MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

LESSON 10
• Believing itself as the more genuine version of Buddha’s
teachings Mahayanan 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
“Great Vehicle,” Mahayana Buddhism emerged out of monastic
rule and doctrinal differences within the original form of
Buddhism.
• While the two major Buddhist schools teachings 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.
• Not a single group but more of an assembly of Buddhist
customs, Mahayana Buddhism is widespread in China,
Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Tibet.
 MAHAYANA
BUDDHISM

WORSHIPS
SACRED & BELIEFS &
SUBDIVISION
SCRIPTURES OBSERVAN- DOCTRINES
CES
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

* During the 3rd century B.C.E., a number of subtle variations began to take place in
Buddhism at a time when Mauryan king Ashoka was propagating Buddhist gospels through
missionary effort (Hopfe 1983).

* The Mahasamghika (“of the Great Sangha”), one of the early Buddhist schools , became
the source for the initial growth of Mahayana Buddhism, especially during the “Second
Buddhist Council” that occurred a hundred years after Buddha’s parinirvana.

* Considered a historical event, a religious schism between thr Mahasamghika and Srhavira
nikaya (“Sect of the Elders”) another major Buddhist school, transpired during the said
council.

* This new ideas eventually concretized resulting in a new form of Buddhism quite different
from the original teachings taught by Siddhartha Gautama and to those accepted by
Theravada Bhuddists. In short, Mahayan Buddhism practically became a new religion.

* Mahayan Buddhism advanced the radical idea that Siddhartha Gautama was not the only
Buddha. There were other devine beings that came to our world even before Siddhartha,
some of them came after him, and still others in the future. Principally, these beings came
to earth to help lessen people’s sufferings and lead them to salvation.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

* While Theravada was the first to enter China during the first century C.E.,
Buddhism did not gain much ground here not until the arrival of Mahayana in the
third century C.E. In time, Mahayana Buddhism took a major foothold of China
while local beliefs were relegated to lesser stature (Hopfe 1983).

* Korea was the next territory to be influenced by Mahayana school around the
fourth century C.E.

* And followed by Japan in the sixth century C.E. Mahayana Buddhism existed
along Japan’s native religion Shintoism.

* Mongolia and Tibet likewise embraced Mahayana Buddhism.

* All theses places developed their own version of Mahayana Buddhism that exist
up until the present today.
SACRED SCRIPTURES
SACRED SCRIPTURE
While the Mahayana branch accepts the canonical texts of the
Theravada shool, such as the Tripitaka (Sanskrit word of “Three
Baskets”) which is the collection of Buddha’s teachings, it also
has wide array of philosophical and devotional text, especially
since Mahayana Buddhism initially became more receptive to
change and to subsequent innivations even from indigenous
culture. Mahayana Buddhism includes many sacred writings which
are nearly identical in context wich the pali canon of the
Theravada sect. The canon of Mahayana Buddgism also consists of
the tripitaka, namely, sutra pitaka (discourse), Vinaya Pitaka
(Discipline), and abhidharma pitaka(Ultimate Doctrine).
Meanwhile, Mahayana Buddhists have teaching or sutras not
present in the Theravada school and the followers believed they
have recovered the original teachings if the Buddha.In fact,
principal scriptures of the Mahayana sect have no parallels in the
Pali Canon (Jurji1946)
One of the most popular and prominent Mahayana Buddhist texts (or
sutra) is the lotus sutra , or the Saddharamapundarika-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 teaching 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 presented as a discourse conveyed by Siddhartha
Gautama before hus 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.
BELIEFES AND DOCTRINES
The Buddha
Siddhartha Guantama, born in the fifth or sixth century C.E. in present-day Nepal,
isconsidered the historical Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism. After he Attained
enlightenment at the age of 35, he came of to be known as Gautama Muddha 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 apart from the
historical buddha.

The Body Nature or Aspect of “Buddha- Manifestation

hood”
Dharmakaya Body of absolute truth; Buddha is transcendent.
Absolute nature of all beings.

Sambhagakaya body that experiences bliss of Bhuddha’s body of bliss, or

enlightenment. enjoynment body.
Nirmanakaya Body that manifests the world; Bhuddha’s earthly body,
embodiment of dharmakaya in Just like any another
human form. Human being’s body.
The dharmakaya is identical with perfect enlightenment that is absolute
and beyond existence or non-existence. Everyone is capable of attaining
this special place which is beyond perceptual forms. As a body of bliss,
the state of sambhogakaya is already enlightened but remains
distinctive. Believed to be a remuneration of one’s aggregated positive
deeds, it serves as a crossing point between the two other trikayas of
Buddha. Lastly, nirmanakaya is the physical body that undergoes birth,
inhabits the world, and dies in the end. The great teacher Siddharta
Gautama is an example of a Ruddha in a state of nirmanakaya.
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 Siddharta 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.
In Japan, Vairocana is the great Buddha.
Bodhisattvas
One distinct feature of Mahayana Buddhism concerns its teaching about
an englightened being or bodhisattva(“englightened