Scriptures/Sacred Text
Many different Buddhism groups arose after the Buddha’s
death due to widespread disagreements of the Buddha’s teachings.
Three popular branches of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
Three popular branches of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
Theravada Buddhism
The Theravada collection of the Buddha’s teachings is known as the Tipitaka, meaning “three baskets.” The writings were divided into three books written in Pali in the 4th century BCE. It’s goal is to escape samsara and enter nirvana.
The first collection is known as the Vinaya, which talks about the procedural rules for monastic life such as the rules for begging, eating, the relations with monks and nonmonks, and other disciplines. The second collection is called Suttra (also known as Sutra in Sanskrit), which contains the Buddha’s teachings in the form of dialogues. The third collection is known as Abhidarma, which stands for “the works that go beyond the elementary teachings.” This collection was developed later than the first two collections, and not presented as often in the sutras. |
Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism in India created its own versions of the Tripitaka that is written in Sanskrit in the first century BCE. The Mahayana works were called sutras because they claim to be the real words of the Buddha, but in reality they were imaginative, colorful creations written centuries after the Buddha lived.
The Vimalakirti Sutra teaches that it is possible to live a devout Buddhist life without becoming a monk. It showed that individuals can work successfully amidst the dangers of worldly life, can avoid causing harm, and can help themselves and others.
The Pure Land Sutras speak about a heavenly realm where humans can be reborn, and it is established by the merciful Amitabha Buddha. Total trust in the Buddha is necessary for rebirth. These sutras gave rise to the Pure Land Movement.
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The Vimalakirti Sutra teaches that it is possible to live a devout Buddhist life without becoming a monk. It showed that individuals can work successfully amidst the dangers of worldly life, can avoid causing harm, and can help themselves and others.
The Pure Land Sutras speak about a heavenly realm where humans can be reborn, and it is established by the merciful Amitabha Buddha. Total trust in the Buddha is necessary for rebirth. These sutras gave rise to the Pure Land Movement.
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The Prajnaparamita Sutras,
known as “the sutras on the perfection of wisdom” is the earliest
Mahayana works. These sutras compared the ordinary understanding with
the enlightened understanding that everything in the universe is
interdependent. It also known as the Heart sutra.
The current song playing is a Heart sutra song in Sanskrit. |
Saddharma Pundarika Sutra,
also known as the Lotus Sutra, means the “lotus sutra of the good
law”. The Buddha shows his transcendent, cosmic nature in this sutra.
His light and wisdom extend out into the universe as he preaches to
thousands of his disciples. By using parables, the sutra says that all
people have the Buddha nature and can all be Buddhas.
This video contains the Lotus Sutra mantra. Uttering this mantra 108 times every morning and even will calm your soul and help you meditate. The mantra also benefits and removes obstacles in the worldly journey and helps in attainment of buddhahood. |
Vajrayana Buddhism
The Vajrayana Buddhism contains Tibetan influence. Its collections were published in 1411 in the Tibetan language. Tibetan Buddhism has two large collections of writings known as the Kanjur and the Tenjur. The Kanjur is the core literature as it is made up of works from the Tripitaka, mostly from the Vinaya and the Mahayana sutras. The Tenjur exceeds four thousand works and contains commentaries on scripture and treatises on a wide variety of disciplines, such as medicine, logic, and grammar. |