Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism The Tripitaka and related commentaries are not considered statements of divine truth to be accepted by pure faith The teachings of Buddha are to be experienced and assessed through personal experience It is the finding of truth in the teachings of Buddha that matter, not the words of the teaching themselves In this way the Tripitaka’s passages serve as a guide for followers to use in their own path to enlightenment Until the late 19th century the teachings of Theravada were unknown outside of southern Asia, where it had grown for more than 2,000 years MAHAYANA BUDDHISM While Theravada was constructed for serious followers who could devote a large bulk of their time to mediations, Mahayana Buddhism could accommodate a greater number of people Calling their path the Greater Vehicle, Mahayana Buddhists distinguished themselves from Theravada by calling Theravada the Lesser Vehicle Instead of following a direct line of teachings from the Buddha, the Mahayana Buddhists believed they were recovering the original teachings of the Buddha Their canon of scriptures represented the final teachings and accounted for the loss of their presence for hundreds of years by claiming that these secret teachings were only given to the most faithful Regardless of its origins, Mahayana Buddhism is a departure from Theravada philosophy in that the overall goal was to extend religious authority over a greater number of people In this quest Mahayana Buddhists developed a theory of progressions for attaining enlightenment At the top level was becoming a Buddha Preceding enlightenment was a series of lives, called the bodhisattvas, or beings of wisdom The bodhisattva was a major contribution to Mahayana Buddhism in that it was a concept created to explain Buddha’s lives before his last In this tradition the lives of Siddhartha Gautama before his last were spent working toward becoming a Buddha In those lives he was a bodhisattva, a Buddha-to-be, that could achieve wonderful acts of joy and compassion for others Literature surrounding those lives is collectively called the Jataka, or the Birth Stories Although much is unknown about the earliest traditions in Buddhism, some evidence exists that followers thought there would only be one Buddha Within a short amount of time, it was believed that another Buddha would soon follow This concept of the Maitreya Buddha, or Future Buddha, grew to include the belief that if a Future Buddha was coming then a Buddha or bodhisattva was already on earth passing through life This meant that someone alive at any given moment 463 was the Maitreya In addition, the numbers of Maitreya Buddhas were uncertain The person serving food or cleaning the floors may be the Maitreya Instead of the goal of attaining full enlightenment, as in Theravada Buddhism, a practitioners’ goal is to be the arhant, or the “worthy.” The worthy is one who has learned the truth from others and has realized it as truth Mahayana Buddhists believe that in this way, the follower hears the truth, realizes it as truth, and then passes into nirvana Mahayana Buddhists adhere to seven particular features of Mahayanism The first is Its Comprehensiveness Mahayana Buddhists not confine their beliefs to one Buddha but strive to see truth wherever it may be found The second is Universal Love for All Sentient Beings This belief differs from Theravada Buddhism in that it strives for general salvation of all people Third is Its Greatness in Intellectual Comprehension, meaning that all things in general are not directed by a metaphysical deity The fourth is Its Marvelous Spiritual Energy The bodhisattvas are thought never to tire of working for universal salvation, and they not worry about how much time it takes to achieve this The fifth feature is Its Greatness in the Exercise of the Upaya Upaya translates as “expediency,” or acting as appropriate to achieve a goal The sixth feature is Its Higher Spiritual Attainment, meaning that followers strive to achieve their highest spiritual level Seventh is Its Greater Activity When a bodhisattva becomes a Buddha, it is then able to manifest everywhere to minister to the spiritual needs of all beings Mahayana Buddhism disappeared from India during the 11th century In Southeast Asia, Theravada Buddhism replaced Mahayana Buddhism However, Mahayana Buddhism is the most popular of branch of Buddhism in the world today See also Buddhism in China; Buddhist councils; Sakyas; Tantrism Further reading: Eastman, Roger The Ways of Religion: New York: Oxford University Press, 1999; Gross, Rita M Buddhism after Patriarchy Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1993; Lester, Robert C Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 1973; Lopez, Donald S Jr Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2005; Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism New York: Schocken Books, 1963; Trainor, Kevin, ed Buddhism New York: Oxford University Press, 2004 Melissa Benne