WORLD RELIGIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism, sometimes called Vajrayana (the Vehicle of the Thunderbolt), developed about 500–600 C.E. in India.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mahayana Buddhism is not a single group but a collection of Buddhist traditions: Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism are all forms of Mahayana Buddhism.

Detailed explanation-3: -The three major branches of Buddhism in the modern world are Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism and Vajrayana (sometimes described as Tibetan) Buddhism.

Detailed explanation-4: -Theravada Buddhism came first. It focuses on the teachings of the Buddha through strict meditation and the Buddha’s Eightfold Path to Enlightenment. Theravada Buddhists seek to become an arhat, which requires great dedication.