Buddhist Schools - Terminology

Terminology

The terminology for the major divisions of Buddhism can be confusing, as Buddhism is variously divided by scholars and practitioners according to geographic, historical, and philosophical criteria, with different terms often being used in different contexts. The following terms may be encountered in descriptions of the major Buddhist divisions:

"Conservative Buddhism"

an alternative name for the early Buddhist schools.

"Early Buddhist schools"

the schools into which Buddhism became divided in its first few centuries; only one of these survives as an independent school, Theravāda

"East Asian Buddhism"

a term used by scholars to cover the Buddhist traditions of Japan, Korea, Singapore and most of China and Vietnam

"Eastern Buddhism"

an alternative name used by some scholars for East Asian Buddhism; also sometimes used to refer to all traditional forms of Buddhism, as distinct from Western(ized) forms.

"Esoteric Buddhism"

usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna". Some scholars have applied the term to certain practices found within the Theravāda, particularly in Cambodia.

"Hīnayāna"

literally meaning "lesser vehicle." It is considered a controversial term when applied by the Mahāyāna to mistakenly refer to the Theravāda school, and as such is widely viewed as condescending and pejorative. Moreover, Hīnayāna refers to the now non extant schools with limited set of views, practices and results, prior to the development of the Mahāyāna traditions. The term is currently most often used as a way of describing a stage on the path in Tibetan Buddhism, but is often mistakenly confused with the contemporary Theravāda tradition, which is far more complex, diversified and profound, than the literal and limiting definition attributed to Hīnayāna . Its use in scholarly publications is now also considered controversial.

"Lamaism"

an old term, still sometimes used, synonymous with Tibetan Buddhism; widely considered derogatory.

"Mahāyāna"

a movement that emerged out of early Buddhist schools, together with its later descendants, East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrayāna traditions are sometimes listed separately. The main use of the term in East Asian and Tibetan traditions is in reference to spiritual levels, regardless of school.

"Mainstream Buddhism"

a term used by some scholars for the early Buddhist schools.

"Mantrayāna"

usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna". The Tendai school in Japan has been described as influenced by Mantrayana.

"Newar Buddhism"

a non-monastic, caste based Buddhism with patrilineal descent and Sanskrit texts.

"Nikāya Buddhism" or "schools"

an alternative term for the early Buddhist schools.

"Non-Mahāyāna"

an alternative term for the early Buddhist schools.

"Northern Buddhism"

an alternative term used by some scholars for Tibetan Buddhism. Also, an older term still sometimes used to encompass both East Asian and Tibetan traditions. It has even been used to refer to East Asian Buddhism alone, without Tibetan Buddhism.

"Secret Mantra"

an alternative rendering of Mantrayāna, a more literal translation of the term used by schools in Tibetan Buddhism when referring to themselves.

"Sectarian Buddhism"

an alternative name for the early Buddhist schools.

"Southeast Asian Buddhism"

an alternative name used by some scholars for Theravāda.

"Southern Buddhism"

an alternative name used by some scholars for Theravāda.

"Śravakayāna"

an alternative term sometimes used for the early Buddhist schools.

"Tantrayāna" or "Tantric Buddhism"

usually considered synonymous with "Vajrayāna". However, one scholar describes the tantra divisions of some editions of the Tibetan scriptures as including Śravakayāna, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna texts (see Buddhist texts). Some scholars, particularly François Bizot, have used the term "Tantric Theravāda" to refer to certain practices found particularly in Cambodia.

"Theravāda"

the traditional Buddhism of Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and parts of Vietnam, China, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia. It is the only surviving representative of the historical early Buddhist schools. The term "Theravāda" is also sometimes used to refer to all the early Buddhist schools.

"Tibetan Buddhism"

usually understood as including the Buddhism of Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and parts of China, India and Russia, which follow the Tibetan tradition.

"Vajrayāna"

a movement that developed out of Indian Mahāyāna, together with its later descendants. There is some disagreement on exactly which traditions fall into this category. Tibetan Buddhism is universally recognized as falling under this heading; many also include the Japanese Shingon school. Some scholars, also apply the term to the Korean milgyo tradition, which is not a separate school. One scholar says, "Despite the efforts of generations of Buddhist thinkers, it remains exceedingly difficult to identify precisely what it is that sets the Vajrayana apart."