(A) the definition of Buddhism
The so-called "Buddha" means "the teaching method of Buddha" or "the religion mentioned by Buddha". In other words, Buddhism is a religion respected and believed by the Buddha.
Buddha is Buddha, which is a transliteration of the Indian word Buddha, meaning awakened person, that is, a person who has realized the truth of society and life.
The so-called "Buddha" is the abbreviation of Sakyamuni Buddha, who is the sage of Sakyamuni Buddhism and the Buddha. Therefore, it is also called the Buddha of Sakyamuni. Because Sakyamuni's surname is Gotama, the Buddha is also called the Buddha of Gotama. It is the Buddha who was born in Sakyamuni, India, 2,500 years ago and started Buddhism.
In addition,' Buddhism' can also be said to be' the teaching of becoming a Buddha'. According to the teaching method of Buddhism, everyone can become a Buddha, which is the view of Mahayana Buddhism. It shows that Buddha is a person with complete personality, so Buddhism aims at the completion of personality. In this sense, Buddhism can be said to be' the teaching of becoming a Buddha'.
(B) the classification of Buddhism
There are three criteria for the classification of Buddhism: (1) two or three times; (2) primitive Buddhism, sectarian Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism; and (3) Southern Buddhism Buddhism and northern Buddhism. In addition, there are obvious religions, esoteric religions, independent religions and other religions. However, the latter division is mainly advocated by Japanese Buddhism.
Japanese Buddhist master Kong Hai and others classified Zoroastrianism and esotericism. Because the true meaning of Buddhism is the secret of Buddha's self-testimony, which words can't express, 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 Sect of Japanese pro-Luan and others. The teaching method of absolute conversion to Amitabha in order to live in pure land is heteronomy. In contrast, self-study is the holy door teaching method to successfully complete personality by relying on one's own hard work.
(a) the classification of secondary and tertiary.
Buddhism can be divided into two kinds, namely the second multiplication, and can also be divided into three kinds, namely the third multiplication.
{a} secondary
The so-called second multiplication refers to Hinayana and Mahayana, which can also be called voice-smell multiplication and bodhisattva multiplication. Among them, the Hinayana is heard and the Mahayana is taken by the Bodhisattva. Therefore,' Hinayana and Mahayana' or' Wensheng Mahayana and Bodhisattva Mahayana' have the same meaning. Ya^na means transportation here. Buddhism is a means of transportation to cross people from the infatuated shore (reality) to the enlightened shore (ideal), so it is used as a metaphor. Besides the Mahayana, Hinayana, Bodhisattva and Mahayana mentioned above, the usage of the second square can also be called the second square. This quadratic multiplication refers to audio-visual multiplication and edge-feeling multiplication (here refers to the first quadratic multiplication among the three multiplications).
(1) Hinayana Buddhism: Hinayana is also called the second Hinayana. It means small means of transportation, or inferior means of transportation. Because this teaching method is a self-interested teaching method with its own perfection and liberation 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 listening and pointing disciple. Master disciples, led by the top ten disciples, are all called "sound news".
In fact, the so-called Hinayana, Sheng Wencheng, these names are all contemptuous names for sectarian Buddhism from the standpoint of Mahayana Buddhism. Sectarian Buddhism itself does not call itself Hinayana or Shengwencheng. In the teaching system of Tiantai Sect, Hinayana Buddhism is called Sanzang or Tibetan Buddhism for short. This is because the Hinayana teaching method is composed of the teaching methods of Confucian classics, Buddhism and Buddhism.
