Finding a Common Buddhism: Why Do We Not Love One Another?

The division of schools has caused the children of the Buddha to lose their love for one another. This article invites us to look toward the Noble Eightfold Path to rediscover our shared connection, building a united and peaceful Buddhism.

Have you ever heard a question like this: “Which temple do you go to?” – “I go to the Pure Land temple.” “I go to the Zen temple.” Then my face turns cold, and yours does too. We are all disciples of one Buddha, yet simply because our methods of practice differ, we cannot love each other. This is not an unfamiliar story; it is a quiet sorrow flowing through the veins of contemporary Buddhism.

## The Division: A Wound from Twenty-Six Hundred Years Ago

One hundred years after the Buddha passed into nirvana, his followers began to interpret the teachings in their own ways. Some found storing food overnight inconvenient, while others felt holding money was necessary. From such small changes, the Sangha split into the Elders’ School and the Great Assembly School, eventually branching into twenty distinct sects. Twenty ways of understanding the Buddha’s words, twenty paths that seem close but feel strangely distant.

The sadness lies not in the differences themselves, but in the fact that Buddhists no longer love one another because of those differences. As Venerable Thich Chan Quang reflected:

“The serious issue, the thing that truly saddens us, is how sectarian discrimination breaks down our morality, causing disciples of the Buddha to cease loving one another. This loss is the greatest tragedy.”

## Sectarian Extremism: Why Have We Stopped Loving Each Other?

When we hear someone practices Pure Land Buddhism, we turn away coldly because we follow Zen. When we learn someone attends a Theravada temple, we tell ourselves our school is superior. We boast about our lineage, build fences, and stand rigidly inside them. The more conservative we become, the less able we are to step forward and meet our brothers and sisters who share the same father. In truth, since we worship the same infinitely compassionate Buddha, we should see each other as siblings, not strangers.

Venerable Thich Chan Quang once reminded us: “As long as Buddhism exists in the world, as long as its light spreads across this planet, we can hope for a peaceful world.” Yet if we continue to divide, Buddhism will weaken, and the world will lose a precious source of peace.

## The Noble Eightfold Path: The Key to a Common Buddhism

To find a common Buddhism, we need something truly universal. The Buddha taught us this path: the Noble Eightfold Path. This is not an inferior method of practice, but the core essence and compass for all schools. If a tradition takes the Noble Eightfold Path as its foundation, it is moving toward a unified Buddhism. If anyone dismisses the Noble Eightfold Path as lowly, they remain trapped in extremism and conservatism.

In his dharma talk, Venerable Thich Chan Quang stated firmly:

“Anyone who uses the Noble Eightfold Path as their practice is aiming for a common Buddhism. But anyone who does not know the Noble Eightfold Path, does not understand it deeply, or criticizes it as inferior, is not aiming for a unified Buddhism.”

The Noble Eightfold Path is not easy to comprehend. Precisely because it is difficult, many study superficially and rush to judgment. Only the Buddha fully understands the Noble Eightfold Path. We are beginners; we must respect it and practice it throughout our lives. If we scorn it, we will never encounter the ultimate truth.

## Understanding Requires Practice: Merit and Meditative Concentration

Many believe that reciting a sutra or sitting in meditation for a short time is enough to erase karma. But this is an illusion, for it contradicts cause and effect (karmic law). Consider someone who borrows money and flees, leaving the lender’s family in distress. Reciting a single sutra will never clear that debt. Or consider a farmer who gradually encroaches on a public road to expand his field, making travel difficult for many. Such karma must be repaid with genuine merit, not empty words.

Venerable Thich Chan Quang encouraged: “If someone studies year after year, reads every sutra, yet stays home doing nothing, we know immediately they do not understand the Dharma. Only those who lack true understanding are lazy. Those who truly understand the Dharma cannot afford to be idle.” To understand the Dharma is to practice compassion, to work for the benefit of sentient beings, and also to diligently engage in meditative concentration, keeping the mind pure. Meditation is not easy, but it is the final door to escaping the status of an ordinary being.

## Letting Go of Sectarianism, Stepping Into the Light

When we fully grasp the Noble Eightfold Path, clinging to a specific school becomes shameful rather than proud. The teacher pointed out clearly: “Only when we master the entire Noble Eightfold Path and rediscover a common Buddhism will we find true joy and something worthy of pride.”

From this perspective, we are invited to let go of sectarian barriers so they do not obstruct our spiritual journey. Teachers too should abandon the notion of elevating their own school above others, refusing to force disciples to cling to narrow views. Open the doors. Encourage disciples to seek a common Buddhism, for their own sake and for future generations.

A common Buddhism is not a messy mixture of different schools, but a return to what is most correct, abandoning errors, and completing the Noble Eightfold Path. We do not need to criticize any school; we only need to open our hearts to recognize that everyone may have imperfections. It is this humility that leads us to the shore of love.

Today, you can make a promise to yourself: carry your tradition as a starting point, but walk in the spirit of a common Buddhism. Be someone who understands the Dharma not just through words, but through actions of love, meditative concentration, and merit. In this way, we bring peace to our own lives and preserve the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) for the world of tomorrow. A common Buddhism begins in the heart of each of us.