COMPARISON CONCEPT OF BUDDHA

BETWEEN THERAVDA AND

MAHYNA

Lector: Asst. Prof. Dr. Sudarat Bantaokul

GROUP 1
Ven. Bulnewe Dhammika
(5501201044)
Ven. Vo Huu Danh (5501201045)
Ven. Nguyen Hoang Phuc
(5501201046)

INTRODUCTION
The two major schools of Buddhism, Theravda and the Mahyna,
are to be understood as different expressions of the same teaching
of the historical Buddha. Because, in fact, they agree upon and
practice the core teachings of the Buddhas Dhamma. And while
there was a schism after the First Buddhist Council on the death of
the Buddha, it was largely over the monastic rules and academic
points such as whether an enlightened person could lapse or not.
Time, culture and customs in the countries in Asia which adopted the
Buddha-dhamma have more to do with the apparent differences.

1. CONCEPT OF BUDDHA
The wordBuddha (Chinese: , Korea: , Thai:

, Lao:

, Sinhalese:
,
Cambodia:

, Vietnamese: Pht)means
"Awakened One" or "EnlightenedOne".
A Buddha is a person who is completely free from
all faults and mental obstructions. There are many
people who have become Buddhas in the past, and
many people will become Buddhas in the future

The Buddha is not a Creator God, and he is not a Saviour

of human beings. He cannot punish or forgive persons who
act contrary to the teaching. The Buddhist teaching does not
have the concept of punishment.

There are three types of individuals

who attain Enlightenment:
Sammsambuddha Perfect fully
Buddha
Paccekabuddha A Silent Buddha
Svakabuddha Enlightenment of
Disciple

Sammsambuddha
Perfect fully Awakened One
who attains Enlightenment,
by his own efforts, at a time
when the teaching is not
known in the world. He has
the
greatest
and
most
extensive powers, teaches
the Dhamma and goes on to
establish a Buddha Ssana or
Community.

Paccekabuddha
A Silent Buddha
who attains full
enlightenment,
but
does
not
teach others and
does not go on to
establish
a
Buddha Ssana or
Community.

Svakabuddha
Fully enlightened person who might
teach others, but not as the one
who rediscovered the teachings,
just as one who learned it from a
Sammsambuddha.
He
attains
Enlightenment at a time when the
Buddhist teaching, Dhamma, is
known in the world, and with the
guidance and benefit of the
teaching of a Sammsambuddha.

There is nothing that

Buddha does not know.
Because he has awakened
from
the
sleep
of
ignorance
and
has
removed all obstructions
from his mind, he knows
everything of the past,
present,
and
future,
directly
and
simultaneously. Moreover,
Buddha
has
great
compassion
which
is
completely
impartial,
embracing all living beings

2. BUDDHANATURE
Buddhanature
literally
corresponds to the Sanskrit
Buddhadhtu. The Buddha
dhtu is also usually translated
as
Buddhaelement,
and
Buddhaprinciple, a term first
used in the Nirva Stra with
the famous phrase all beings
possess Buddhanature.

The idea of the Buddha

nature may be traced to
Abhidhamma
thought,
and
ultimately
to
statements of the Buddha
in the Nikya. Buddha
nature is not held as
doctrinal by Theravdin
schools
of
thought
because the idea comes
from
later
Mahyna
stras.

In the 5th century, a text

called the Mahyna is the
Mahparinirvana Sutra or
the Nirvana Sutra was
translated from Sanskrit
into Chinese. The Nirvana
Sutra is one of three
Mahyna
sutras
that
make up a collection called
the
Tathgatagarbha
(womb of the Buddhas)
sutras.

The Tathgatagarbha
sutras are credited
with presenting the
fully
developed
doctrine ofBuddha
dhtu. Buddhanature
remains an essential
teaching
in
the
several schools of
Mahyna Buddhism
that
emerged
in
China, such asT'ien
T'aiandChan (Zen).

