Three-Step Educational Models in Five Buddhist Traditions: A Comparative Study of Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Zen, Vajrayāna, and Dzogchen
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Abstract
This academic article examines three-step educational models in five Buddhist traditions: Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Zen, Vajrayāna, and Dzogchen. Although these traditions employ different doctrinal frameworks, textual sources, and contemplative methods, they share a common aim: the transformation of body, speech, and mind toward liberation from suffering. The article argues that Buddhist paths may be understood as educational models because they provide systematic processes for ethical cultivation, meditative training, and the development of wisdom.
The Theravāda model is examined through the Three Trainings (ti-sikkhā) of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā). The Mahāyāna model is discussed in terms of the development of bodhicitta, including aspiration, action, and ultimate realization. Zen is interpreted through the integrated practice of body, speech, and mind, emphasizing direct experience and present-moment realization. Vajrayāna is analyzed in terms of the development stage, the completion stage, and Mahāmudrā as a process of transforming ordinary perception into enlightened experience. Dzogchen is presented through the three series of teachings: the Series of Mind, the Series of Space, and the Series of Secret Instructions.
By comparing these five models, the article shows that Buddhist education is not limited to intellectual learning but involves a holistic transformation of conduct, attention, perception, and realization. Despite their differences, these traditions reveal a shared pedagogical structure: beginning with ethical or preparatory discipline, deepening through contemplative practice, and culminating in liberating wisdom or direct realization. The study contributes to Buddhist education by clarifying how diverse Buddhist paths can be understood as structured models of human development relevant to both individual practice and contemporary educational reflection.
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