MAHAYANA BUDDHISM PERSONAL OUTLINE

Believing itself as the more genuine version of Buddha’s teachings, Mahayana Buddhism has diverged
into numerous schools with each developing its own canon and rituals since its founding more than two
thousand years ago. Also known as the “Great Vehicle,” Mahayana Buddhism emerged out of monastic
rule and doctrinal differences within the original form of Buddhism. While the two major Buddhist
schools of Mahayana and Theravada both originated in the foundational teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, their methods and search for liberation from the cycle of reincarnation can be very different.
They may be viewed as two different articulations of the original principles of the historical Buddha. For
example, in contrast to the Theravada school of thought, Mayahana Buddhism aims to extend religious
authority to a larger number of people.Not a single group but more of an assembly of Buddhist customs,
Mahayana Buddhism is widespread in China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Tibet. With its openness to
more traditional religious views, it has developed a wide appeal to common people and gained
tremendous ground in becoming one of the most successful missionary religions in the world (Hopfe
1983).

While the Mahayana branch accepts the canonical texts of the Theravada school, such as the Tripitaka
(Sanskrit word for “Three Baskets”) which is the collection of Buddha’s teachings, it also has a wide array
of philosophical and devotional texts, especially since Mahayana Buddhism initially became more
receptive to change and to subsequent innovations even from indigenous culture. Mahayana Buddhism
includes many sacred writings which are nearly identical in content with the Pali Canon of the Theravada
sect. The canon of Mahayana Buddhism also consists of the Tripitaka, namely, Sutra Pitaka(Discourse),
Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline), and Abhidharma Pitaka (Ultimate Doctrine).

One of the most popular and prominent Mahayana Buddhist texts (or sutra) is the Lotus Sutra, or the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra that literally means "correct dharma white lotus sutra" or “Sutra of the Lotus
of the Wonderful Law” in Sanskrit. A sutra pertains to one of the discourses of the historical Buddha that
comprise the basic text of Buddhist sacred writing. The teachings of Siddhartha Gautama are generally
recorded in a wide corpus of sutras and often taking the form of dialogues instead of analytically
explicating a certain viewpoint. Siddhartha sought to provide answers even to the most basic questions
concerning human existence. The Lotus Sutra is presented as a discourse conveyed by Siddhartha
Gautama before his eventual death. Mahayana tradition maintains that while the sutras were recorded
during Siddhartha Gautama’s lifetime, these sutras were kept for 500 years and reintroduced only during
the “Fourth Buddhist Council” in Kashmir in 78 C.E.
Siddhartha Gautama, born in the fifth or sixth century C.E. in present-day Nepal, is considered the
historical Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. After he attained enlightenment at the age of 35, he came to
be known as Gautama Buddha and spent the rest of his life preaching across India. He died at the age of
80. For Theravada Buddhism, only the historical Buddha and past Buddhas are accepted. For Mahayana
Buddhism, there are other contemporary and popular Buddhas apart from the historical Buddha.The
concept of trikaya (“three bodies”) pertains to the teaching of Mahayana Buddhism about the nature of
the Buddha and reality. While Theravada Buddhism puts very limited emphasis on trikaya, this doctrine is
very well-mentioned in Mahayana Buddhism which states that each Buddha has three bodies, namely,
dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. The table below summarizes the nature of the three
bodies of Buddha.

For Mahayana Buddhists, Buddhas are not individuals who actually lived in this world. In some ways,
they are simply expressions of the one Buddha reality, such as that of Siddhartha Gautama (Brown
1975). These great Buddhas are to be found in various heavens enshrined together with other gods and
saints. In China, Amitabha is a very popular Buddha.

Based on the Mahayana tradition, a bodhisattva must pass 10 bhumis(“grounds” of “land”) before
attaining the so-called “Buddha-hood.” These are extensions of the “Eightfold Path” as discussed in the
previous lesson on Theravada Buddhism. The bhumis are frequently associated with the
paramitas(“perfections”). Translated as “to cross over the other shore,” paramitasimply crossing from
the “sea of suffering” to the “shore of happiness.” One is lifted from the cycle of rebirth to finally achieve
liberation. While the first five paramitas are principally concerned with the accumulation of merits, the
sixth paramita involves the attainment of wisdom.

Mahayana Buddhism consists of a variety of schools and family of religions. When the teachings of
Mahayana Buddhism spread in many Asian nations, it acquired new concepts from these localities that
found articulation in many ritualistic practices and divine figures.The more philosophical side of Indian
Mahayana Buddhism was developed within the context of the two major schools, namely, the
Madhyamika and the Yogachara (Adams 1965). The first school to emerge is the
Madhyamika(“Intermediate”) whose adherents stress the transformation of human perception to handle
the truth of that which is ultimately real beyond any duality. On the other hand, Yogachara (“Practice of
Yoga”) thinkers emphasize that the truth a human being perceives does not exist.

The Mahasamghika (“of the Great Sangha”), one of the early Buddhist schools, became the

source for the initial growth of Mahayana Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhists advanced the radical idea that Siddhartha Gautama was not the only Buddha.
There were other divine beings that came to our world even before Siddhartha, some of them came
after him, and still others in the future. The canon of Mahayana Buddhism consists of the Tripitaka,
namely, Sutra Pitaka (Discourse), Vinaya Pitaka (Discipline), and Abhidharma Pitaka (Ultimate Doctrine).
Mahayana Buddhism adopted the Sanskrit usage rather than the Pali form of common terms strictly
used in Theravada Buddhism.

One of the most popular and prominent Mahayana Buddhist texts (or sutra) is the Lotus Sutra
containing the most definitive teachings of the Buddha.

The concept of trikaya (“three bodies”) pertains to the teaching of Mahayana Buddhism about the
nature of the Buddha and reality.One distinct feature of Mahayana Buddhism concerns its teaching
about an enlightened being or bodhisattva (“enlightened existence”) who is already eligible to enter
nirvana but opts to forego this right to assist others attain the same state.

Buddhism integrates an assortment of religious practices and devotional rituals with the objective of
aiding worshippers in their journey toward enlightenment and in bringing blessings to each and every
one.Mahayana Buddhism consists of a variety of schools and family of religions, including the Pure 9Land
Sect, the Intuitive Sects, Rationalist Sect, Socio-political Sect, and Tibetan Buddhism.