Buddhist Schools

Start with a map

Begin with the Mahayana Buddhism mind map. It brings together origins, upaya, the Lotus Sutra and the bodhisattva. Use its branches to see which terms you recognize and which ones you want to study further. You can return to the map after working through the flashcards and explain each branch in your own words.

For a broader view, look at the mind map that brings together Mahayana, Theravada, Zen and Pure Land. Compare its school names with the terms you found in the Mahayana map.

Use flashcards to check terminology

The flashcard deck comparing Theravada and Mahayana covers topics such as practices, beliefs and teachings. After studying a map, use the cards to check what you remember about each school. Go back to the map when a term or comparison needs another look.

Buddhism Terms from the Lecture and Buddhist Terms from Lecture introduce school names and terms including Ch'an, Pure Land, mantras and mandalas. Study a small group of cards at a time, then look for related terms in the mind maps.

Follow a specific interest

The mind map on Pure Land and Zen includes zazen, the Rinzai and Soto schools, and the transmission of wisdom. The notes in Choosing Buddhist Lamas describe details involved in finding a Lama. These offer different starting points for exploring the resources on the page.

There is also a Mahayana Buddhism slide set. Try it alongside the Mahayana mind map, using the map to organize the terms you want to remember.

Keep your study connected

Buddhist Schools is a section of the Buddhism unit in Religion and theology. Use the resources here to focus on schools and their terminology within that unit. There are no quizzes on this topic page, so flashcards can serve as a way to check recall after studying a map.

Choose a resource and make a short list of terms to revisit as you study.