3. Buddhism Today.
The estimates as to the number
of Buddhists in the world today range
all the way from
200 million to 850 million. By United Nations
estimates
(1967) there are over 1 billion 300 million people in
the
countries in which Buddhist influence is an impor-
tant factor—Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos,
Vietnam, Nepal, Sikkim, India, Korea, Mongolia,
Japan, and China. If China
(650 million) is omitted
from that figure, on the ground that it is very
difficult
to estimate the influence of Buddhism in Communist
China,
there are 650 million people in the remaining
Buddhist countries. Of that
number, at least 50 million
are followers of Southern Buddhism
(Theravāda), and
about 125 million are avowed followers of
Northern
Buddhism (Mahāyāna).
The whole Buddhist world can be divided into two,
Southern and Northern
Buddhism. The former is Con-
servative
Buddhism, and the latter is a newly developed
form of Buddhism, which
appeared after the Christian
era. The former is now ardently adhered to in
South
Asiatic countries, i.e., Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos,
and
Cambodia. These Buddhists call themselves
“Theravādins,” those who profess
Theravāda, which
appellation means “the Way of the
Elders” (vāda
means
“school,” “way,” or
“ism”; thera means
“the
elder.”) This is the Buddhist school based on
the canon
written in the Pāli language. It asserts that it
follows
insofar as possible the practices and teachings of the
time of
the Buddha, although there have been consid-
erable changes since then. In the past there were some
other
schools of Conservative Buddhism besides Thera-
vāda, which have now almost all vanished.
Northern Buddhism calls itself Mahāyāna
(“Great
Vehicle”) because it claims to save a great
many people
by the altruistic activity of its followers.
Mahāyāna is
now prevalent in Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet,
Mongolia,
China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.
Southern Buddhism has preserved the original fea-
tures of early Buddhism rather intact. The attitude of
its followers
is conservative and traditional. Mahāyāna
has, on the other hand, been apt to adapt itself to the
climatic and social environment in which it has spread.
Theravāda
claims itself to be the genuine form of
Buddhism, having preserved the true
doctrine of the
Lord Buddha, whereas Mahāyāna, which
has always
been in close contact with the common people, has
vehemently attacked the Hīnayāna Buddhists for their
self-complacent and self-righteous attitude. However,
there is some unity
in the two divisions, for Mahāyāna
has also treasured
much of the teaching which has been
preserved in Conservative Buddhism.
Theravāda has
maintained a high degree of consistency in
teachings
and practices, while great diversity has grown up in
Mahāyāna due to its more liberal and elastic attitude.
In India today, there is no Buddhist sect extant,
although Buddhist
influence by tradition can be noticed
in the daily life of the Hindus. The
revival of Buddhism
which occurred recently, from the end of the nine-
teenth century on, has been chiefly due
to the efforts
of the members of the Mahabodhi Society, which
started
under the auspices of Ceylonese Buddhists.
Conversion to Buddhism in India
is nowadays most
conspicuous among the Untouchables. The number of
Buddhists increased rapidly from 180,800 in 1951 to
3,250,000 in 1961.
In the South Asiatic countries there is now only one
form of Buddhism,
Theravāda. In Central Asia Bud-
dhism
has almost vanished. In Nepal and Sikkim, Bud-
dhism only prevails in the form of Esoteric Buddhism
(Vajrayāna). In Tibet, Lamaism, which is an amalga-
mation of Esoteric Buddhism with popular faiths, pre-
vails with Lamas as spiritual leaders,
although their
spiritual prestige has greatly declined due to the Com-
munist invasion in 1959.
Uniformity in Buddhism is established in China,
Korea, and Vietnam, where
Zen (Ch'an) Buddhism,
fused with Pure Land Buddhism
(and with Taoism, in
China) is now the only remaining sect. The
traditions
of all the rest of the sects have almost gone out of
existence. In Japan, by contrast, there still exist ap-
proximately thirteen major traditional Buddhist sects,
many of which can no longer be found in China or
in India. However, the
ways of living followed by
Japanese priests, who are mostly married, are
highly
worldly and secular.
Challenged by Western culture and by changing
forms of society, Buddhism has
been forced to reform
itself. There are many signs of vitality in the
new
educational institutions, the new research projects,
philanthropic
activities, etc., of Buddhist groups. The
movements of Buddhist reformers
have become cul-
turally influential, and
international activities by Bud-
dhists have
become more and more widespread.
