History UsefulNotes / Buddhism

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school emphasizes compassion to the greatest degree, for instance enforcing vegetarianism to a degree not even Buddha himself seemed to approve, but in turn, it is much more liberal than Theravada in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a mere human, but an incarnation of a supreme Bodhisattva who returned to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.

* ForeignCultureFetish: Buddhism is notoriously and repeatedly the victim of this by western intellectuals, which have been noted to filter and sanitize Buddhism to paint it as an enlightened, reasonable, and (above all) harmless alternative to the irrational, dogmatic, and violent Abrahamic religions. In reality, Buddhism in its native continent is just as nuanced, complex and yes, guilty of the same levels of dogmatism and atrocities as western religions.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school emphasizes compassion to the greatest degree, for instance enforcing vegetarianism to a degree not even Buddha himself seemed to approve, but in turn, it is much more liberal than Theravada in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a mere human, but an incarnation of a supreme Boddhisattva who returned to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana Vajrayana]]: The "Diamond Vehicle." Sometimes considered a sub-sect of Mahayana, it is the smallest denomination, being practiced almost exclusively in UsefulNotes/{{Tibet}} and a handful of schools in other countries, particularly Central Asia (an offshoot of Tibetan Vajrayana is the dominant traditional religion in UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}}). Vajrayana can be best described as esoteric Buddhism, and as such features a wide set of ritual practices called Tantra, which include a lot of recitation of mantras, sacred names and calls to deities along with much weirder things (such as [[UsefulNotes/{{Yoga}} yogas]], visualizations, and ritual taboo-breaking, like the famous [[SexMagic Tantric sex]], which is often the only thing Western people know about it). Really hammers home the impermanence of the material world and the importance of spiritual devotion (outsiders have noted that there are no "casual" Vajrayana believers), and as in Mahayana, the Buddha is revered as a supreme Boddhisattva. This is the branch that includes Tibetan Buddhism (the one the Dalai Lama follows), Mongolian Buddhism, and a few lineages in East Asia (a prominent example being Japanese Shingon Buddhism).

* MessianicArchetype: Boddhisattvas.

* That life is suffering. [[note]]By this it is meant that to exist in any form is to eventually feel suffering and loss, no matter how happy one may be at the moment. Even gods must eventually die and be reincarnated. The Abrahamic idea of a permanent heaven is not generally recognized in Buddhism. Even Nirvana is more akin to a state of pure knowing than a true afterlife.[[/note]]

* Impermanence: All things are in a constant state of flux, and nothing is really permanent or eternal. Nirvana is the sole exception.[[note]]Not because it is an exception by itself, but in the sense that it is what you get when you free yourself from impermanence.[[/note]]

** Right mindfulness: To develop attention and remain mindful, especially of one's body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
** Right concentration: To perfect one's ability to remain in one-pointed concentration developed in the practice of meditation.

Karma is an action or energy created through action that drives a person's life, death, and rebirth. The concept of karma is like that of cause and effect -- Buddhists believe that whatever actions are taken by the individual will have an impact on the individual's future. Buddhism makes special emphasis on the mental intent behind an action -- it is possible to accrue positive or negative karma through emotions and thoughts alone. Karma can be both short-term, which arises as the near-immediate consequences of one's actions in the physical world (for example, anger at another person can lead to hate from that person) and long-term (which will decide a person's rebirth and future circumstances).

The extent to which reincarnation, karma, and Nirvana are taken literally or viewed as extended metaphor varies wildly. In Asia these are more likely to be accepted parts of Buddhist theology; in the West, they're generally dismissed as illustrative.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school emphasizes compassion to the greatest degree, for instance enforcing vegetarianism to a degree not even Buddha himself seemed to approve, but in turn, it is much more liberal than Theravada in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a "mere human," but an incarnation of the Ultimate Reality who came to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana Vajrayana]]: The "Diamond Vehicle." Sometimes considered a sub-sect of Mahayana, it is the smallest denomination, being practiced almost exclusively in UsefulNotes/{{Tibet}} and a handful of schools in other countries, particularly Central Asia (an offshoot of Tibetan Vajrayana is the dominant traditional religion in UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}}). Vajrayana can be best described as esoteric Buddhism, and as such features a wide set of ritual practices called Tantra, which include a lot of recitation of mantras, sacred names and calls to deities along with much weirder things (such as yogas, visualizations, and ritual taboo-breaking, like the famous [[SexMagic Tantric sex]], which is often the only thing Western people know about it). Really hammers home the impermanence of the material world and the importance of spiritual devotion (outsiders have noted that there are no "casual" Vajrayana believers), and as in Mahayana, the Buddha is revered as a divine being. This is the branch that includes Tibetan Buddhism (the one the Dalai Lama follows), Mongolian Buddhism, and a few lineages in East Asia (a prominent example being Japanese Shingon Buddhism).

