Another thing worth mentioning is that, according to the Shorter Amitabha Sutra, the birds in the Pure Land sing the Eightfold Path. This suggests that Pure Land Buddhism wasn't originally intended to be divorced from the Buddha's earlier teachings.

Why not dedicate the merit-making to someone else? It's not just a Mahayana practice to do so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_merit#Origins When donating to the Tzu Chi Foundation, for example, there is an option of dedicating your donation in honor of someone else. Making a donation on s...

Regarding the self, I tend to agree with Rev. Rahula in What the Buddha Taught. Would anyone here disagree with it?

Thank you. I appreciate your responses. What the Buddha Taught is one of my favorite books, and Rev. Rahula wrote this statement:
https://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title= ... d_Mahayana

My point is that Mahayana Buddhists already follow the Eight-Fold Path: https://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=9_points_unifying_Theravada_and_Mahayana If, as a Mahayana Buddhist, I already followed the Eight-Fold Path, what would be the point of following Theravada Buddhism instead? I am trying to ...

It's my interpretation that the ultimate truth is beyond the duality of self and non-self.

From a Mahayana perspective, seeing the Buddha as a savior figure is problematic if the relationship between the Buddha and ourselves is that of non-duality, if our Buddha-nature is not distinct from his.

I recommend you read bhikkhu bodhi's book, eightfold path. This is a book I have, but I've only read the first chapter: amazon.com/Eight-Mindful-Steps-Happiness-Walking/dp/0861711769 To be honest, the only thing about Theravada Buddhism that's unique to it compared to Mahayana that I find particula...

Is it beneficial to mix theravada with something like zen or tantra if one enjoys those practices as well? Or is it not recommended? Does it just lead to confusion? In Mahayana Buddhism, it's not uncommon to mix the teachings and practices of more than one school. In China, for example, Zen and Pur...

In countries like China and Korea, the Nianfo is meditated upon as a Zen koan, with the meditator asking oneself, "Who is the one doing the reciting?" The point is to come to the realization of non-self, that there is no separate self reciting the Nianfo, and that there is no distinction b...

Because of the popularity of Pure Land, Hui Neng and other apologists of Mahayana gave new interpretations to the practice to make it compatible to the meditation schools. These interpretations were their own. There are no sutras that say Pure Land exist in the mind ( unless one takes Hui Neng's Pl...

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote: There are plenty of good (and also plenty of bad) resources online. Videos on YouTube, translations of Sutta, etc. Look at the Introductory Resources thread for a whole lot of links.

Thank you. I like to read In the Buddha's Words by Bhikkhu Bodhi and the Dhammapada.

What do you think of the idea that Mahayana and Theravada are essentially the same at heart, even though their outward forms are different? This was an ecumenical statement written by Rev. Walpola Rahula and approved by Mahayanists and Theravadins: https://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=9_points_uni...

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote: These four great references amply demonstrate the importance of not accepting any teaching due to the status of the person teaching it.

Thank you for your response. What do you recommend doing if all the Dhamma talks at the local temples are in a foreign language?

I am interested in asking questions about Theravada Buddhism and why a lay person might decide to become a Theravada Buddhist. I am not too interested in having a historical discussion as to whether Theravada or Mahayana is a more "authentic" form of Buddhism. This is an article which appe...