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Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana, in contrast to the Theravada school of Buddhism, can be
characterized by:
Universalism, in that everyone will become a buddha;
Enlightened wisdom as the main focus of realization;
Compassion through the transferral of merit;
Salvation - as opposed to liberation - supported by a rich cosmography,
including celestial realms and powers, with a spectrum of bodhisattvas , both
human and seemingly godlike, who can assist followers.
Transcendental immanence, in that the immortal Buddha Principle (see
Buddha-nature) is present within all beings.
“Philosophical” Mahayana tends to focus on the first three characteristics
(universalism, enlightened wisdom, compassion) and, in some schools, the
Buddha-nature, without showing much interest in supernatural constructions,
while “devotional” Mahayana focuses mainly on salvation towards other-worldly
realms.
Mahayana Buddhism Origins
Tenets of Buddha-nature Doctrine
Buddha Nature
Universalism
Mahayana traditions generally consider that buddhahood is not final. This is
based on a subtle doctrinal distinction between the Mahayana and the early
Buddhist schools concerning the issues of nirvana-with-remainder and
nirvana-without-remainder.
The early schools considered that nirvana-without-remainder always follows
nirvana-with-remainder (buddhas first achieve enlightenment and then, at
'death', mahaparinirvana) and that nirvana-without-remainder is final; whereas
the Mahayana traditions consider that nirvana-without-remainder is always
followed by nirvana-with-remainder – the state of śrāvakabuddhahood is not
final, and is eventually succeeded by the state of buddhahood, or total
enlightenment.
This distinction is most evident regarding doctrinal concerns about the
capability of a buddha after nirvana (which is identified by the early schools
as being nirvana-without-remainder). Most importantly, amongst the early
schools, a samyaksambuddha is not able to directly point the way to nirvana
after death. This is a major distinction between the early schools and the
Mahayana, who conversely state that once a samyaksambuddha arises, he or she
continues to directly and actively point the way to nirvana until there are no
beings left in samsara . Because the views of early schools and Mahayana differ
in this respect, this is exactly why the Mahayana do not talk about a
bodhisattva postponing nirvana, and exactly why the early schools do.
For example, the early schools held that Maitreya ( will not attain nirvana
while Gautama Buddha's teachings still exist. While the Mahayana schools hold
that Maitreya will be the next buddha manifest in this world and will introduce
the dharma when it no longer exists, he is not postponing his nirvana to do so,
and when he dies (or enters mahaparinirvana), he will likewise continue to teach
the dharma for all time. Moreover, Mahayana argues that although it is true that
for this world-system, Maitreya will be the next buddha to manifest, there are
an infinite number of world-systems, many of which have currently active buddhas
or buddhas-to-be manifesting.
So, based on the doctrinal distinctions between the early schools and the
Mahayana concerning the meaning of nirvana-without-remainder, we see two
distinct views concerning the path of the bodhisattva, with the early schools
stating that bodhisattvas postpone their own nirvana, whereas the Mahayana
schools state that bodhisattvas attempt to reach nirvana as soon as possible,
just as sravakas do, but with the motive to continue to effortlessly benefit all
beings for all time due to the distinction of views regarding the ability of a
buddha after mahaparinirvana.
Because the Mahayana traditions assert that eventually everyone will achieve
samyaksambuddhahood or total enlightenment, the Mahayana is labelled
universalist, whereas because the Nikaya traditions assert that there are three
routes to nirvana, which are distinct, they are considered not to be
universalist.
Books
Paul Williams, Mahayana Buddhism, Routledge, 1989
Schopen, G. "The inscription on the Kusan image of Amitabha and the character of
the early Mahayana in India", Journal of the International Association of
Buddhist Studies 10, 1990
”The Vision of the Buddha”, Tom Lowenstein, ISBN 1-903296-91-9
Kevin Lynch, The Way Of The Tiger: A Buddhist's Guide To Achieving Nirvana,
Yojimbo Temple, 2005
Beal, Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese, (London, 1871)
J. J. M. de Groot, Le code de Mahayana en Chine, (Amsterdam, 1893)
S. Kuroda, Outline of Mahayana, (Tokyo, 1893)
D. T. Suzuki, Outline of Mahayana Buddhism, (London, 1907)
Asvaghosa, Sutralamkasa trad. sur la version chinoise par Huber, (Paris, 1908)
Haas, Amida Buddha unsere Zuflucht, (from the Japanese, Leipzig, 1910)
Murdoch, History of Japan, volume i., (Yokohama, 1910)
Walleser, Die mittlere Lehre des Nagarjuna, (translated from the Tibetan,
Heidelberg, 1911; from the Chinese, ib., 1912)
D. T. Suzuki, in The Monist, volume xxiv, (Chicago, 1914). The Monist was edited
by Paul Carus.
Hinduism and Buddhism
Similarities between Hinduism and
Buddhism
Buddhism and Eastern Teaching
God in
Buddhism
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