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatt%C4%81 Non-Self]]: There's no "real" self in living things nor any kind of fixed essence in anything.[[note]]This is a very technical point of Buddhism whose exact meaning and implications are hotly debated. In short, it cautions against the belief in any 'ultimate' or 'true' self beyond the physical body and mind.[[/note]]

The Hindu ascetics ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sramana Sramanas]]) were extremely severe, and they ate and drank so little that some of them would even die of starvation. Siddhartha himself almost died of hunger and misery while pursuing the ascetic lifestyle, but one day a peasant girl brought him a bowl of rice to eat and he accepted her generosity. His five ascetic companions were scandalized. Fed up, Siddhartha renounced athe path of the Sramanas, lamenting that not only had he not grown spiritually, but this self-mortification might make him see himself as being [[HolierThanThou superior to others]]. In his desperation, he planted himself under a banyan tree in Gaya, and refused to budge until he had received enlightenment.

The Buddha had realized that the trouble with being human came from clinging and attachment. Everything that comes into existence goes out of existence -- all our friends, lovers, family, video game consoles, health, our lives, and even ''TV Tropes''. The trouble wasn't that these things happen to us, but that we approach life with a flawed set of expectations. One who can accept whatever happens to them without complaint and without craving will never, ever be disappointed. People who find happiness within themselves can be happy no matter what the external circumstances of their lives are, and can eventually achieve the perfection of equanimity, beyond even happiness.

* ForeignCultureFetish: Buddhism is notoriously and repeatedly the victim of this by western intellectuals, which have been noted to filter and sanitize Buddhism to paint it as an enlightened, tolerant, and (above all) harmless alternative to the irrational, dogmatic, and violent Abrahamic religions. In reality, Buddhism in its native continent is just as nuanced, complex and yes, guilty of the same levels of dogmatism and atrocities as western religions.

* ForeignCultureFetish: Buddhism is notoriously and repeatedly the victim of this by western intellectuals, which have been noted to filter and sanitize it, usually to paint it as an enlightened, tolerant, and (above all) harmless alternative to the irrational, dogmatic, and violent Abrahamic religions. In reality, Buddhism in its native continent is just as nuanced, complex and yes, guilty of the same levels of dogmatism and atrocities as western religions.

* ForeignCultureFetish: Buddhism is notoriously and repeatedly the victim of this by western intellectuals, which have been noted to filter it through its most sanitized lenses, usually to paint it as an enlighted alternative to Abrahamic religions. In reality, Buddhism in its native continent is just as nuanced, complex and yes, guilty of the same levels of dogmatism and atrocities done in its name.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment. It was additionally held in many (but not all) traditions that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension. There are also bhikkhuni, Buddhist female monks. However, tradition states that the Buddha permitted female monks only after laying down additional rules which do not have to be followed by bhikkhus (male monks), as many of them have to do with ensuring bhikkhunis remain subordinate to bhikkhus.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment. It was additionally held in many (but not all) traditions that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension. There are also bhikkhuni, Buddhist female monks. However, tradition states that the Buddha permitted female monks only after laying down additional rules which do not have to be followed by bhikkhus (male monks), as many them have to do with ensuring bhikkhunis remain subordinate to bhikkhus.

* Buddhism is, first of all, an offshoot of UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}. Some variations are perfectly compatible with UsefulNotes/{{Atheism}}, but the oldest schools teach the existence of Hindu gods, with only some theological differences. Even most schools that lack "gods" still retain supernatural elements; those that dispense with the supernatural entirely tend to be found mostly in the West.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment. It was additionally held in many (but not all) traditions that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension. There are bhikkhuni, Buddhist female monks. However, tradition states that the Buddha permitted female monks only after laying down additional rules which do not have to be followed by bhikkhus (male monks), as many them have to do with ensuring bhikkhunis remain subordinate to bhikkhus.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment. It was additionally held in many (but not all) traditions that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension.
** There are bhikkhuni, Buddhist female monks. However, tradition states that the Buddha permitted female monks only after laying down additional rules which do not have to be followed by bhikkhus (male monks), as many them have to do with ensuring bhikkhunis remain subordinate to bhikkhus.

