Mahayana

American  

[mah-huh-yah-nuh] / ˌmɑ həˈyɑ nə /

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.

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Mahayana British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Mahayanist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Mahayana

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

Example Sentences

It is most common in East Asia’s Buddhist Mahayana traditions found in Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2023

Mahayana, the larger branch, spread along the great trade routes of Asia into the borderlands of the Parthian Empire, eventually reaching China, Korea, and Japan, where it was gradually infused with local ideas.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Zen is the most purified and austere tradition in Mahayana Buddhism, and “Mind Over Matter” brings out more than 50 objects from the Freer’s rich collection of Zen art, one of the largest outside Japan.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2022

The exhibition title comes from a popular sutra in Mahayana Buddhism that is chanted by zen groups.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2019

Fa-Hsien describes the Buddhism of Ceylon as he saw it about 412 A.D., but does not apply to it the terms Hina or Mahayana.

From Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 by Eliot, Charles, Sir