What is the Difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism? A Simplified Answer

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The following is a simple comparison between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism:

ELEMENTS	THERAVADA BUDDHISM	MAHAYANA BUDDHISM
Founder	Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.)	Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.)
Sacred Texts	Tripitaka	Sutras
Doctrines	Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold Path, Law of Dependent Origination and The Impermanence of Things	Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold Path, The Six Perfections to become a Bodhisattva (generosity, morality, patience, perseverance or zeal, meditation, and insight)
God	non-theistic	non-theistic
Issues	Territory conflict	Tibet invasion, Engaged activism
Universality And Growth Of Sects		Development of Buddhism to Zen (Chan) Buddhism as the fruit of its encounter with Taoism.

Mahayana Buddhism is also known as The Great Vehicle. It is the branch of Buddhism prominent in North Asia, such as in China, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, and Japan.

Some say that it arose out of schisms, primarily about doctrine and monastic rules within Indian Buddhism in the first century C.E.. Nonetheless, the Great Vehicle (Mahayana Buddhism) considers itself a more genuine version of Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhism also accepts the canonical texts of the Theravada Buddhism. (Read: Theravada Buddhism 101: The Brief History, Core Teachings, Fundamental Beliefs, Practices, and Related Issues). However, the Mahayana also has a massive corpus of other philosophical and devotional texts.

What can be said as Mahayana’s most unique teaching is that the evident concern or compassion which is an inherent component of enlightenment is manifested in what it calls ‘bodhisattvas’ (enlightenment beings)—beings who postpone ‘nirvana’ (final enlightenment) just to assist and guide those who still suffer in the cycle of rebirths.

The Mahayana tradition, throughout history, has developed a massive pantheon of bodhisattvas, Buddhas, and other potent beings, and a complex array of devotional and meditational practices directed toward them.

As Mahayana Buddhism moved beyond India, it adopted distinct indigenous cultural characteristics; thus, the Mahayana pantheon in China is considerably dissimilar compared to that in India, or that in Japan.

The core teaching of Mahayana Buddhism is to seek complete enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings through insight and compassion.

Did you notice its difference from Theravada? Mahayana gives emphasis on the great compassion, seen as an intrinsic component of enlightenment, that is manifested in bodhisattvas or the enlightenment beings. In other words, Mahayana focuses not only on Buddha but also on bodhisattvas!

Make no mistake about it, though. Mahayana’s recognized founder, Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.), is the same Buddha in Theravada. Some explain that these two major schools of Buddhism are just dissimilar expressions of the same teaching of the historical Buddha.

As a matter of fact, Mahayana and Theravada agree upon and both practice the core teachings of the Buddha’s Dharma or doctrine. While there was a schism or split, it was largely over the monastic rules and academic points—such as whether an enlightened person could lapse or not—not about Siddhartha’s religious authority and his fundamental doctrines.

For other free lectures like this, visit Homepage: Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems

Copyright © by Jens Micah De Guzman

Also Check Out: The Worldview of Atheism by Jensen DG. Mañebog

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