The Buddhist Religion

Buddhist spirituality is the inner meaning of the human experience as shaped by the pursuit of transformation under the impact of the Buddha’s Dhamma. There are two major branches of Buddhism’s, Theravada and Mahayana. Theravada Buddhism is sometimes called “Southern Buddhism”. This is identified as such because it is predominant in the countries of Southeast Asia. Theravadins believe that their tradition is the earliest and thus most authentic form of Buddhism. They preserve the closed scriptures and prefer to use Pali in their rituals and scholastics. Mahayana Buddhism is known as the “Northern Buddhism” since it prevails in many northern countries. They believe that their teachings are more profound since they go further back from the scriptures into oral traditions and teachings brought down through the generations. Thus, their sacred writings are vast and open-ended, tied closely to traditions and stories that convey their teachings....