There are various religions in the world which take on different teachings and beliefs. Particularly, Buddhism is an Asian religion that has more than 520 million believers who are spread across Tibet, Burma, china and Nepal ( Green, 2018 ). Essentially, the religion is divided into three main schools including Mahayana, Vajrayana and Theravada all of which indicate difference in teachings and spiritual practices.
Differences Between the Groups
Vajrayana focuses on the permanence of teachings techniques to reach enlightenment which is symbolized by thunderbolt while the Mahayana followers prioritize the liberation of conscious creatures. On the other hand, while the texts in Theravada are in early language while teachings of Buddha, the Mahayana and Vajrayana have a total of six languages ( Kauffmann, 2019 ). Essentially, unlike the rest, the Mahayana doctrines are not tied to monasticism.
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Cultural Differences Causing Variations
The three teachings are practiced by different communities therefore there are differences in culture. For instance, there are variations in languages among the three schools. Theravada is practiced in Burma which indicates its variation of texts from those in Mahayana and Vajrayana which exist in china, Nepal and Tibet ( Green, 2018 ). The variation of languages and continued evolution of new languages is as a result of cross - ultural effect of China-Tibet invasions and occupations.
Conflict Between Other Groups
There is a high potential for conflict between groups especially larger groups such as Hindu and Christianity. The reason is due to the dominance of groups in particular areas causing communities to develop sense of belonging therefore uniting against the common reasoning ( Kauffmann, 2019 ). For instance, Christians living in India face challenges as their practices may be considered unconventional by the members of the dominant religions such as Buddhism and Hindu.
In most cases, members of religious groups are subjected to punishments to therefore obedience and allegiance to beliefs as seen among Tibetans. I would be willing to be punished for my belief as it creates integration among followers and creates sense of purpose.
References
Green, A. (2018). Buddhist visual cultures, rhetoric, and narrative in late Burmese wall paintings . Hong Kong University Press.
Kauffmann, T. (2019). practical spirituality and developmental challenges amongst Tibetan communities in India. in Practical Spirituality and Human Development (pp. 171-193). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
