Hi! i'm in thailand and was wondering if anybody know what the difference is in ideolody between theravada (southern) and northern buddhism (tibetan etc.....) I am not so interested in what the difference in text material, but other, ideological things... thank you !....
Theravada is the original Buddhism as taught by the Historical Buddha, and free of later embellishments. Because it is a whole system it has all the components of later Buddhism schools. A good site is www.concentration.org I practice Tibetan Buddhism of the Nyingma or 'Old' Tibetan School. My practice is yoga at its roots and the Buddhism explains what one experiences during the practices of yoga. I don't think that there's differences worth mentioning if one is grounded in practice of meditation and trying to better their karma. If one is doing these things then there's not much that could be added to make the system better. Whether Theravada or Tibetan. For me personally Dzogchen explained things best and had the most yogic understanding. It just makes the best sense. But when I close the book then what I am practicing is living. Buddhism in general helps me to calm situations and pacify my tendencies towards selfishness. Whichever school you follow it should make you more calm and a better person. The teachings should make you feel certain about the path. Like when you meet someone who makes you excited and happy to be with them. That's how you should feel about your path. Excited and happy to be there. Proud. Practically speaking, the Buddhist tantras are means to understand Buddhas entire life in just a few sentences so as to make the practice of the Buddha's way that much easier to understand. So as to act upon. Ideally, the tantras are the fast path to betterment. But of course, it all has to do with the person. What works for you?
