How do people from different branches of Buddhism regard each other?

 

How do people from different branches of Buddhism regard each other?
Would it matter which form of Buddhism a person follows?

 

 

Answer:

by: Venerable Nicolas Thanissaro

 

 

There is a lot of variety even within Buddhism. Buddhists from different traditions can have quite different ways of walking the path to Nirvana - but it is generally accepted that there is a strong compatibility of aims and purposes between Buddhists of different traditions (see Olcott's 14 points above). There is not tension between Buddhist traditions in the same way as there has historically been hostility between Catholics and Protestants, Shia and Sunni. The only problem in coming together has been differences of language.