Buddhism before China and Japanese sects 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 large vehicles or excellent vehicles. This is a conscious teaching method that not only seeks self-realization and liberation, but also helps others extensively. Unlike Mahayana Buddhism, it only seeks self-interest, but takes into account both self-interest and altruism. This teaching method is Mahayana Buddhism. Its ideal is to eventually become a Buddha who consciously realizes it, so Mahayana is also called a bodhisattva-yana or Buddha-ya na. (3) The difference between Mahayana and Hinayana: after primitive Buddhism, sectarian Buddhism, which was established more than 0/00 years after the demise of Buddhism, was gradually formalized and degraded. Due to the disappearance of the original religious status of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism advocated returning to the spirit of respecting truth about 400 years after the disappearance of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism despises sectarianism in the name of Hinayana and Shengwencheng, and its own position pretends to inherit the true spirit of Buddhism. Therefore, the characteristics of Buddhism in the Ministry are different from the early Mahayana Buddhism. Please refer to the following table to compare this difference:
┌——————————————┬——————————————┐
Ministry Buddhism, early Mahayana Buddhism
├——————————————┼——————————————┤
│( 1) Bodhisattva thought aims at proving Siraitia grosvenorii │( 1) aims at becoming a Buddha │.
│ auditory thoughts (auditory hearing). │ (Buddha riding). │
│(2) The heteronomy of achieving the pain of returning to life after becoming a monk │(2) Voluntary pursuit of becoming a Buddha │.
│ Doctrine (Karma Thought). Self-discipline to get rid of evil interests (willingness to do and think)
│ │ think). │
│(3)*** Seeking self-realization and liberation │(3) Freeing all beings and promoting society │.
Self-interest of hard training (Hinayana) Altruism of overall evolution (│)
│ )。 │ Mahayana). │
│(4) Trapped in scripture, rigid and unchanging │(4) Based on Prajna wisdom, there is no self and no support.
│││││││││││││││││││││││││││││947 │
│ (Yes) │ │
│(5) There are more theoretical and learning tendencies │(5) Comparatively speaking, for belief practice │.
Its theory and practice are often irrelevant, and it pays more attention to theory and knowledge.
│ Department (theory). Its theory is not empty talk, but practice.
│ │ (practical) basis. │
│(6) Although it is mainly to become a monk, │(6) Although it is mainly to stay at home,
│ is low. │ But the realm is higher. │
└——————————————┴——————————————┘
After the middle period of Mahayana Buddhism, it attached importance to philosophical theory and gradually became theoretical and professional. At this point, the religious aspect of Mahayana Buddhism in the middle period is the same as that of ministerial Buddhism, which is a retrogression and degradation. The characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism after the middle period are: (1) the emphasis on bodhicitta, (2) the philosophical investigation of Buddha's nature, the source of bodhicitta, (Tathagata), and (3) the theory of non-ego, which not only refers to people without me, but also refers to people without me (I am empty) and dharma without me (I am empty). Regarding the difference between Hinayana and Mahayana, I would like to add the following statement:
{1} Riding a Bodhisattva by Listening to Music: Since the sectarianism era that began more than 100 years after the demise of Buddhism, the founder of Buddhism has been greatly deified and become a special existence different from ordinary people. Buddha is considered to have a fundamentally different personality from his disciples, that is, he has eighteen different laws, thirty-two phases and eighty kinds of goodness that can't be seen in his disciples. This kind of "good karma" was formed by gathering all kinds of good deeds such as paramita in the long years when Sanzang only robbed but not robbed in the Bodhisattva era. 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 you can only get the highest enlightenment at most-a Siraitia grosvenorii.
On the other hand, Mahayana Buddhism believes that all people have Buddha nature, so they can become bodhisattvas with bodhicitta. If you hold the bodhisattva's vows and consciousness 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 consciousness, such determination and such efforts, we must not hold the humble idea that we can't become a Buddha. You must have great self-confidence to make progress as a bodhisattva. This is the difference between Wen Wencheng and Bodhisattva.
{2} Karma Thought and Desire: According to the teaching method of hearsay, the ultimate goal of obtaining the highest enlightenment of Arhat is to get rid of the suffering of samsara and achieve an ideal nirvana world without suffering and stability. The highest position 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 karmic reincarnation, aiming at getting rid of the suffering of reincarnation and getting the joy of nirvana, and it is also a personal problem.
