ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a particular worldview and way of living that enhances our personal understanding, happiness, and wholesome development in Buddhism. The two main schools that exist today are Theravada and Mahayana in buddhism. Theravada Buddhism, also referred to as "The Teachings of the Elders", is considered the more conventional of the two schools. Mahayana Buddhism, also known as "The Great Vehicle", aims to serve a larger group of people. A Bodhisattva works on simultaneous development of wisdom and compassion. The Dalai Lama as the leader and main propagator of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism, most prominently represented by the Dalai Lama, is also known as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. The emerging American Buddhism has been described as practice-oriented, lay-oriented, influenced by feminism, Western psychology, societal concern, and democratic principles. Influxes of Japanese and Chinese immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century brought Buddhism into the United States with early settlements in California and Hawaii.
