lower personal pleasures.

VIII. The desire to live being the cause of rebirth, when that is extinguished rebirths cease and the perfected individual attains by meditation that highest state of peace called Nirvâṇa.

IX. Sâkya Muni taught that ignorance can be dispelled and sorrow removed by the knowledge of the four Noble Truths, viz.:—

1. The miseries of existence;

2. The cause productive of misery, which is the desire ever renewed of satisfying oneself without being able ever to secure that end;

3. The destruction of that desire, or the estranging of oneself from it;

4. The means of obtaining this destruction of desire. The means which he pointed out is called the noble eight-fold Path, viz.; Right Belief; Right Thought; Right Speech; Right Action; Right Means of Livelihood; Right Exertion; Right Remembrance; Right Meditation.

X. Right Meditation leads to spiritual enlightenment, or the development of that Buddha-like faculty which is latent in every man.

XI. The essence of Buddhism, as summed up by the Tathâgata (Buddha) himself, is—

To cease from all sin,

To get virtue,

To purify the heart.

XII. The universe is subject to a natural causation known as "Karma." The merits and demerits of a being in past existences determine his condition in the present one. Each man, therefore, has prepared the causes of the effects which he now experiences.

XIII. The obstacles to the attainment of good karma may be removed by the observance of the following precepts, which are embraced in the moral code of Buddhism, viz.: (1) Kill not; (2) Steal not; (3) Indulge in no forbidden sexual pleasure; (4) Lie not; (5) Take no intoxicating or stupefying drug or liquor. Five other precepts which need not be here enumerated should be observed by those who would attain, more quickly than the average layman, the release from misery and rebirth.

XIV. Buddhism discourages superstitious credulity. Gautama Buddha taught it to be the duty of a parent to have his child educated in science and literature. He also taught that no one should believe what is spoken by any sage, written in any book, or affirmed by tradition, unless it accord with reason.

ZendoLord84

Buddha, Four Noble Truths, meditation, precepts (?)

Buddhadragon

Since we're at it, in 1956, Christmas Humphreys, late director of the Buddhist Society, wrote a book entitled "A Buddhist Student's Manual."
(Yes, I have that book too )

In this book, he mentions back in 1945 he drafted twelve principles, this time, which he deems apply to most Buddhist schools.

Once more, no mention of any Tibetan schools as approving the text, but he claims it has been approved by Japan's seventeen major sects, a Chinese master has approved them on behalf of the million Chinese Buddhists, the Supreme Patriarch of Siam, responsible authorities in Burma and Ceylon, and Buddhist organisations in Europe and USA.

http://www.astepback.com/buddhism.htm

1. Self salvation is for any man the immediate task. If a man lay wounded by a poisoned arrow he would not delay extraction by demanding details of the man who shot it or the length and make of the arrow. There will be time for ever-increasing understanding of the Teaching during the treading of the Way. Meanwhile, begin now by facing life as it is, learning always by direct and personal experience.

2. The first fact of existence is the law of change or impermanence. All that exists, from a mole to a mountain, from a thought to an empire, passes through the same cycle of existence; birth, growth, decay and death. Life alone is continuous, ever seeking self-expression in new forms. "Life is a bridge; therefore build no house on it." Life is a process of flow, and he who clings to any form, however splendid, will suffer by resisting the flow.

3. The law of change applies equally to the "soul". There is no principle in an individual which is immortal and unchanging. Only the "Namelessness", the Ultimate Reality, is beyond change, and all forms of life, including man, are manifestations of this Reality. No one owns the life which flows in him any more than the electric light bulb owns the current which gives it light.

4. The universe is the expression of law. All effects have causes, and man's soul or character is the sum total of his previous thoughts and acts. Karma, meaning action-reaction, governs all existence, and man is the sole creator of his circumstances, and his reaction to them, his future condition and his final destiny. By right thought and action he can gradually purify his inner nature, and so by self-realization attain in time liberation from rebirth. The process covers great periods of time, involving life after life on earth, but ultimately every form of life will reach enlightenment.

5. Life is one and indivisible, though its ever-changing forms are innumerable and perishable. There is, in truth, no death, though every form must die. From an understanding of life's unity arises compassion, a sense of identity with the life in other forms. Compassion is described as the "Law of laws-eternal harmony", and he who breaks this harmony of life will suffer accordingly and delay his own enlightenment.

6. Life being One, the interests of the part should be those of the whole. In his ignorance man thinks he can successfully strive for his own interests, and his wrongly-directed energy of selfishness produces its cause. The Buddha taught four Noble Truths:

a) The omnipresence of suffering;

b) its cause, wrongly-directed desire;

c) its cure, the removal of the cause; and

d) the Noble Eightfold Path of self-development which leads to the end of suffering.

7. The Eightfold Path consists of: (1)Right Views or preliminary understanding, (2) Right Aims or Motives, (3) Right Speech, (4) Right Acts, (5) Right Livelihood, (6) Right Effort, (7) Right Concentration or mind-development, and, finally, (8) Right Samadhi, leading to full Enlightenment. As Buddhism is a way of living, not merely a theory of life, the treading of this Path is essential to self-deliverance. "Cease to do evil, learn to do good, cleanse your own heart: this is the Teaching of the Buddhas".