In contrast, the practice of Mahayana Bodhisattva, from the initial germination of bodhicitta, has a vow to "treat him first and then gain more". Unlike Hinayana, Mahayana only hates the pain of life and death and hopes for eternal nirvana. Mahayana practitioners have no thoughts of bitterness and karma. Not only do they not escape suffering, but they are also committed to helping those who suffer, even if they go to the realm of evil interests and suffering, causing suffering. Therefore, there are no problems such as the reincarnation of bitterness and joy. All we have is the bodhisattva's willingness to help all beings. This attitude is independent and self-disciplined, and must be distinguished from the heteronomy attitude influenced by karma.
{3} Hinayana and Mahayana: The fundamental teaching method of audio-visual multiplication is the four truths and the eight right paths aiming at self-completion. If you can prove the four truths and eight principles, 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 selfish person, but may also be engaged in education and relief of the world. The word arahan can also be translated as' confession', which refers to a person who is qualified to accept the support and respect of others. Because arhat enlightened the world and gave it good benefits, he is certainly qualified to bear the respect and support of the world.
From this point of view, arhat is by no means an independent person who has nothing to do with the world. It is inappropriate for Mahayana Buddhism to say that people only seek self-interest. At the time of the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism had been ruined and lost its religious nature of guiding and educating the world. This is probably the reason for the above criticism of Mahayana Buddhism.
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 is not eight rectifications, but six paramita as its unique practice method. Since the Eight Righteousnesses only contain moral goals of self-realization and are not sufficient in altruism, it is more appropriate to add social moral goals such as giving and humiliation to Mahayana practice.
Six paramita practices, giving first. Mahayana Buddhism believes that it is very necessary for all people in society to help each other and practice charity. This is why Mahayana Buddhism is a means of transportation for most people's relief, and why sectarian Buddhism is a small means of transportation for a few people.
{4} Existence and emptiness: There are researches on the so-called secret method in the Ministry of Buddhism, but many of them are' existence' (existence) topics that are forbidden to be involved in Buddhism. At that time, foreign teachers had some views on the existence of entities (ontology and realism). These statements are useless for solving life problems. So the Buddha blocked all these problems. Buddhism believes that the problem is not ontology, but the phenomenon of birth and death around us. What is the state of these phenomena, what should we do and what attitude should we take? These are the most important questions for Buddhists. The treatment of these problems is the origin theory. Four truths, eight right paths, twelve origins and other Buddhist teachings all stand in this position.
However, although the discussion of existence by various Buddhist sects deviated from the original position of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhists restored the correct position of Buddhism, emphasized the emptiness of Prajna, and revived the correct theory of origin.
{5} Theory and practice: Various sects of Buddhism have made detailed theoretical research on existentialism and other issues, and disputes often occur among sects. However, most of these are simple arguments unrelated to practice, so practice and religious activities are ignored. In Mahayana, that is, seeking to correct such shortcomings, faith and practice are emphasized more than pure theory. When discussing the theory, it is the same as primitive Buddhism, but it is regarded as the basis of practice.
{6} Buddhism that specializes in becoming a monk and Buddhism that takes righteousness at home: The theoretical research of various Buddhist sects based on Amitabha is quite detailed and intensive, which is difficult for ordinary people to understand, and these theories are not needed for people to practice their beliefs. As a Buddhist sect like this, the practitioners all stay in monasteries and bury their heads in studying doctrines, which hinders the religious activities of Buddhism and thus becomes the reason for the decline of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists were impressed by this defect and put forward a belief practice method that can accommodate everyone. This way of practicing faith is the practice method of Bodhisattva-six paramita. Among them, giving first is a virtue that ordinary people in the family can easily practice.
