There are three criteria for the classification of Buddhism: (a) it is divided into two or three times, (b) it is divided into primitive Buddhism, sect Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, and (c) it is divided into southern Buddhism and northern Buddhism. In addition, there are also obvious religions, esoteric religions, independent religions and other religions. However, this latter division is mainly advocated by Japanese Buddhism.
The classification of Buddhism and esoteric Buddhism is made by the Shinto esoteric Sect of Konghai, a Japanese master of Buddhism. Because the true meaning of Buddhism is the secret of the Buddha's self-testimony, which can't be expressed by language, this secret teaching method is called esotericism. Besides esoteric Buddhism, Buddhism that can be explained in words is Zoroastrianism.
The classification of self-reliance and heteronomy is the pure land religion of Japanese pro-Luan and others. The teaching method of absolute conversion to Amitabha in order to live in the pure land is heteronomy. In contrast, the holy door teaching method, which relies on its own diligent efforts to complete its personality satisfactorily, is self-teaching.
(A) Classification of two-way multiplication and three-way multiplication
Buddhism can be divided into two types, namely two-way multiplication, and can also be divided into three types, namely three-way multiplication.
{a} Two times
The so-called two times refers to the Hinayana and Mahayana, and can also be called the voice-smell multiplication and the Bodhisattva multiplication. Among them, the Hinayana is the sound-smell-taking, and the Mahayana is the Bodhisattva-taking. Therefore, the meaning of "Hinayana and Mahayana" or "Shengwen Mahayana and Bodhisattva Mahayana" is the same. Ya^na here means transportation. Buddhism is a means of transportation to cross people from this side of fascination (reality) to the other side of enlightenment (ideal), so it is used as a metaphor. Besides the Mahayana, Hinayana, Bodhisattva and Mahayana mentioned above, the usage of the second multiplication can also be called the second multiplication. This kind of quadratic multiplication refers to audio-visual multiplication and edge-sensory multiplication (this refers to the first quadratic multiplication among the three multiplications).
(1) Hinayana Buddhism: Hinayana Na is also known as inferior riding. It means small means of transportation, or inferior means of transportation. Because this teaching method is a self-interested teaching with its own completion and relief as its ideal, it is called Hinayana. In addition, it is also called S/Ra Vakaya Na, because Hinayana Buddhism focuses on the teaching of Buddhism before enlightenment. The so-called hearing refers to disciples. Shi Zun's disciples, led by the top ten disciples, are all called the "sound news".
Both China and Japanese Buddhism before the Japanese Zongdai period believed that Hinayana Buddhism not only refers to sectarianism, but also includes primitive Buddhism before sectarianism. In fact, "Hinayana" should only refer to formal sectarianism, and should not include primitive Buddhism and fundamental Buddhism in early Buddhism.
(2) Mahayana Buddhism: Mahayana (Mahayana) is transliterated as Mahayana, which refers to a large vehicle or an excellent vehicle. This is a self-conscious teaching method that not only seeks self-fulfillment and relief, but also helps others extensively. Unlike Mahayana Buddhism, it only seeks self-interest, but gives consideration to self-interest and altruism. This teaching method is Mahayana Buddhism. Its ideal is to finally become a Buddha who consciously realizes him, so Mahayana is also called Bodhisattva-ya na or buddha- ya^na.
The differences between Hinayana and Mahayana are as follows:
{1} The Buddha is considered to have a fundamentally different personality from the Buddhist disciples, that is, he has eighteen different methods and thirty-two phases and eighty kinds of good qualities that are not seen in the Buddhist disciples. This kind of "mutual kindness" was formed by gathering paramita and other good deeds during the long time when the three monks in the Bodhisattva era were only robbed. In contrast, Buddhist disciples only heard the teachings of the Buddha and practiced according to them. You can't become a Buddha by this kind of practice alone, and at most you can only get the highest enlightenment-A Luo Han Guo.
On the other hand, Mahayana Buddhism believes that all people have Buddha nature, so if they have bodhicitta, they can become bodhisattvas. If you hold the vows and consciousness of the Bodhisattva and gradually accumulate six paramita and other good deeds, then anyone can become a Buddha, even if he can't become a Buddha in this life, he will certainly become a Buddha in the future. With such self-awareness, determination and hard work, you must never hold the humble idea that you can't become a Buddha. You must have great self-confidence and make progress by being a bodhisattva. This is the difference between Wenwencheng and Bodhisattva.
{2} Karma thought and willingness thought: According to the teaching method of hearing, the ultimate goal of getting rid of the suffering of samsara and reaching the ideal nirvana world without suffering and stability is to get the arhat with the highest enlightenment. The highest state of this ideal world is called "Nirvana", which is a state of escaping from reincarnation only after the death of the body. This is a causal problem of karma reincarnation, aiming at getting rid of the suffering of reincarnation and getting the joy of nirvana, and it is also a personal problem.