8. Reality is incomprehensible, and a God with attributes is not the final Reality. But the Buddha, a human being, became the All-Enlightened One, and the purpose of life is the attainment of Enlightenment. This state of consciousness, Nirvana, the extinction of the limitations of selfhood, is attainable on earth. All men and all other forms of life contain the potentiality of Enlightenment, and the purpose therefore consists in becoming what you are: "Look within; thou art Buddha".

9. From potential to actual Enlightenment there lies the Middle Way, the Eightfold Path from desire to peace", a process of self-development between the "opposites", avoiding all extremes. The Buddha trod this Way to the end, and the only faith required in Buddhism is the reasonable belief that where a Guide has trodden its is worth our while to tread. The Way must be trodden by the whole man, nor merely the best of him, and heart and mind must be developed equally. The Buddha was the All-Compassionate as well as the All-Enlightened One.

10. Buddhism lays great stress on the need of inward concentration and meditation, which leads in time to the development of the inner spiritual faculties. The subjective life is as important as the daily round, and periods of quietude for inner activity are essential for a balanced life. The Buddhist should at all times be "mindful and self-possessed", refraining from mental and emotional attachment to "the passing show". This increasingly watchful attitude to circumstances, which he knows to be his own creation, helps him to keep his reaction to it always under control.

11. The Buddha said: "Work out your own salvation with diligence". Buddhism knows no authority for truth save the intuition of the individual, and that is authority for himself alone. Each man suffers the consequences of his own acts, and learns thereby, while helping his fellow man to the same deliverance; nor will prayer to the Buddha or to any God prevent an effect following its cause. Buddhist monks are teachers and examplars, and in no sense intermediaries between Reality and the individual. The utmost tolerance is practiced towards all other religions and philosophies, for no man has the right to interfere in his neighbor's journey to the Goal.

12. Buddhism is neither pessimistic or "escapist", nor does it deny the existence of God or soul, though it places its own meaning on these terms. It is, on the contrary, a system of thought, a religion, a spiritual science and a way of life, which is reasonable, practical and all embracing. For over two thousand years it has satisfied the spiritual needs of nearly one-third of mankind. It appeals to the West because it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on self-reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces science, religion, philosophy, psychology, ethics and art, and points to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his destiny.

Buddhadragon

Excuse me for posting these photos here, but some people from another Buddhist forum allege that people in this forum make false claims or copy information from elsewhere and pass it as one's own, so I wanted to prove that I have the books as I say I do and I got the information from there.

Lucky me, the links also exist, so I did not have to sit down and copy from the books myself...

lamaramadingdong

Practiced by human beings.

bookworm

The search for peace.

federica

It's curious that an anagram of 'unites' is 'unties'...

genkaku

It's curious that an anagram of 'unites' is 'unties'...

@Federica -- Do I behold a fledgling member of "The Bletchley Circle?"

Isn't it equally curious that an anagram of "unties" is "unites?" Reminds me a little of those who run around saying "no pain, no gain" without acknowledging the inescapable corollary, "no gain, no pain."

federica

It's curious the way I put it, in direct relation to the thread title. No more than that.

"What is it that unties all schools of Buddhism?"

David

Sectarianism

federica

The question was rhetorical. I merely posed it to illustrate my meaning to genkaku.

Let's not stray too far off topic, or reverse its intention!

David

Oops, sorry I tend to do that sometimes.

Would it be safe to claim all schools of Buddhism have compassion at their core?

Jeffrey

@ourself I think Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes compassion more than other schools. They have a whole teaching that wisdom is at union with compassion. And of course they have the Bodhisattva ideal.

federica

@ourself said:
Oops, sorry I tend to do that sometimes.

I do it a whole lot more than I should, so no problem.

DairyLama

@ourself said:
Would it be safe to claim all schools of Buddhism have compassion at their core?

It tends to be rather underplayed in Theravada, though there is Right Intention and the Metta Sutta for example.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html

An interesting range of views here, I think I'd still come back to the goal of enlightenment, liberation from suffering.
And of course the Buddha!

lobster

@SpinyNorman said:
An interesting range of views here, I think I'd still come back to the goal of enlightenment, liberation from suffering. And of course the Buddha!

That sounds hard core. Good base.

@genkaku said:
Me.

I once met/was harassed by a Hari Krishna devotee. I told him I was a Buddhist. 'So am I', he assured me.

Well . . . in Hinduism, Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashavatara

Hari Krishna Hari Krishna Krishna Krishna Buddha Buddha

Me iz Hindu?

@misecmisc1 said:
When spelled in English, they all have Buddhism word in their end.

Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Theravadin Buddhism - oh yeah good point

Hindu Buddhism - No? . . . well . . . Secular Buddhism, Punk Buddhism . . . m m m . . . and I do like a touch of the elephantine Ganesh . . . m m m . . .

Hari Rama Hari Rama
Rama Rama Buddha Buddha

DairyLama

Hindu Buddhists like to smuggle in an atman and avoid customs checks, so they are very naughty...