Moreover, the giving here is three rounds of empty giving, that is to say, the giver should be able to care nothing about the giver, the receiver and the giver. Don't expect the result of giving, but treat giving as a sincere act of compassion from the' empty self'. Such giving is supreme. This attitude is not limited to our use. For warning, humiliation, wisdom, etc. They are all based on emptiness and the most important virtue. That's why it is called paramita. In other words, Mahayana's teaching method is that all daily behaviors of living at home can be consistent with the first righteous teaching method of Buddhism, and the place where you live is also the Dojo of practice.
{b} three times
The so-called triple multiplication refers to the sound-listening multiplication, the edge-feeling multiplication and the Buddha multiplication. This is a subdivision of the above two parties (Hinayana and Mahayana). Theravada is divided into two parts: listening and feeling, and Mahayana is a Buddha ride. Among them, "Hinayana" and "Mahayana" have been explained before, so I won't repeat them here.
Pratyekabuddha-ya^na is also known as Buddha and Bodhisattva. Pratyekabudha (Pacceka-Buddha) is transliterated as Buddha, meaning to be alone. Marginal consciousness is different from the voice of' enlightened by others'. He didn't follow other people's teaching methods, but he was enlightened by observing the source. Moreover, unlike the Buddha who helps others, he only lives in seclusion in the mountains for the purpose of his own enlightenment, divorced from the secular world, and is a benevolent person who does not help others.
From ancient times to the present, the teaching method of listening is four truths and eight right paths, the teaching method of Jue Yuan is twelve origins, and the Mahayana teaching method of Buddha and Bodhisattva is six paramita. But this is from the standpoint of Mahayana. Just a general arrangement. In the history of Buddhism, karma actually does not exist. The so-called edge perception itself has no unique teaching method. So there should be no difference between the three-way teaching method mentioned above. Four truths, eight right paths, twelve origins and six paramita are the basic teachings of Buddhism.
(2) The classification of primitive Buddhism, sectarian Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.
According to the development times of Buddhist teachings, it can be divided into primitive Buddhism, ministerial Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. This is mainly an investigation of Indian native Buddhism.
original buddhism
[Primitive Buddhism] This refers to the early Buddhism from the time when the Buddha was alive to about one hundred years after the death of Buddhism. The Buddhist order in this period was not divided and distributed, and everything was as harmonious as the original form.
This early Buddhism 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 the Buddhism from the time when Buddhism was alive to the time when Buddhism disappeared for about 30 years.
Buddhist Sect
More than a hundred years after the demise of Buddhism, there have been different views on the interpretation of precepts and doctrines in the Buddhist community, and the opinions between conservatives and reformists have gradually become antagonistic. The reformist is called Maha Sangjika; Conservatives call it Therava^da^ and keep the traditional form. According to legend, this initial split of opposites occurred about 100 years after the extinction of the Buddha. After the initial split, some contradictory opinions appeared within the cult. Coupled with the gradual spread and development of Buddhism in various parts of India, the links and relations between cults in various places were interrupted, and cults in various places gradually became independent, so the fundamental two schools (namely, the vulgar department and the sitting department) gradually split. Two or three hundred years later, the so-called eighteen or twenty factions were finally established. Just like this, these divided Buddhist sects are called Buddhist sects.
[Buddhist Bibliography and Sanzang] Bibliography of various sects is Agama and Sanzang in the primitive Buddhist era. Both of these scriptures have been changed more or less by various inherited ministries. In addition, various factions also advocate the so-called Abidharma (on Tibet). The definition of Abidar Ma including Agama's statement and the classification and organization of teachings. It is a philosophical (theological) knowledge established in the era of various schools. All ministries and schools have produced and delivered the Abiyadafa-Tibet document. (Refer to "Being and Being" in the previous paragraph)
In short, all schools of thought have a collection of Buddhist words-Agama, that is, scriptures; And the set of life rules-the set of order rules; And philosophical works-about Tibet-are kept by various ministries.