** There are bhikkhuni, Buddhist female monks. However, tradition states that the Buddha permitted female monks only after laying down additional rules which do not have to be followed by bhikkhus (male monks), as many of the additional rules have to do with ensuring bhikkhunis remain subordinate to bhikkhus.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment. It is additionally held in many (but not all) traditions that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment.

* MenAreBetterThanWomen: It was the traditional view of Buddhism, and remains widely held in Asian Buddhism today, that women are primarily obstacles on men's path to enlightenment, that being born a woman is the result of negative karma from a previous life, and that it is impossible for a woman to attain Enlightenment (the best she can hope for is to be reborn as a man in the next life). In some legends, a woman who attains Enlightenment is miraculously transformed into a man at the moment of her ascension.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school emphasizes compassion to the greatest degree, for instance enforcing vegetarianism to a degree not even Buddha himself seemeed to approve, but in turn, it is much more liberal than Theravada in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a "mere human," but an incarnation of the Ultimate Reality who came to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.

As Siddhartha walks the street greeted by his subjects, though, he catches sight of an old man. Having been sequestered in a false, perfect world up until this point, he is forced to ask his chariot-driver what is wrong with the elderly individual. He is told that it is an old man, and all men will one day grow old like him. Siddhartha is shocked and continues looking into the crowd in earnest, whereupon he sees a leper. Again, he is shocked by the unhappiness that is visited upon humanity, and embarrassed by his naiveté. The third sight that he sees is a decaying corpse. This time, he is told by his driver that it is the fate of all human beings to die. At last, he comes upon a fourth sight -- a Hindu ascetic monk. Siddhartha abandons everything to follow this monk, who he hopes will lead him out of the misery that afflicts all humankind, leaving behind his kingdom and a father and wife who are probably somewhat ticked off at the BrokenMasquerade.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school emphasizes compassion to the greatest degree, for instance enforcing vegetarianism to a degree not even Buddha himself approved, but in turn, it is much more liberal than Theravada in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a "mere human," but an incarnation of the Ultimate Reality who came to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana Vajrayana]]: The "Diamond Vehicle." Sometimes considered a sub-sect of Mahayana, it is the smallest denomination, being practiced almost exclusively in UsefulNotes/{{Tibet}} and a handful of schools in other countries, particularly Central Asia (an offshoot of Tibetan Vajrayana is the dominant traditional religion in UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}}). Vajrayana can be best described as esoteric Buddhism, and as such features a wide set of ritual practices called Tantra, which include a lot of recitation of mantras, sacred names and calls to deities along with much weirder things (those including yogas, visualizations, and ritual taboo-breaking, like the famous [[SexMagic Tantric sex]], which is often the only thing Western people know about it). Really hammers home the impermanence of the material world and the importance of spiritual devotion (outsiders have noted that there are no "casual" Vajrayana believers), and as in Mahayana, the Buddha is revered as a divine being. This is the branch that includes Tibetan Buddhism (the one the Dalai Lama follows), Mongolian Buddhism, and a few lineages in East Asia (a prominent example being Japanese Shingon Buddhism).

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatt%C4%81 Non-Self]]: There's no "real" self in living things nor any kind of fixed essence in anything. [[note]]This is a very technical point of Buddhism whose exact meaning and implications are hotly debated. In short, it cautions against the belief in any 'ultimate' or 'true' self beyond the physical body and mind.[[/note]]

* All things are impermanent (both in a state of change and not eternal.)

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school tends to be more liberal in terms of theology: various higher beings are revered or worshipped (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities, as well as Bodhisattvas), and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a "mere human," but an incarnation of the Ultimate Reality who came to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation or right behavior, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be the Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana Vajrayana]]: The "Diamond Vehicle." It is the smallest denomination, being practiced almost exclusively in UsefulNotes/{{Tibet}} and a couple schools in other countries, particularly Central Asia (an offshoot of Tibetan Vajrayana is the dominant traditional religion in UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}}). It is sometimes considered a sub-sect of Mahayana. Defined as esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana features a wide set of ritual practices called Tantra, which includes a lot of recitation of mantras, sacred names and calls to deities along with much weirder things (those including yogas, visualizations, and ritual taboo-breaking, like the famous [[SexMagic Tantric sex]], which is often the only thing Western people know about it). Really hammers home the impermanence of the material world and the importance of spiritual devotion (outsiders have noted that there are no "casual" Vajrayana believers), and like Mahayana, the Buddha is revered as a divine being. This is the branch that includes Tibetan Buddhism (the one the Dalai Lama follows), Mongolian Buddhism, and a few lineages in East Asia (a prominent example being Japanese Shingon Buddhism).

