WORLD RELIGIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -The word yana means vehicle or raft, which evokes the image of Buddhist teaching as a raft or vehicle that can help one cross over the river of suffering to the “other shore.” The Mahayana is, thus, the “Great Vehicle.”

Detailed explanation-2: -From Sanskrit, maha means “great” and yana means “vehicle.” Mahayana is sometimes called Northern Buddhism because it is the primary tradition of Buddhism practiced in northern Asia. It is also the largest branch of Buddhism and the one that includes the philosophy of yoga practice (Yogachara).

Detailed explanation-3: -Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion.

Detailed explanation-4: -While Theravada emphasizes individual enlightenment, Mahayana emphasizes the enlightenment of all beings. The Mahayana ideal is to become a bodhisattva who strives to liberate all beings from the cycle of birth and death, bypassing individual enlightenment in order to help others.