COURSE

The Schools Of Buddhism

Buddhism is a vast undertaking. It contains within it hundreds of divergent schools, sects, and traditions, all of which present themselves at times as "The" Buddhism. Yet, if you are just stepping into all of this, where do you begin? How do you even start to learn which is what school? In this course, we will be covering the three main branches of Buddhism, what they are, where they come from, and what makes them different from one another. As well, we will be taking a look at some of the more individualized sects within those three main branches to show different aspects of how, even within a school of thought or tradition, the opinions and practices can be divergent. Yet, at the end of the day, they are all still a part of the Buddhist Tree of Knowledge. So, let's dive in and take a look at the Schools of Buddhism!

Wisdom Health & Happiness Mindfulness Open Awareness Traditional Buddhism Religion Buddhism Spirituality Spirituality

Meet your Teacher

Silas Day

Bentonville, AR, USA

Silas Day is an author, writer, meditation teacher, and dharma student whose main goal in life is to make the world a better place, one person at a time. He does this by doing lectures and courses covering various aspects of Buddhism, eastern philosophy, and general spiritual practice.

10 Days

5.0k students

4.8 stars

11 min / day

Wisdom

English

Lesson 1

Introduction & Early Buddhism

On Day 1, I will shortly introduce who I am and my background in meditation and Buddhism. After which we will be looking at the earliest form of Buddhism. The teachings, world, and Buddhism as taught and practiced during and shortly after the lifetime of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, more commonly known as the Buddha and the Tathagata.

Lesson 2

Theravada

On Day 2, we will be taking a look at a School called Theravada, or “doctrine of the elders”. This is considered to be the more traditional and orthodox of the three main branches of Buddhism but did not arise until a few centuries after the death of the Buddha. We will talk about where it is most prominent and what separates it from the two other branches as a tradition.

Lesson 3

Mahayana

On Day 3, we will be taking a look at the Mahayana school of Buddhism, which is the second of three main branches. Mahayana, also called the “Great Vehicle” has a vast multiplicity of sects that it incompasses. We will look at the more general thought which brings them all together and in the coming lessons look more into the specifics of its popular iterations.

Lesson 4

Pure Land Buddhism

On Day 4, we will be looking at one of the most widely practiced forms of Mahayana Buddhism throughout Asia called Pure Land Buddhism. We will be taking a look at its specific practices, why it has such a large following and what separates it from the other schools of thought in the Mahayana Branch. All to help us get a better grasp on the vast array of schools of thought throughout Buddhism.

Lesson 5

Chan

On Day 5, we will be looking at a very interesting and influential school within Mahayana Buddhism called Chan. Chan itself is often unfamiliar to those in the west but its influences, practices, and teachings are incredibly far-reaching and influential to many of the things you hear today. You also probably are far more familiar with the big names in it than you thought! Let's dig in and see what makes it unique.

Lesson 6

Zen Buddhism

On Day 6, we will take a look at what is probably the most popular and familiar form of Buddhism to most people, Zen Buddhism. What is Zen Buddhism? We will be engaging with its two most prominent and influential schools of thought - Soto and Rinzai - what makes them different and what makes Zen Buddhism itself so unique and palatable to the rest of the world.

Lesson 7

Vajrayana

On Day 7, we will be moving away from Looking at Mahayana and look at the third and final branch of the Buddhist Tree: Vajrayana. There are two main schools of Vajrayana thought that we will be looking at in the coming days, but in today's lesson let's take a moment to step back and understand what makes Vajrayana different in general and why it sprouted and became its own branch.

Lesson 8

Tibetan Buddhism

On Day 8, we will be taking a look at what is perhaps the second most recognized form of Buddhism to people outside of Asia: Tibetan Buddhism. We will see why it is so uniquely Tibetan, its meditative practices, philosophical sects, and what separates it from the rest of the schools of thought. We will also be looking at the history of Tibetan Buddhism and why it is so widespread today.

Lesson 9

Shingon Buddhism

On Day 9, we will be looking at an incredibly interesting and unique form of Buddhism which is both Vajrayana and uniquely Japanese at the same time: Shingon Buddhism. We will look at its practices, beliefs, and how it came to be. As well, we will look at why and how it differentiates itself from the rest of both Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.

Lesson 10

Other Schools & Where To Go From Here

On the final day of the course, we will be taking a step back and looking at the ways that we can take the information and knowledge learned in this course and apply it to our everyday lives. Just as we can be open and genuinely curious about spiritual things we need to be open to the chance of investing within ourselves and using the vast teachings and practices of the world to work together to make not only our own world but the world at large a better more mindful place.

Ask your teacher

This course includes 48 community questions and 5 audio replies from Silas Day. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

4.8 (249)

Recent Reviews

Caterina

November 24, 2025

Very insightful into the branches of Buddhism. Lesson 10 I found to be uplifting and driven to be kind to ourselves. Thank you.🙏🏻

Jamon

October 24, 2025

Great intro to the different schools. Thank you! 🙏🏾

August 2, 2025

Great course! Loved your voice too

Lyn

May 1, 2025

I am grateful you prepared and shared this course. Even in its simplest format I learned something new. You see, gravitating toward and learning from Teachers on this platform is not explicitly divulged what "school" of Buddhism we are learning via them so thanks to this course and to YOU I now have clarity. Thank you for your guidance.

Michelle

January 29, 2025

Good general overview.

Brittany

December 26, 2024

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Thank you so much for this information. 🙏 I look forward to more offerings from you.

Isabel

October 21, 2024

This was a very helpful overview. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the basic differences between the more prominent schools of Buddhism now.

Elinor

October 18, 2024

A very helpful course, must take for someone just starting to learn about Buddhism

Thom

June 16, 2024

Very informative and enjoyable course. I truly appreciate learning about some of the different branches of Buddhism presented here. For me, the material in the course was presented in a manner that I was able to follow and understand, which was refreshing. Thank you so much, Silas. I look forward to your other courses on Insight Timer.

Aaron

January 30, 2024

Amazing! This was a clear, concise, thoughtful, and emotional course. I highly recommend it fir anyone with an interest in Buddhism.

John

November 1, 2023

Great

Liz

September 2, 2023

Very clear summary of the lineages of Buddhism told with kindness and invitation to the listener. Really beautiful! Thank you.

Ivyjoy

June 4, 2023

Thank you!

Heather

June 3, 2023

Informative and I enjoy the way you use the English language. 🙏

Elöd

April 25, 2023

Highly recommend this course for an excellent overview of the different schools of Buddhism. Listen more than once, pause and take notes. Enjoy and thank you 🙏🏼

Charlie

April 6, 2023

Very useful. It helped me understand a little bit about concepts I've been hearing about for years but never Understood. This is not an in depth course but it gives a nice overview for people who need or want to expand their knowledge.

Cathy

March 19, 2023

An information filled course. I'll probably listen again. It is well worth your time.

Tom

February 3, 2023

Silas presented a wonderful primer on Buddhism. I’m grateful for his easy listening and brief lessons.

Linda

January 25, 2023

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