Buddhism is almost entirely dead in the land of its birth, comprising less than 1% of the population of India. Various theories have been proposed for why Buddhism declined over the centuries and gradually disappeared, ranging from persecutions by hostile rulers to degeneration of the monasteries. Even as early as the 5th century, visiting Chinese monks commented on the sorry state of Buddhism in India. Ultimately what did Buddhism in was religious syncretism. Over the centuries Hinduism and Buddhism grew closer and closer in religious practice, such that by the Middle Ages it was hard for a layperson to tell them apart. Hindu mystics took the good parts of Buddhism and incorporated them into their belief system. Eventually Buddhism had nothing of its own left to teach. When Indian sages proclaimed that Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu, that was the end for Buddhism. With many Buddhists already worshipping Hindu gods, there wasn't any point in remaining a Buddhist anymore. In the end, it wasn't so much "destroyed" as simply absorbed into Hinduism.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[NonNaziSwastika It's not what you think.]]]]

->''"Form is no different from emptiness.. Emptiness is no different from form. Form is precisely emptiness, emptiness is precisely form."''

* Impermanence: All things are in a constant state of flux, and nothing is really permanent or eternal. Nirvana is the sole exception to this.
* Suffering: To exist is to suffer.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatt%C4%81 Non-Self]]: There's no 'real' self in living things nor any kind of fixed essence in anything. [[note]]This is a very technical point of Buddhism whose exact meaning and implications are hotly debated. In short, it cautions against the belief in any 'ultimate' or 'true' self beyond the physical body and mind.[[/note]]

Two more important concepts key to Buddhism are those of reincarnation and karma. In Buddhist theology, there is no fixed soul, so there is nothing that could actually be reborn. Instead what we perceive as a person's soul or a person's self is rather a continuous stream of thoughts that continues even after a body has died and will continue in another newly born body. (For a great number of lay Buddhists this is mostly a technicality, though, and not given much thought, if any.) The body which the person is reborn in is determined mostly by karma, although skilled practitioners can control to a certain extent which realm they are reborn in, as can higher beings.

Karma is an action or energy created through action that drives a person's life, death, and rebirth. The concept of karma is like that of cause and effect -- Buddhists believe that whatever actions are taken by the individual will have an impact on the individual's future. Buddhism makes special emphasis on the mental intent behind an action -- it is possible to accrue positive or negative karma through emotions and thoughts alone. Karma can be both short-term, which arises as the near-immediate consequences of one's actions in the physical world (for example, anger at another person can lead to hate from that person) and long-term, which will decide a person's future circumstances and rebirth.

A person is responsible for his or her own karma, and it is their actions that will ultimately decide their future.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Mahayana]]: The "Greater Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism is the largest in terms of numbers and possibly the most mainstream. It teaches the "Bodhisattva-path," where a being seeks Nirvana not for their own benefit but chooses to return to existence to help others until all are freed from the cycle of rebirth. This school tends to be more liberal in terms of theology: various higher beings (both Hindu gods and East Asian deities) are revered or worshipped, and it is not quite so strict in terms of non-existence of the self. In Mahayana, the Buddha is not considered a "mere human," but an incarnation of the Ultimate Reality who came to help humans on their path to Enlightenment. Further unlike Theravada, negative karma can be purged not only by meditation, but also by the recitation of mantras or sacred names. Several of the most representative schools in most East Asian countries and pop culture alike, like Japanese Zen, Chinese Buddhism, or Pure Land Buddhism, follow this path. Remember also the fat, laughing fellow everybody thinks to be Buddha? It originated in this vehicle, and his name is Budai.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana Vajrayana]]: The "Diamond Vehicle." It is the smallest denomination, being practiced almost exclusively in UsefulNotes/{{Tibet}} and a couple schools in other countries, particularly Central Asia (an offshoot of Tibetan Vajrayana is the dominant traditional religion in UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}}). It is sometimes considered a sub-sect of Mahayana. Defined as esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana features a wide set of ritual practices called Tantra, which includes a lot of recitation of mantras and sacred names along with much weirder things (those including yogas, visualizations and ritual taboo-breaking, like the famous Tantric sex, which is often the only thing Western people know about it). Really hammers home the impermanence of the material world and the importance of spiritual devotion (outsiders have noted that there are no "casual" Vajrayana believers), and like Mahayana, the Buddha is revered as a divine being. This is the branch that includes Tibetan Buddhism (the one the Dalai Lama follows), Mongolian Buddhism, and a few lineages in East Asia (a prominent example being Japanese Shingon Buddhism).