Can Someone Help Me With Buddhism?

Ok, think of the term Mahayana sort of like the term Protestant is to Christianity, and Theravada is sort of like Catholicism, in that Theravada is the practice that most closely follows the Buddha’s teachings, and not much else. Mahayana includes all the other branches of Buddhism that, as the teachings spread across Asia, they either blended with local beliefs or were built upon. Tibetan Buddhism is an example of Buddhism blending with a native religion. Nichiren and Pure Land Buddhism are both Japanese and nationalistic, but Nichiren has had a poor history and didn’t get going really; but from it sprung Soka Gakai. Nichiren teaches that the only true teaching of the Buddha is the Lotus Sutra, and all else is false. Pure land most closely resembles a Western religion, having deities, a sort of “Sunday School” and beliefs about the afterlife. Zen Buddhism is another example of taking the basic Buddhism and building upon it. Zen, or zazen, means to sit, and they believe that sitting and meditating, on nothing, on mantras, or on koans, will inspire sudden enlightenment. I don’t know about Korean Zen being any different than Japanese Zen or Chinese Ch’ien.
Basic Buddhism doesn’t discriminate about sexuality, it only teaches to be responsible and respectful to your mate. It doesn’t address things like evolution, genesis, or any deity. It’s not about that. Basic Buddhism doesn’t address Abortion or politics directly either. Instead, it offers the Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts to live by in order to achieve moksha, which is the breaking of the cycle of rebirth and achieving the state of Nirvana. I read an answer earlier that elaborated on Tibetan Buddhism’s stance on some of these issues, I’ll find it and post the link. In the meantime, you can read the Eightfold Path and the Precepts at http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism and you can look further into the different kinds of Buddhism at http://www.buddhanet.net

There is some stuff on the comparison/relationship between different schools of Buddhism at http://www.orgsites.com/ca/buddhism/inde…
In my experience, any two schools of Buddhism can agree as soon as they overcome differences in vocabulary. I have seen a Tibetan Lama, one of the Karmapa’s retinue, explaining (correctly!) the Jodo Shinshu doctrine of the “Twofold Profound Conviction”, once vocabulary differences were straightened out.
Mostly Buddhism is like physics and the schools are like different kinds of engineering- they all apply the same understandings in different ways.
George Takai (Mr. Sulu of Star Trek) was married to his male lover by a Buddhist minister, and one who has been Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America! We accept equal rights for everybody.
Evolution explains Dukkha- organisms that were content lost out to the frantic scrambling of those who were not, so Dukkha evolved.
Abortion is killing a living thing, and should not be taken lightly or frivolously, but whether it is killing a “human being” is still argued.
Politics are not directly addressed, but how can you have taxes while obeying the precept to “refrain from taking that which is not freely given”, or enforce a government without “harming others”?

No offense but this sounds a lot more like someone who needs help writing a thesis than someone who is legitimately exploring the Buddhist faith. To answer your question even in minimal detail would take hundreds of lines here (from each answerer).
All the information you have requested can be found simply using Google, actually most can be found in Wiki.
Best of luck from this Buddhist!

Well I cannot answer your first question, as I only know about Zen Buddhism, but as for your other one:
Gay Rights – They should have them
Evolution – It could be true, most likely, but in buddhism there is little phylosophy in how the world began (or how it ends). Its more about the here and now.
Abortion – Should be a choice
Politics (in general) – At least have plenty of freedom, and no discriminating restrictions.

I would agree with Stephen regarding your question It is far too long and WPF? answer is a good example of how wrong a person can be when answering regarding Sects she obviously knows nothing about
I am a Pure Lander so will answer this aspect for You
The Pure Land Teaching is the Dhamma Lord Buddha left for this world time period The Dhamma Ending Age The age when the Dhamma dies out
In this age Lord Buddha knew we would have corrupted Teachers to contend with and in this time It would be very difficult for anyone to make progress with the more traditional Sects of Buddhism which rely heavily on the input of a living teacher
Many monks these days are a disgrace to the Robes that they wear
The Pure Land Teaching enable a Practitioner to make progress using Their own efforts and rely on the help of Another Power Lord Buddha Amitabha without any living Teacher
In the East the Pure Land is the largest School of Buddhism In the West it is very little known or understood This is largely due to the fact monks here make a very good living Thank you very much and it is not in their interests to make the Pure land Teaching available May seriously interfere with the profit margin I would believe
All a person would need is freely down loadable from Ven Master Chin Kung? site who happens to be Chinese but the whole site is in Englishhttp://www.amitabha-gallery.org
Google a book which is an e book and again freely down loadable Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith by Ven Master Tam This is the only book of it? type wrote in a Western language and is excellent in explaining the Pure land School
It has to be said Following this School in the early days is not easy In fact the whole live is terned upside down and there are times when you will question your own sanity Wondering Have you made a wrong decision If you read Ven Master Tams explanation in the chapter Nuisance Demons It explains why It can be too much for some and sadly many give up because of this but for those who don’t the rewards are many
A serious Practitioner enjoys many Blessings and protection too from Lord Buddha Amitabha I see pyisical proof every single day and so do many others
The practice leads to a rebirth at the time of ones death in Lord Buddha Amitabha Pure Land were conditions are far more favorable than this corrupted Saha World
Gay Rights Evolution Abortion and Politics are for the individual to decide for Themselves Whatever is acceptable to a Persons own reasoning but using The Four Noble Truths and The Eight Fold Path as reference This is also true for most of Buddhism Cults excluded
Like every other belief Buddhism does have it? fair share of cults to contend with These Being New Kadampa Tradition True Buddha School SGI Dark Zen and Dharmakaya International
These are well known among Buddhists but to outsiders in can be difficult to see this until it is too late and this is why I list them
The two I have personal experience with are New Kadampa Tradition and SGI
Much better for anyone who has an interest to Google any of the above adding /cult and read for yourselves Prevention in this case is much better than the cure
In the Kalama Sutra Often termed The Buddhist Charter of Free Inquiry Lord Buddha does advise to check out everything Even what He Himself said In these times Excellent advicehttp://www.ymba.org/BWF/bwf30.htmhttp://oaks.nvg.org/kalama.html

About Buddhism
Shakyamuni
The origins of the SGI-USA worldview can be traced to the teachings of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived some 2,500 years ago in what is modern-day Nepal. Born Gautama Siddhartha, he abandoned his sheltered, princely life and sought instead to understand the inescapable sufferings of every human being — birth, aging, sickness and death — and the means by which these sufferings could be overcome.
Following his enlightenment at age 30, he traveled throughout India for some 50 years, sharing the wisdom he had discovered. The term Buddha, or “enlightened one,” is applied to any human being who realizes the eternity of life and the operation of cause and effect throughout the three existences of past, present and future.
The Lotus Sutra
Throughout Shakyamuni Buddha’s life, he expounded many sutras, or teachings, the highest and most comprehensive being the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni stated that all of his teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra should be regarded as provisional; these teachings strove to awaken people to the impermanence of all phenomena in order to free them from the sufferings that arise from egoistic attachment to things that the passage of time will destroy or render meaningless.
To read more see linkhttp://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/buddhism…
Don’t be decieved By so called Buddhists who slander other Buddhists, they list themselves by their own words. Peace to all true Buddhists and non slanderers.