In our world today, there are at least four different
types of Buddhism.
The first type is the authentic
Buddhism, the education of understanding the true face of
life and the universe originally intended by Shakyamuni Buddha.
Unfortunately, the authentic Buddha's education is rare nowadays,
and difficult to encounter.
The second type of Buddhism is the
religious Buddhism. Originally, Buddhism was not a religion,
but now it has become one. We can no longer deny that there is a
'Buddhist religion' because everywhere we look, Buddhism is
displayed as a religion. Unlike the monasteries in the past which
held eight-hour classes per day and provided another eight hours
for self-cultivation, today's Buddhist 'temples' no longer uphold
such a perseverance of the Buddha's Teachings. Today we mainly see
people offering to the Buddha statues and praying for blessings and
fortune. In this way, Buddhism has been wrongly changed into a
religion. (However time has changed many have buck up and start to
spread dharma) 
The third type of Buddhism is the philosophical study of the Buddha's
teachings. Many universities today open courses on the study
of Buddhist Sutras, considering the teachings as a philosophy. The
content of the Buddha's education is actually a complete university
of knowledge and wisdom. Philosophy is only one of its courses.
Just as it is wrong to recognize an university as a single course,
it is also inappropriate to think of and limit the Buddha's
education as only a philosophy. The Buddha's education can help us
resolve our problems - from family difficulties to the great issue
of life and death. The Buddha's
teachings are deep and vast, and teach us the truths of life and
the universe. It should not be mistaken as only a
philosophy.
The fourth type of Buddhism we see in our world today is the
deviant and externalist Buddhism. This is an
extremely unfortunate affair which only came to be in the
past 30-40 years. We must know that the religious
Buddhism persuades people to be decent, and the
philosophical Buddhism pursues truth, neither cause much harm to
the society. If Buddhism is changed into a deviant and externalist path,
using the weakness of the human nature to cheat and harm living
beings; disturbing the peace and safety of the society, then this
conversion of Buddhism has gone too far. The speech
and actions of these deviant and externalist paths can be very
attractive and enticing. One should be very careful as not to be
mislead by these deviant ways, or regretting it would be too
late.
These four types of Buddhism exist in our society today, we
should recognize them as they are and think carefully as to which
way is most beneficial to us, and the one we will ultimately
follow.
Latest development of Buddhism ...
Buddhism is gaining wide appeal across the globe. The large
international membership of the World Buddhist Sangha Council is
clear evidence. There are a growing number of internet sites that
offer information about Buddhism. Many companies produce music,
videos, and multi-media educational material on Buddhism. Buddhism
has even influenced pop culture and permeated into the psyche of
the masses. In Singapore too, Buddhism has not only retained its
relevance, but is gaining popularly. Between 1990 and 2000, the
percentage of Singaporeans above 15 years old who are Buddhists
increased from 31% to 43%, the largest increase amongst all major
religions. Dharma talks in Singapore are now also conducted in
English, to reach out to young Singaporeans, including
professionals. Devotees today do not just visit the temples to
pray. They are eager to delve deeper into the Buddhist scriptures
and reflect upon their philosophical and spiritual
significance
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