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Individualistic cults ... yes, people of all religions say prayers when they are by themselves. My daughter is a Lutheran and says prayers every night before climbing into bed. In Buddhism, the term "prayer" only fits in a loose way ... there are no communications made to a higher power. Rather, Buddhist "prayers" most-closely fit the model of cognitive-behavioral therapy with their self-statements and aphorisms designed to bring about a change in attitude.
Communal cults - most Western Buddhist gatherings have a teacher, someone who is well-trained in the practice of Buddhism, who can direct the group. Just as my daughter's Lutheran church has a pastor.
Ecclesiastical cults - there is no baptism in Buddhism. One can get married with or with a monk attending. Ecclesiastical cults are more in the domain of Christianity.
Shamanistic cults - My understanding is that superstitious and uneducated populations in all religions ask for "messages" from some divine source ... I have seen this behavior in documentaries about Catholic populations in South America and Buddhist populations in Mustang (a small isolated kingdom on the edge of Nepal high in the Himalayan mountains) ... also in Tibetan culture with their oracles (although here, the oracles functioned only for the leaders). However, neither Christianity nor Buddhism in the West promotes or teaches shamanistic rituals or attitudes.
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