On the other hand, Mahayana Bodhisattva's practice, from the initial initiation of bodhicitta, has a vow to "treat him before he gets too much". Unlike Hinayana, Mahayana only hates the suffering of life and death, hoping for eternal nirvana. Mahayana practitioners don't have the idea of bitter pleasure and karma. They not only don't escape suffering, but also devote themselves to helping those who suffer, even if they go to the realm of evil interest and suffering and cause suffering. Therefore, there are no problems such as bitterness, happiness and reincarnation. All we have is the bodhisattva's willingness to help all beings. This attitude is independent and self-disciplined, and it must be distinguished from the heteronomy attitude that is influenced by karma.
{3} Hinayana and Mahayana: The fundamental teaching method of audio-visual multiplication is the four truths and eight right paths aiming at self-fulfillment. If you can prove the four truths and eight correct ways, you can complete your personality and serve other sentient beings at the same time. Arhat, who has heard the highest level of enlightenment, is not necessarily a self-interested person, but may also be engaged in the work of educating and relieving the world. The word arhan (arahan) can also be translated as "confession", which refers to a person who is qualified to accept the support and respect of others. Because Arahant enlightened the world and gave it good benefits, he certainly has the qualification to bear the respect and support of the world.
If it is only for the completion of self-personality, the teaching method of four truths and eight right paths is enough. However, Mahayana Buddhism is not satisfied with this. Therefore, the Bodhisattva's practice method does not adopt the Eight Righteousnesses, but takes six paramita as its unique practice method. Since the Eight Righteousness Path only contains the moral goal of self-fulfillment, it is not sufficient in altruism, so it should be more appropriate to add the moral goal of social significance such as giving and enduring humiliation to the Mahayana practice.
in the practice of six paramita, giving comes first. Mahayana Buddhism believes that it is very necessary for all people in society to help each other and practice charity.
Moreover, the almsgiving here is a three-round empty almsgiving, that is to say, the giver should be able to be indifferent to the giver, the receiver and the giver. Don't expect the results from giving, but treat giving as an act of compassion from the sincerity of "empty self", so such giving is supreme. This attitude is not limited to Ofuse. For precepts, humiliation, wisdom, etc., they are all based on "emptiness" and the most superior virtue. That's why they are called paramita. That is to say, Mahayana's teaching method is that all the daily behaviors of living at home can be consistent with the first righteous teaching method of Buddhism, and the place of living is also the Dojo of practice.
{b} Triple multiplication
The so-called triple multiplication refers to the sound and smell multiplication, the edge perception multiplication and the Buddha multiplication. This is the subdivision of the above two squares (theravada and Mahayana). Theravada is divided into two parts: hearing and feeling, and Mahayana is Buddha's ride. Among them, the "Hinayana" (Hinayana) and the "Mahayana" (Mahayana) have already been explained before, so I won't repeat them here.
pratyekabuddha-ya^na is also known as the Buddha's Bodhisattva. Pratyekabuddha,pacceka- buddha) is transliterated as Buddha, and its meaning is translated as solitude. Edge perception is different from the sound of "being enlightened by listening to others' teaching". He didn't follow other people's teaching methods, but he was enlightened because he observed the origin. And unlike the Buddha who helped others, he only lived in seclusion in the mountains for the purpose of his own enlightenment, divorced from the secular world, and was a benevolent person who did not help the world.
from ancient times, the teaching method of hearing is the four truths and eight right paths, the teaching method of Yuanjue is the twelve origins, and the teaching method of Mahayana of Buddha and Bodhisattva is the six paramita. But this is from the standpoint of Mahayana. It's just a general arrangement. In the history of Buddhism, karma actually does not exist. There is no unique teaching method of the so-called edge perception itself. Therefore, there should be no difference between the three-way teaching method as mentioned above. The four truths and the eight right paths, the twelve origins and the six paramita are all basic teachings of Buddhism.
(B) Classification of primitive Buddhism, ministerial Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism
According to the times when Buddhist teachings were developed, it can be divided into three types: primitive Buddhism, ministerial Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. This is mainly an investigation of Indian native Buddhism.
{a} Primitive Buddhism
[Primitive Buddhism] This refers to the early Buddhism from the time when Shi Zun was alive to about a hundred years after the extinction of Buddhism. During this period, the Buddhist order was not divided and distributed, and all of them were as harmonious as the original form.
Buddhism in this early period can be divided into two types. The first half is fundamental Buddhism, and the second half is primitive Buddhism in a narrow sense. Fundamental Buddhism is the purest and most fundamental method of Buddhism, which refers to Buddhism from the time when Buddhism was alive to the time when Buddhism was extinct for about 3 years.
{b} Sect Buddhism
[Sect Buddhism] More than a hundred years after the extinction of Buddhism, there were different views on the interpretation of precepts and teachings in the Buddhist order, and opinions between conservatives and reformists gradually opposed. The reformists are called Maha Sanghika; Conservatives call it Therava^da^ and keep the traditional form. According to legend, this initial split of opposites occurred about a hundred years after the extinction of the Buddha. After the initial split, there were some conflicting opinions within the cult. In addition, Buddhism gradually spread and developed in various parts of India, and the contact and relationship between the cults in various places was interrupted, and the cults in various places gradually became independent, so the fundamental two-part faction (that is, the popular department and the seated department) gradually split again. After two or three hundred years, the so-called eighteen or twenty sects were finally established. Just like this, these divided sects of Buddhism are called sects of Buddhism.
