Of Schools and Lineages and Rituals

The below points arose from another forum discussion with Quietfight when she posed the question on the different schools of Buddhism and their authenticity and if the rituals are in contradiction to the Teachings of Buddha.

In the today's society, Buddhism is represented by many schools and lineages but they are just different methods (vehicles) to attain liberation, to perfect wisdom and compassion. We can perhaps view them in comparison to this illustration. One would like to travel from the east to the west of a country or continent, we can either travel via buses, cars, bicycles, trains, planes or a mixture of them. Ultimately, we will reach our destination regardless of the method though some may take longer than others.

That is not to say that we should keep switching transportation means. Afterall, there are waiting time wasted if we keep switching, resulting in adverse effect, more loss of time. Instead, one should still devote ourselves to one method of practice till one is competent as it is just like learning to ride a bicycle or to drive a car. By focusing on one method, the mind will not be distracted and will reach a certain level of competency much faster. Let's think back and reflect for a minute when there was a time we worried about the completion of 2 tasks. When doing task 1, our mind kept thinking about task 2, isn't it very tiring and we are not able to concentrate at all and mistakes arose, resulting having to double the efforts to correct them. In the first place, had we been able to concentrate on one single task at a time, we would have completed task 1 much earlier and better, lesser mistakes, leaving more time for task 2.

Here's some links for knowledge on the timeline of Buddhism and the backgrounds of the various schools:

Timeline Of Buddhism
Theravada - Teachings Of The Elders
Mahayana - The Great Vehicle
Vajrayana - The Thunderbolt Vehicle

Once we have thought it through, we will realise that all schools teach the same basics, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path, the path to liberation, to perfect wisdom and perfect compassion. Whatever differences they have is just to suit the different needs that arose from the various groups of people that Buddhism came into contact with.

Just like 2500 years ago, Buddha taught his disciples according to the situation arose, never prescribing just one single method. He saw the different nature of each student and that they are unique in their own rights, he simply pointed them to the best method that would lead them to liberation. For example, he taught his disciples the method of breath mindfulness but there was one instance, he instead instructed one disciple to watch a candle flame instead. Watching the candle flame and its flickering, the disciple realised the impermanence nature of all phenomenon, he was enlightened.

As for rituals, let's not be quick to dismiss it as something that is contradicting to the Buddhist philosophies and teachings because we do not understand it. For example, the rituals of chanting. Reciting suttas is a need in the past as there was no written records of Buddha's Teachings. The only way to pass them down is through the Sangha reciting them and committing them to memory. Not only that chanting sutta or mantra is another excellent method to calm the mind if one finds difficulty in meditation. By reciting a sutta or mantra, we are also expressing our faith in the Teachings and reminding ourselves of its meanings and lessons.

Another ritual, is the prostration towards a Buddha or Bodhisattva statue. When a Buddhist does that, he or she is not praying to the statue. After all it is after just another stone or wood craving. The underlying meaning of prostration is to remember what the stone or wood image implies - the Teachings of the Great Beings, their wisdom and compassion, their vows to liberate all sentient beings. In prostration, it is a way to express our humility and that we should do our best to follow the Teachings and paths of these Great Beings, not only to ourselves but to also assist all sentient beings in attaining liberation.