the local mentality, without compromising the essential points of wisdom and compassion. Buddhism never developed an overall hierarchy of religious authority with a supreme head. Instead, each country to which it spread developed its own forms, its own religious structure, and its own spiritual head. At present, the most well-known and internationally respected of these authorities is His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Brief History

There are two major divisions of Buddhism: Hinayana (the Modest Vehicle), which emphasizes personal liberation, and Mahayana (the Vast Vehicle), which stresses working to become a fully enlightened Buddha to be able to benefit others. Both the Modest and Vast vehicles have many sub-divisions. At present, only three major forms survive: one Hinayana sub-division in Southeast Asia, known as Theravada, and two Mahayana divisions,namely the Chinese and Tibetan traditions.

The Theravada tradition spread from India to Sri Lanka and Burma (Myanmar) in the 3rd century BCE. From there, it reached the rest of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia and Laos).

Other Hinayana schools spread to modern-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, eastern and coastal Iran, and Central Asia. From Central Asia, they spread into China in the 2nd century CE. These forms of Hinayana were later combined with Mahayana aspects that came through this same route from India, with the Mahayana eventually becoming the dominant form of Buddhism in China and most of Central Asia. The Chinese form of Mahayana later spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

The Tibetan Mahayana tradition started in the 7th century CE, inheriting the full historical development of Indian Buddhism. From Tibet, it