This gets a little sticky and is liable to confuse the uninitiated, but hopefully that confusion will inspire those confused to do a little more research on their own. Now as stated earlier by our esteemed KL, there are two major schools, Mahayana (greater vehicle) and Theravada (teachings of the elders) a.k.a. Hinayana (lesser vehicle). Zen/Chan/Shaolin descends from the Mahayana. In a gross simplification, you could view Mahayana as the Bodhisattva path - save all sentient beings before you become a Buddha. This is another reason why it spreads more - we're all trying to save everyone, even those bjj guys . Hinayana, then, is more like the path of the Lohan or Arhat. It's all about your individual - your asceticisms and disiplines. Of course, Shaoliners will note that we venerate the Lohans a lot. There are numerous references to Lohans in our style, but few references to Bodhisattvas. Herein lies a typical paradox of Shaolin and why a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. On the surface, this might seem contradictory, especially how I just presented it. But at the heart, it's all the same.