The so-called Buddhist era of sects refers to the period from the establishment and completion of sects after the primitive Buddhist era to the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, that is, two or three hundred years from the third century BC. However, after A.D., Buddhism of Ministry (Hinayana) and Mahayana Buddhism coexisted in all parts of India. According to Xuanzang, there were more monasteries and monks of Hinayana Sect than Mahayana in India around the 7th century.
{c} Mahayana Buddhism
Due to the formalization and learning of sectarianism, the original religious activities of Buddhism slackened. Mahayana Buddhism is a movement to restore the true nature of Buddhism, which arose around the first century BC. If Shi Zun had spoken in this era, he would have said as they did, this is the true Buddhism, and what he said here can give full play to the true spirit of Shi Zun compared with the scriptures handed down by Buddhism. Objectively speaking, this belief they have established can be said to be appropriate.
(C) Buddhism in the south and Buddhism in the north
Buddhism is divided into two types: Buddhism in the south and Buddhism in the north. However, this classification and naming is an expedient and convenient measure. Mainly: Buddhism south of Indian mainland, called Southern Buddhism or Southern Buddhism. What goes to the north is northern Buddhism or northern Buddhism. Or from the current geographical position, southern Buddhism is in the south compared with northern Buddhism, so it is called southern Buddhism. However, it belongs to northern Buddhism, and it is also in ancient South China Sea areas such as Java and Sumatra. Therefore, it is not entirely appropriate to call North and South Buddhism from the position of popular areas.
{a} Southern Buddhism
This refers to the once popular Buddhism in Ceylon, Myanmar, Thailand, Khmer, Laos and other southern regions, also known as Southern Buddhism. This is a school of Hinayana Buddhism, which can also be called Therava^da Buddhism or Pa^li Buddhism. The reason why it is called Pali Buddhism is that the Sanzang Scripture of this Buddhism was spread in Pali language of ancient India.
This kind of Buddhism spread to Ceylon in the third century BC, during the time of Ashoka. At that time, Ashoka ruled India and believed in Buddhism, and spread Buddhism not only to all parts of India, but also to the whole world. According to Ebali Buddhism, the Buddhist order at that time sent missionaries to nine places inside and outside India, and the Buddhist missionary in Ceylon was one of them. It was the prince of Ashoka who introduced Buddhism to Ceylon, and the elder Mahinda, who later became a monk, who introduced Buddhism to the Upper Seats.
[Buddhism in Ceylon] Among the nine places where Buddhism was spread, what flourished in later generations was the theory that everything was in place in Kashmiri and Gandhara in northwest India (now West Pakistan), and in the upper seat of Ceylon Island. Buddhism in Ceylon was later converted and protected by kings of past dynasties, and developed greatly, and became the national religion of the country, which exists today. During this long historical period, this Balinese Buddhism also experienced its ups and downs. Other sects and Mahayana Buddhism have invaded Ceylon and occupied a superior position. The local area has also been attacked and oppressed by Tamir, a native Indian Hindu, and has been occupied. In modern times, Christians such as Portuguese, Dutch and British also invaded one after another. Ceylon Buddhism has been oppressed by these people for more than 4 years, and the Buddhist order has been extinct and experienced various hardships. However, the down-to-earth attendance often maintains a pure tradition and converts people to faith with strict commandments. This is still the case today. Among the remaining Buddhists today, Pali Buddhism is the purest one from the perspective of the cult and their scriptures. The Pali scripture is completely preserved, without even a part being incomplete. This is not seen in other Buddhism.
Ceylon's Buddhism spread to Myanmar from the tenth century or so, and gradually spread to Thailand, Khmer, Laos and other places after the thirteenth century, and it has also gained the status of state religion in Myanmar and Thailand to this day.
(b) Northern Buddhism
Compared with Buddhism spread in the south, Buddhism spread from northwest India to China through Central Asia; Or Buddhism spread to China through the southern sea route; From China to the Korean Peninsula and Japanese Buddhism and Vietnamese Buddhism; And Buddhism spread directly from India to Tibet; These Buddhists are all called Northern Buddhism or Northern Buddhism.
The Buddhist scriptures translated in these Buddhists, although there are scriptures of various schools of Hinayana, belong to Mahayana. In particular, all Buddhism actually believed in is Mahayana Buddhism. Therefore, it is possible to say that northern Buddhism is Mahayana Buddhism. In addition, most of these Buddhist scriptures are Sanskrit (Buddhist Sanskrit), so they can also be called Sanskrit Buddhism.
[Buddhism in China] Buddhism began to be introduced to China in the first century. Classical translation has been since the second century.