Mahayana

[ mah-huh-yah-nuh ]

noun

1. the later of the two great schools of Buddhism, chiefly in China, Tibet, and Japan, characterized by eclecticism and a general belief in a common search for salvation, sometimes thought to be attainable through faith alone.

Mahayana

/ ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə /

noun

1. 1. a liberal Buddhist school of Tibet, China, and Japan, whose adherents aim to disseminate Buddhist doctrines, seeking enlightenment not for themselves alone, but for all sentient beings
   2. ( as modifier )

      Mahayana Buddhism

Derived Forms

• ˌMahaˈyanist, noun

Other Words From

• Ma·ha·ya·nist [mah-h, uh, -, yah, -nist], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mahayana¹

1865–70; < Sanskrit, equivalent to mahā- great + yāna vehicle

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mahayana¹

from Sanskrit, from mahā great + yāna vehicle

Example Sentences

Its king was a strenuous follower of our Law, and had (around him) more than a thousand monks, mostly students of the mahayana.

From Project Gutenberg

Students of the mahayana present offerings to the Prajna-paramita, to Manjusri, and to Kwan-she-yin.

From Project Gutenberg

In Japan, a multitude of sects arose, teaching doctrines which differed in many ways from Mahayana orthodoxy.

From Project Gutenberg

And the Mahayana is not a single vehicle but rather a train comprising many carriages of different classes.

From Project Gutenberg

Enlarging I-Ching's definition we may find in the Mahayana seven lines of thought or practice.

From Project Gutenberg