Both Buddhism — where they part company
Secular Buddhism and Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 8 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.40 (0 would be identical).
The practice and the psychology kept, the cosmology set aside: no literal rebirth, no supernatural claims, no authority beyond what you can test in your own experience. A naturalist reading of the canon rather than a rejection of it.
Mahayana aims plus tantric means: an elaborate deity practice, a guru whose authority is central, and a use of the body and the passions as the path rather than as obstacles. The most ritually dense form of Buddhism here.
Where they agree
E2 Origin of the cosmos
Both sit at beginningless or natural — a gap of 0.00.
C3 The human condition
Both sit at ignorant but fundamentally sound — a gap of 0.03.
E4 Standing of nature
Both sit at between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred and leaning animate and itself sacred respectively — a gap of 0.12.
Where they part company
B3 Institutional authority
Secular Buddhism: individual conscience decides. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: clergy and tradition decide. A gap of 0.77 on an axis running from “clergy and tradition decide” to “individual conscience decides”.
A3 Plurality
Secular Buddhism: strictly one. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: leaning many powers and spirits. A gap of 0.75 on an axis running from “strictly one” to “many powers and spirits”.
C2 Shape of time
Secular Buddhism: leaning one life, then judgment. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: cyclical return. A gap of 0.70 on an axis running from “one life, then judgment” to “cyclical return”.
A1 Divine reality
Secular Buddhism: nothing beyond the natural. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: leaning a divine reality certainly exists. A gap of 0.66 on an axis running from “nothing beyond the natural” to “a divine reality certainly exists”.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Secular Buddhism: leaning optional or absent. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: essential and prescribed. A gap of 0.65 on an axis running from “essential and prescribed” to “optional or absent”.
A2 Personhood
Secular Buddhism: impersonal principle or order. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address. A gap of 0.53 on an axis running from “impersonal principle or order” to “a personal being one can address”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Secular Buddhism: metaphorical, or no text at all. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at all. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
E1 Exclusivity
Secular Buddhism: many valid paths. Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism: between one true path and many valid paths. A gap of 0.40 on an axis running from “one true path” to “many valid paths”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Secular Buddhism | Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | nothing beyond the natural | leaning a divine reality certainly exists | 0.66 |
| A2 Personhood | impersonal principle or order | between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address | 0.53 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | leaning many powers and spirits | 0.75 |
| A4 Locus | leaning fully present within it | fully present within it | 0.18 |
| B1 Source of truth | reason and direct experience | between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experience | 0.40 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | metaphorical, or no text at all | between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.45 |
| B3 Institutional authority | individual conscience decides | clergy and tradition decide | 0.77 |
| C1 Survival of the self | ends at death | between ends at death and continues in some form | 0.38 |
| C2 Shape of time | leaning one life, then judgment | cyclical return | 0.70 |
| C3 The human condition | ignorant but fundamentally sound | ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.03 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insight | 0.23 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | leaning optional or absent | essential and prescribed | 0.65 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | 0.20 |
| E1 Exclusivity | many valid paths | between one true path and many valid paths | 0.40 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | beginningless or natural | beginningless or natural | 0.00 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | an individual choice | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | 0.32 |
| E4 Standing of nature | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.12 |
Positions for Secular Buddhism rest principally on Batchelor, Buddhism Without Beliefs (1997) and After Buddhism (2015); for Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism, on Tibetan tantric commentarial literature and Lamrim texts. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.