3. BUDDHA'S
BODIES
Theravda Buddhism views the
Dhammakya as a figurative
term relating to the manner in
which the Buddha exemplifies
or embodies the Dhamma.
Theravada Buddhism does not
usually
invest
the
term
Dhammakya
with
a
metaphysical connotation.

In theDgha Nikya, Buddhatells

Vseha that theTathgataor the
Buddha is Dhammakya, the
"Truthbody" or the "Embodiment
of
Truth",
as
well
as
Dhammabhta, "Truthbecome",
that is, "One who has become
Truth.
After the Buddha'sParinibbnaa
distinction was made between the
Buddhas
physical
body
or
rpakyaand his Dhammakya
aspect. As the Buddha told
Vakkali, he was a living example
of the "Truth" of the Dhamma.

Theravda tradition recognized three class of objects

that make up the Buddha's rpakya, namely:

Sarradhtu
Paribhogadh
tu
Uddesikadht
u

Sarradhtu - Buddha's physical

relics like teeth, bone, hair

Paribhogadhtu objects Buddha used like as

bodhi tree, robes and bowl of Buddha.

Uddesikadhtu such as footprint of

the Buddha.

The Mahayana Buddhist traditions

reconciled these ideas in the concept of
the Trikaya, the three bodies of the
Buddha:

Dharmakya
Sambhogakya
Nirmakya

Dharmaky
a
Thedharmakya
often
translated as the "truth
body," refers to the
absolute nature of the
Buddha
or
body
of
essence. His dharmakya
was collection of the
Buddha's dharma and
perfected qualities such
as
his
purification,
compassion, wisdom.

Sambhogak
ya
The "enjoyment body" of
the
Buddha.
Thesambhogakyais
a
body made entirely of
light. This form is often
visualized in tantra and
sutra practices and is
characterized by symbolic
ornaments and postures.

Nirmak
ya
Thenirmakyais the
"emanation body" of
thedharmakya.
Usually this refers to the
visible,
physical
manifestation
of
a
Buddha. The term is
also resonant with the
dimension of physicality.

These terms are found in

sutras
such
as
the
Lankavatara,
Gandavyuha,
Angulimaliya, Srimala and
Mahaparinirvana, where
they are used to describe
the Buddha, the Truth
Body (dharmakya) and
the Buddhanature. They
are
the
transcendent
results
of
spiritual

Buddha
Sakyamuni
Life and work of
Gotama Buddha was
written in Tripitaka,
Pi Canon and
many place, which
Buddha used to
come still in India

Buddha
Sakyamuni
Middle Way, Four
Noble Truths,
Eight Fold Paths.
Everyone must
Practice by self.
Buddha is only the
guider.

Buddha
Sakyamuni

Attend
Nibbna

Buddha
Amitabha
Only told in

the
Amitabha
Sutra. No
have
history.

Buddha
Amitabha

Reciting the nenbutsu

invocation, "Namu
Amida Butsu" (Homage
to Amitbha Buddha).
The Buddha Amitabha
has ability salvage all
human being who nearly
moribund can call his
name

Buddha Amitabha

Rebirth in
Pure Land

Buddha Future
Metteyya
In Theravada: told
by Buddha
Sakyamuni.
In Mahayana: such
as the Amitabha
Sutra and the Lotus
Sutra, he is referred
to as Ajita.

Buddha Future
Metteyya

Theravada:
Attend Nibbna.
Mahayana:
Help all being
become Buddha

Medicine Buddha
Bhaisajyaguru

No have
history.
Cure all mental
and physical
distress of all
beings.

Medicine Buddha
Bhaisajyaguru

Rebirth in
Pure Land

CONCLUSION
Buddhism is divided into two main religious groups
Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. These two
religious groups both share a lot of similarities. But have a
few differences. One of the differences is that Mahayana
Buddhists believe that Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) is a
God but Theravada Buddhists believe that He was an
ordinary Human. Theravada and Mahayana are attitudes of
mind or levels of consciousness,notsects or schools of
Buddhism. Actually, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
both started of with one goal, Nirvana. But both took
different ways to get there.