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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. 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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˌMahaˈyanist, noun
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Other Words From

  • Ma·ha·ya·nist [mah-h, uh, -, yah, -nist], noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Mahayana1

1865–70; < Sanskrit, equivalent to mahā- great + yāna vehicle
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Mahayana1

from Sanskrit, from mahā great + yāna vehicle
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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.

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

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

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

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

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MahaviraMaha Yuga