Great Vehicle

E282917

Great Vehicle is the English translation of Mahayana, a major branch of Buddhism emphasizing universal compassion and the attainment of enlightenment for all beings.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Great Vehicle canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist tradition
branch of Buddhism
religious movement
aimsAt liberation of all sentient beings
associatedWith Northern Buddhism
linked to: East Asian Buddhism
centralConcept Buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha)
linked to: Tathagatagarbha

bodhisattva ideal
emptiness (śūnyatā)
contrastsWith Hinayana (pejorative term)
Theravada
coreIdeal becoming a bodhisattva
cosmologyIncludes multiple Buddha-fields (Buddha-kṣetras)
developedFrom early Buddhist schools
doctrineType Mahayana Buddhism
linked to: Mahayana
emphasizes attainment of enlightenment for all beings
universal compassion
EnglishNameOf Mahayana
ethicalFocus compassion (karuṇā)
wisdom (prajñā)
goal complete Buddhahood
hasScriptures Mahayana sutras
hasTranslationOf Mahayana
holdsThat all beings have potential for Buddhahood
includesSchool Chan
Huayan
linked to: Huayan / Kegon

Nichiren Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism
Tiantai
Zen
influencedRegion China
Japan
Korea
Tibet
Vietnam
linked to: Viet Nam
isMajorBranchOf Buddhism
literalMeaning Great Vehicle
originatedIn India
promotesPractice devotional practices to Buddhas and bodhisattvas
perfections (pāramitās)
scripturalLanguage Sanskrit
selfDesignation Mahāyāna
linked to: Mahayana
teaches multiple Buddhas and bodhisattvas
skillful means (upāya)
timePeriodOfEmergence around the first century BCE to first century CE
usesConcept three bodies of the Buddha (trikāya)
viewsOtherPathsAs less comprehensive vehicles

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Mahayana alsoKnownAs Great Vehicle