It is true that we can see the characteristics of various sects from the scriptures, but because these are handed down from the primitive Buddhist era, there are still many places that are consistent with each other, and the scriptures are formulated by various sects separately, so although there are many similarities, the colors of the sects are very strong and there are many differences between them. Both Tibetan scriptures and Tibetan law contain the idea of respect, but Tibetan theory was established later, dealing with formal and complicated philosophical theories, which is unnecessary for ordinary believers.
The so-called sectarian Buddhist era refers to the period from the primitive Buddhist era to the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, that is, two or three hundred years from the third century BC. However, since A.D., Hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism have coexisted in all parts of India. According to Xuanzang, around the 7th century, there were more temples and monks in Hinayana Buddhism in India than in Mahayana Buddhism.
Mahayana
Due to the normalization and learning of Buddhism, the original religious activities of Buddhism have slackened. Mahayana Buddhism is a movement to restore the true nature of Buddhism, and it is a new Buddhism that rose around the first century BC. This new Buddhism despises and rejects the old Buddhist sects, but it is called Hinayana and Wencheng. And made a unique scripture different from the Sanzang school, named Buddhism. These are Mahayana classics. Of course, their authors are unknown. According to their beliefs, if we talk about Buddhism in this era, we will also talk about it according to their appearance. This is the real Buddhism, and what we talk about here can give full play to the true spirit of Buddhism. Objectively speaking, the belief they established can be said to be appropriate.
[Buddhism and Non-Buddhism] The new Mahayana classics are measured from the standpoint of Buddhism, and they are regarded as devil theory and non-Buddhism theory. This is the proposition that Mahayana is not Buddha. After Meiji Gong N in Japan, western historical research methods were adopted by Japanese academic circles, and among Buddhist scholars, Mahayana was not what the Buddha said in history.
However, the so-called "Buddhism" is also problematic. If we only think that the Buddhism mentioned by the Buddha in history is the Buddha's doctrine, then the original classic Agama also contains the Buddhism mentioned by the Buddha's disciples, but those are not what the Buddha said. In addition, even Agama, as the Buddha said, did not become its present form until hundreds of years after the Buddha died. Because this period is passed down by memory, there will always be conscious and unconscious changes, which must not be the original appearance of Buddhism.
From such a strict point of view, even the original classics are not necessarily Buddhist. Therefore, modern people believe that as long as the true god of Buddha is passed down and the Buddhism is described correctly, it can also be regarded as Buddhism. This view is a general theory in academic circles. In this sense, it can also be argued that Mahayana classics are Buddhist.
[Prosperity and Defects of Buddhism] There are many followers of Buddhism who have * * * voices on the emerging Mahayana Buddhist movement. This movement also spread rapidly throughout India. In Buddhism, it is also reflected and improved by the stimulation of Mahayana Buddhism. Although there was opposition between them, they gradually helped each other against the emerging foreign teachers at that time, and the heyday of Buddhism also appeared at this time.
It turns out that during the hundreds of years from the third century BC to the fifth century BC, Buddhism flourished in India far beyond other religions and philosophies. Among western scholars, some people call India in this era' Buddhist India'. But this statement is a bit too much. Why? Because no matter how prosperous Buddhism is, it is only the upper structure of the people's spirit, and the customs and class system of the lower structure cannot be transformed and dominated. Therefore, in the era when Buddhism flourished, Indian society still maintained a Hindu social organization with a low structure. This is also the reason why Buddhism cannot take root in India.
From the 4th and 5th centuries, orthodoxy revived in India, and its power gradually became stronger. Hinduism not only absorbs folk beliefs, but also absorbs the fine teachings and commandments of Buddhism. The spiritual superiority of Buddhism was absorbed into Hinduism. On the contrary, Buddhism is still engaged in specialized teaching and learning research, and it has also been ignored in the practice of faith.
This situation became more obvious after the seventh and eighth centuries. At this time, Islam invaded India and its power expanded. They attacked other religions by force. Buddhism also suffered a fatal blow in this situation. Classics were burned, Buddha statues and temples were destroyed, and monks were slaughtered. Around 1200 BC, Buddhism in India was almost extinct.
