What is Mahayana Buddhism? (video)

The Ancient Teachings of Mahayana Buddhism

(Asangoham) While it is difficult to determine the exact date of the emergence of Mahāyāna ("Great Vehicle") Buddhism, it seems to have been some centuries after the passing of the historical Buddha.

The Buddha is believed to have passed away (attained to final nirvana) around 400 BCE. The early texts based on the Buddha's direct teachings, known as the Pāli canon, are the texts Theravāda Buddhism uses as its foundation.

• Theravada means the "teachings" (vada) of the "elders" (theras), who were the immediate first enlightened disciples of the historical Buddha. They heard, recited, memorized, and handed down the Buddha's original words and teachings, the monastic rules and back stories for each, the sutras (discourses) and sayings. The Buddha spoke Magadhi (the language of King Bimbisara's Kingdom of Magadha), and this is Pali, the lingua franca of the area. The Brahmins were the only ones who spoke Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas and later Hinduism. And this is why Mahayana Buddhism is Buddhism in Sanskrit, itself being the Brahminical interpretation of Buddhism slanted and shifted to accord with Brahmanism (the views and religion of Brahmin priests), which was later adopted by Hinduism as its foundation in the Vedas.

It is believed that the later Mahayana tradition developed out of this early form of firsthand Theravāda Buddhism sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. It is by bar the bigger school (90% of Buddhists), encompassing all kinds of Buddhisms apart from those in South and Southeast Asia.

What were the differences, and why did Mahāyāna Buddhism diverge/emerge? Mahāyāna Buddhism was a response to what was perceived as the elitism of the Theravāda tradition, particularly Theravāda Buddhism’s strong monastic tradition, which focused on intensive meditation, morality, monastic rules, and ascetic practices rather than lay people and their daily concerns.

Mahāyāna Buddhism sought to make the Teachings of the Buddha more accessible to ordinary people, not just something for monks and nuns.

It might best be understood as a school of Buddhism that teaches that all people have the capacity to awaken and realize the nature of reality whether in robes or lay clothes.

Mahāyāna Buddhism also tries to emphasize compassion (even over wisdom), a key aspect of the Buddha’s path to enlightenment.

This is illustrated by the Mahāyāna ideal of the bodhisattva, or a "being bent on enlightenment" like the Buddha before he became the Buddha (when he was still the Bodhisattva), who postponed his entrance into final nirvana (complete liberation from all rebirth and suffering) to teach and offer salvation to all living beings -- not just humans, but devas, and animals as well!

• The Dharma, what the Buddha taught, was actually most helpful to devas, judging by how many quickly realized the Truth gained liberation. They admired and listened to the Buddha, who was called "the teacher of gods and men" (the "gods" being devas of various orders and planes of existence and the "men" being humans of all kinds). It is easier for devas to gain insight (clear seeing) and liberation (moksha) if only they can pull themselves away from their pleasurable pursuits and parties and plans and realize that what the Buddha is saying applies to them, too.

Important, too, is that while Theravāda Buddhism recognizes only the Pāli language texts and suttas (sutras) as its official canon, regarding this massive collection as "the true teachings of the historical Buddha," Mahāyāna Buddhism includes texts called agamas and many apocryphal writings and later "sutras" as also the true teachings of, if not this Buddha, other Cosmic Buddhas (particularly Amitabha).

Many of these apocryphal texts are known to have come into existence long after the life of the historical Buddha but are still called the recorded words of the Buddha [which they are not but which may be what he allegedly really meant]. Mahayana constitutes later developments rather than original Teachings.

• Script: Matt Mackane
• Voiceover: Andrea Giordani
• Edit: Medo
• Score: Motion Array x Epidemic Music x Original Score
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• Asangoham, Feb. 19, 2023; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly