Question asked by Dongho
I have been wondering, but what are the differences in the different practices of the 4 major schools of Buddhism? I didn't quite understand how the Red Hats and the Yellow Hats did their practices differently. Exactly what are their differences(apart from the protectors and deities)? I found the Vajrasattva practices of the Sakya and the Gelug to have very different visualizations, so I wanted to know how each sect did their practices. I know Nyingma and Gelug use ritualistic workings, but what about the others?
Dear Dongho,
Thank you for your interesting question. Even though it may seem at a cursory glance that there may not be that many differences between the four major schools of Buddhism, they each place emphasis on different parts of the path towards enlightenment.
While the monastic lineage and the study of both sutra and tantra is shared by all four major schools, in terms of explanation of the scriptures and practice there are differences. For example the four traditions emphasise different deities of practice, and the methods in which they are practiced, such as variations in mantras, prayers and visualisations, etc.
Even in the way that one progresses on the path has differences. For example, the Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya schools place emphasis on the student beginning and engaging in preliminary practices at a very early stage, whereas traditionally in the Gelugpa tradition, this is engaged in only after a firm grasping of the fundamentals of Buddhist practice.
Additionally, while all four traditions follow the explanations of emptiness as taught in the Madhyamaka teachings, the way in which this level of attainment is achieved differs from how they individually define emptiness, and how they go about achieving this state of being. This necessarily involves slight differences in its study and the various practices that lead to it achieving it.
The way in which the Dharma is presented and taught also differ. While the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions explain the Dharma from the point of view of an already enlightened being, the Sakya present it from the perspective of a highly attained beings, and the Gelug from the point of view of an ordinary practitioner. Another interesting point of difference is that both the Nyingma and Kagyu describe the path of Dharma practice in terms of practitioners who instantly attain higher states of being, who are far and few in between, and are practitioners of the highest calibre. Whereas the Sakya and Gelug present the path of practice in graduated stages as described in the Lamdre and Lamrim teachings, respectively. I hope this helps.
Thank you.