Mahayana Buddhism in India can be divided into three stages: initial stage, middle stage and late stage. These three periods have different characteristics in personality, thought and literature. (1) Early Mahayana Buddhism: This refers to Buddhism from about one year BC to about 300 BC. This is the era when Mahayana Buddhism exists in a brand-new and pure form. Focusing on the practice of Buddhist belief can best exert the true spirit of Buddhism, which is Mahayana Buddhism in this period. This has been fully proved in the early Mahayana classics and works.
[On Early Mahayana Classics] Early Mahayana Classics include Mahayana Classics (Mahayana Classics, Prajna Classics, Prajna Classics, Prajna Classics, Prajna Heart Classics, Prajna Classics, etc. ), Mo Wei Sutra, Huayan Sutra (Prajna Sutra) Long Shu has written many important works, such as Zhonglun, Twelve Men Theory, Great Wisdom Theory, Shiju Pipo Sha Theory and Yi Hui Theory. Tipo is also the author of "A Hundred Views" and "Four Hundred Views". (2) Mahayana Buddhism: From about 300 AD to about 650 AD, Mahayana Buddhism in this period was Mahayana Buddhism. In this era, Mahayana gradually engaged in philosophical and academic research. At that time, the philosophy thought of foreign teachers had a great development, and the so-called six philosophies flourished at this time. In order to counter them, it is also necessary for Buddhism to develop philosophical theories. Not only Mahayana, but also the company's Buddhism has carried out their own philosophical thoughts in detail.
However, due to this specialization, the practical aspects of people's belief practice have also been ignored. Therefore, as a religion, Buddhism has to decline. There are many philosophical theories in the literature of Mahayana Buddhism in the middle period, whether it is classics or books. Even classics appear in the form of philosophical books. From the philosophical point of view, Mahayana Buddhism can be said to be the most outstanding philosophical thought in the whole Indian Buddhist history and even the whole Indian philosophy.
The Mahayana classics in the middle period can be roughly divided into three systems in terms of ideological system. These three kinds are: (1) Classics that discuss the Tathagata Tibetan Sutra and Buddha nature, such as Tathagata Tibetan Sutra, Victory Sutra and Mahayana Nirvana Sutra. Classic works of yoga school, such as Jie Shen's Secret Sutra and Mahayana Apida Mo Jing. (c) Synthesize the classics of the first two, such as the Lengga Sutra. In addition, there are some, bags and large ones.
In the middle period, many scholars studied the Mahayana classics and arranged and explained the teachings. Maitreya, Zhu Wu, Qin Shi (Tianqin), An Hui, Jian Hui, Dignā ga, Dharma, etc. As for their philosophical books, the yoga school includes the theory of land, the theory of Mahayana, the theory of Mahayana solemn sutra, the theory of only knowing twenty, the theory of only knowing thirty and the theory of only knowing. The Tathagata Tibetan system includes the theory of Buddha nature and the theory of treasure nature. Combining the above two, there is a book "The Theory of Mahayana Belief".
[Medieval Buddhism School] There are quite a few Mahayana classics and works translated into China in the Middle Ages. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhism in China flourished with it as the main body. In addition, in the Middle Ages in India, there was a middle school that was formed by studying and explaining books on Mahayana theory in the early days, and it was quite prosperous. This school has produced two different theories. In addition, there is the phenomenon of the distribution of yoga schools. The combination of middle school and yoga has formed an extremely complex ideological product. These materials rarely reach China, but many existing materials have been translated into Tibetan.
