Mahāyāna. Primitive Buddhism was cradled in India and emerged as the result of the teachings of Gautama in the 6th c. BCE. About the 1st c. CE, however, a development within Buddhism began to take place emphasizing the supernatural quality of the Buddha, rejecting or "voiding" the relativistic and pluralistic elements in the teaching of the earlier schools of Buddhist thought, and exalting the bodhisattva ideal. The new school, which came to be called Mahayana ("Great Vehicle"), reinterpreted the traditional Buddhist monastic discipline in such a way as to encourage the monks to engage in missionary enterprise, settling in other lands such as China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet. The name Mahayana was assumed in contrast to Hinayana, meaning "Lower Vehicle", used by the new school of the various earlier schools (some eighteen of them), which the Mahayanists accounted too narrow and rigid. The name Hinayana, being used pejoratively, should not be applied to those Buddhist schools that continue outside of Mahayana Buddhism. For them the term Theravada is to be preferred.
Mahāyāna
(Sanskrit, the great vehicle). A major movement in the history of Buddhism embracing many schools in a sweeping reinterpretation of fundamental religious ideals, beliefs and values. Although there is no evidence for the existence of Mahāyāna prior to the 2nd century ce, it can be assumed that the movement began to crystallise earlier, incorporating teachings of existing schools. Great emphasis is placed on the twin values of compassion (karuṇā) and insight (prajñā). The Bodhisattva who devotes himself to the service of others becomes the new paradigm for religious practice, as opposed to the Arhat who is criticised for leading a cloistered life devoted to the self-interested pursuit of liberation. Schools which embraced the earlier ideal are henceforth referred to disparagingly as the Hīnayāna (Small Vehicle), or the Śrāvakayāna (Vehicle of the Hearers).
The philosophical teachings of the Mahāyāna are adumbrated in a new body of literature known as the Prajñā-pāramitā Sūtras or ‘Perfection of Insight’ texts. Here the doctrine of emptiness (śūnyatā) comes to prominence, and the Buddha is seen in a new light as a supernatural being who is worthy of loving devotion. This new conception of his nature is later formalized in the doctrine of the trikāya (three bodies). In due course new teachings and schools arose under the umbrella of the Mahāyāna such as the Mādhyamaka, the Yogācāra, the Pure Land tradition, and the Vajrayāna. The Mahāyāna form of Buddhism is predominant in north Asia. It spread from India to Nepal, Tibet, and central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Under the influence of these cultures it has taken many forms: the Buddhism of Nepal and Tibet has been influenced by tantric practices and the shamanism of central Asia, while in China the influence of Taoism and Confucianism have left their mark. The interaction between Buddhism and Taoism gave rise to the Ch'an school of contemplative quietism which developed into Japanese zen.
Mahāyāna 大乘 also called Great Vehicle or Bodhisattva Vehicle. It is a schoolof Buddhismprevalent in China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Tibetand other places in the Far East. It is also called Northern Buddhism.
Mahāyāna is described as seeking Buddhahood and transforming beings, thus self-benefiting for the benefits of the others.
mahāyāna: 'Great Vehicle'. A name used by the Mahāyānists to stress that they aim at the perfect Buddha-hood of all beings, and their ideal is thus superior to that of the Hīnayāna.
theg chen
[tenses]
- theg
- pa
- chen
- po
[translation-san] mahāyāna
[translation-eng] {Hopkins} Great Vehicle
theg pa chen po
[translation-san] {L,MSA,MV} mahāyāna
[translation-eng] {Hopkins} Great Vehicle
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