What Kind of Splits Were in Buddhism?
- The Buddha's teachings were originally in oral form. Before he died, he charged his followers with achieving their salvation on their own, refusing to appoint a successor. In order to preserve the Buddha's teachings, councils were held periodically to agree on the proper interpretations and settle any issues that arose. The first council occurred the year after the Buddha's death, but the second wasn't held until nearly 100 years later.
- It was at the second council that tension between groups of followers began to grow. By the next meeting, which occurred 37 years later, disputes over discipline and laity caused factions to form, leading to 18 sects. Eventually, all but one of these sects were absorbed into others, with only Theravada remaining. As their master's teachings were written down and codified, members of the sects began accusing the Theravada of being too conservative and following the Buddha's doctrine too literally.
- The more liberal-minded Mahasanghikas broke away from the conservative monks after the second council in 383 B.C. They transformed the Theravada image of the Buddha as an enlightened human teacher into an eternal, omnipresent transcendental entity that persists after death and takes human form for the benefit of mankind. The development of this philosophy was influenced by Christian mythology, giving rise to the Mahayana doctrine of the three-fold view of Buddha.
- Tantrism, also known as Vajrayana, developed out of the Mahayana belief by the seventh century A.D. It encompasses the entire Mahayana philosophy, but includes mystical and folk stories and traditions. Tantrism developed alongside the Hindu Tantric tradition, sharing a focus on sacramental ceremonies as well as mantras and symbols. It spread to Tibet where it remains the dominant form of Buddhism, then through China to Japan, where it is still practiced today.
- Other sects developed from the Tantric tradition, such as Zen and Pure Land Buddhism. Zen focuses on the use of meditation to promote the sudden realization of one's inner Buddha. In contrast, Pure Land Buddhism focuses on pure devotion to the transcendental Buddha as the key to salvation.