In short, the representative works of Buddhist philosophy in this period were also adopted by foreign teachers. At this time, there are two kinds of Mahayana: Ma^dhyamika and Yoga^ca^ra. The Hinayana has Neipo Buddhism (Vaibha^s! Ika, saying that everything has a department) and the menstrual department (Sautra^ntika). In China, the representative of Hinayana Buddhism said that everything is ready and there are many documents. For example, the great bodhisattva theory, the theory of "miscellaneous and elegant", the theory of "all giving up" and the theory of "conformity". Most of them have been translated into Chinese. The Theory of Achievement, which is closely related to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has also been translated into Chinese. (3) Late Mahayana Buddhism: From the 7th century to the beginning of13rd century, until the extinction of Indian Buddhism, this period is called the Late Mahayana Buddhism. In the middle period of Mahayana Buddhism, its philosophical theory fell into a professional form, ignoring the guidance of people's belief practice. Later Mahayana Buddhism was a religious activity to restore people's belief practice. Here, we should not only keep the philosophical theory in the middle period, but also make it easy to understand, so we use symbolic methods to express it in order to realize the Buddhist ideal. At that time, symbolism of tantric literature was popular in India, and later Mahayana Buddhism became a symbol with this trend. This is a tantric mantra. According to this symbolism, handprint is the secret of body, formula is the secret of language, and the seed word symbolizing Buddha is the secret of heart. According to these three secrets, we can practice the ideal of Buddhism.
According to these symbols, the lofty philosophical thoughts of Buddhism can be easily displayed. So at that time, the base of Buddhism in East India, this new Buddhism seemed to be very popular. But soon, this combination of esoteric religion and folk beliefs lost the pure ideal and true colors of Buddhism. Being oppressed and attacked by Hinduism and Islam in other places, Buddhism is almost extinct in India.
[Late literature of Mahayana Buddhism] The early literature in the later period of Mahayana Buddhism includes Mahayana Sutra, King Kong Ding Jing, Suxi Dijing, etc., as well as other documents such as Mahayana Sutra and Ritual. Most of these have been translated into Chinese. However, in Tibetan, there are more profound documents that have not been translated into Chinese. Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) is a Buddhism in the esoteric system, so Tibetan literature is the most important material when studying Mahayana Buddhism in India in the later period, which is the same as the Mahayana Buddhism annotation book in the middle period.
The spread of Buddhism outside India, from Buddhism in the headquarters to Mahayana Buddhism in the early, middle and late stages, all had the opportunity to spread to China through Central Asia or Nanhai Road around the first century A.D., and then the scriptures were continuously translated into Chinese for more than 1,000 years. During the hundreds of years from the seventh century until the demise of Indian Buddhism, Indian Buddhism and Buddhist scriptures were also introduced into Tibet and translated into Tibetan. In the South China Sea of Java and Sumatra, Buddhism was also introduced from India in the 4th and 5th centuries, which was once extremely prosperous. Buddhism in China was later introduced to the Korean Peninsula and Japan. In addition, Tibetan Lamaism was introduced into Mongolia and northeast China.
The above Buddhism mainly refers to Mahayana Buddhism. As for sectarianism, Buddhism with a seat was introduced to Ceylon, Myanmar, Thailand, Khmer, Laos and other southern regions, and it is still deeply believed by local people. The situation is briefly described as follows.
Southern Buddhism and Buddhism in the North.
Buddhism can be divided into Southern Buddhism and northern Buddhism by region. However, this classification and naming is an expedient and convenient measure. Mainly: Buddhism south of Indian mainland, called Southern Buddhism or Southern Buddhism. Those who go to the north are northern Buddhism or northern Buddhism. Or from the present geographical position, Southern Buddhism is in the south relative to Buddhism spread to the north, so it is called Southern Buddhism. However, it belongs to northern Buddhism and is also located 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 standpoint of popular areas.
{a} Southern Buddhism
This refers to Buddhism, also known as Southern Buddhism, which was once popular in Ceylon, Myanmar, Thailand, Khmer, Laos and other southern regions. 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 Three Tibetan Scriptures of this kind of Buddhism are spread in Pali in ancient India.
This kind of Buddhism spread to Ceylon in the period of Asoka in the third century BC. At that time, Ashoka ruled India and believed in Buddhism, which not only spread Buddhism throughout India,