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Author : Antoine Turner

Course:World Religion
Date: 4/2/2014
Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism
Religion has always been a fundamental element in every society. It
plays a crucial role in uniting people, enhancing peace and stability owing to
the existence of the shared beliefs and opinions among different factions.
Indeed, religion is recognized as an important component of democracy,
especially with regard to the freedom of worship to which a large number of
people in a free society are entitled. It goes without saying that there are
different types of religion, with Buddhism being one of the oldest in the
world.
Buddhism

refers

to

nontheistic

religion

that

involves

varied

conventions, practices and beliefs which are based on teachings commonly

attributed to the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), or the awakened one.
Dating back to more than 2500 years ago, Buddhism encompasses a
spiritual tradition that concentrates on the getting of deep insight into the
true nature of ones life as well as personal spiritual development (Siderits
33). Having originated in Asia, the religion has spread to other parts of the
world to the extent of having as many as 376 million followers. However,
some people do not consider Buddhism a religion, at least in the western
sense, because of the fact that it does not involve the concept of worshiping

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a creator God or Supreme Being. Indeed, a large number of people see

Buddhism as going beyond the notion of religion and being more of a way
of life or philosophy (Siderits 49). Nevertheless, the essence of the Buddhist
path may be understood through its three major aspects including leading a
moral life, developing comprehension and wisdom, and being aware and
mindful of actions and thoughts of oneself and others (Assavavirulhakam
27).
Buddhist teachings are followed by numerous sects and schools, with
the two largest being Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. The former is the
most popular in areas such as Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), Sri
Lanka, and Thailand, while the latter has Korea, China, Mongolia, Japan, and
Taiwan as its strongholds. Theravada Buddhism takes up 38% of the entire
population of Buddhists, with its history being traced back to the 3 rd century
BC (Harvey 59). It is known to have resulted from 18 different factions of
Buddhism (or Hinayana) with their varied and conflicting perspectives of the
Dhamra. As a result, the different views necessitated the creation of a
unifying faction (or rather the Theravada) by the Third Council (Harvey
61). Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, is acknowledged by about
56% to 62% of the followers of the Buddha. It has eight fundamental
schools including Chan, Zen, and Pure Land among others. Scholars believe
that Mahayana history can be traced back to the original and the oldest
factions of Buddhism, the Mahasamghika (Harvey 63). Interestingly

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enough, both Mahayana and Theravada are the key branches of Buddhism,
but they are similar and different in a number of aspects.
Differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
While Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism bear quite a number of
similarities including belief in the Buddha, having a monastic community,
threefold training (wisdom, mediation and precepts) and even Dharma (the
truth), there are some fundamental differences that make the two branches
distinctive from each other.
First, the two major forms of Buddhism differ with regard to the
person or being whose teachings their adherents follow. Mahayanists are
known to be extremely flexible as they follow Siddhartha Gautama or any
Buddha of their choice. This may be Amitabha, a Buddha who, they believe,
will grant them enlightenment after they die, or Kuan Yin who is believed to
answer the prayers of devotees with immense compassion (Williams 34).
This approach is quite different from Theravadians who exclusively follow
the original or the oldest known teachings of Buddha. They have never
made, do not, and will not make any modifications in the original Buddha
teachings as they deem such changes to be unnecessary (Assavavirulhakam
34).
In addition, the two branches are different as far as their belief in
Bodhisattvas is concerned. Bodhisattvas refer to individuals or beings that
compassionately desist from getting into nirvana in an effort to save other

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people. This being is worshipped as a deity in Buddhism. However, the

difference consists in the fact that Theravada Buddhists only accept Maitreya
bodhisattva,

while

the

Mahayana

Buddhists

have

four

well

known

bodhisattvas apart from Maitreya including Mansjuri, Samanthabadra,

Ksitigarbha, and Avalokitesvara (Kornfield 39).
Moreover, the two schools of Buddhism are different with regard to the
manner in which they view bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is defined as compassion
that is characterized by aspirations for liberation of all sentient human
beings from any form of suffering. As much as the two branches believe in
this compassion, they differ in their perception of who should be in the
centre of the same. In Theravada Buddhism, the main focus of the concept
of Bodhicitta is self-liberation, where the Buddhist would be entirely reliant
on himself or herself to eliminate all forms of defilement (Kornfield 56). As
much as Mahayana Buddhists believe in self-liberation, they also view it
imperative that they help other sentient beings. In essence, Mahayana
Buddhists may be considered the true believers in bodhicitta as they take
care of the need to help other people (Kornfield 78).
Similarly, the two forms of Buddhist thought differ in the way they
understand the matters of life and death. It is well acknowledged that all
Buddhists believe in reincarnation. However, Mahayana and Theravada
Buddhists consider different stages that one has to go through between life
and death. Mahayana Buddhists believe that there is an intermittent stage

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called bardo, which is thought to exist after death and before rebirth. The
term bardo underlines ones state after death in which a person has varied
visions, with ones next rebirth being determined by response to them
(Kozak 45). The concept of bardo or limbo is extensively taught in all
Mahayana Buddhist schools. However, Theravada Buddhists reject the notion
of bardo and, instead, state that an individual undergoes instantaneous
rebirth which continues till one achieves enlightenment. Upon reaching this
stage, one would not be reborn once one dies.
Further, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism differ with regard to their
application of the Trikaya theory. Commonly referred to as the concept of
three bodies, Trikaya theory is a doctrine that states that the Buddha is
made

up

of

three

bodies

(or

kayas)

including

the

Dharmakaya,

Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya. Dharamakaya is the Truth Body that

embodies the principle of enlightenment while knowing no boundaries and
limits. It refers to the embodiment of what may be known as the twofold
purity. The primordial purity of Dharma-kaya is said to be open and empty
and has never been made untidy by ones conceptual confusion or emotional
conflicts. An individual would experience the second (and temporary)
element of Darmakayas twofold purity as a result of cleansing and working
with

ones own feelings

and emotions

on

the

path

of nirvana

or

enlightenment. Nirmanakaya, on the other hand, is the created body or the

enlightened being that is manifested as an individual goes up the path to

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nirvana. Sambhogakaya is the body of mutual enjoyment or body of clear

light (Williams 45). Thus, the Buddha exists in three forms including Buddha
as the body of bliss, transformation and eternal universal consciousness. It
is worth noting that Theravada Buddhists put an extremely limited emphasis
on these bodies of the Buddha with reference being made mainly on
Dharmakaya and Nirmanakaya. This is unlike in Mahayana Buddhism where
the bodies are well-mentioned with the Sambogakaya or enjoyment/reward
body completing the Trikaya concept (Williams 47).
Moreover, there are some variations with regard to the languages
through which teachings of the respective branches of Buddhism are spread.
It goes without saying that language is a fundamental determinant of the
level of penetration of any religious teaching as well as the popularity of any
sect. In the case of Theravada Buddhism, the language in which Dharma
teachings (or Tipitaka) are dispensed is strictly Pali.

This may be

supplemented by the local language pertaining to the place in which the

followers reside. However, the Mahayana Buddhist canon has been subjected
to extensive translation into the local languages of the followers with the
exception of 5 untranslatable ones (Kozak 27). This is irrespective of the fact
that the original transmission language is Sanskrit. Of course, such a
difference may explain the variation in the popularity of the branches of
Buddhism. In this respect, translation of religious teachings may have been
responsible for the immense popularity of Mahayana Buddhism as opposed

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to Theravada Buddhism, despite the latter having been in existence for much
longer. Scholars have also underlined that the increased flexibility of
Mahayana Buddhism on varied matters is responsible for its increased
popularity (Kozak 29).
In conclusion, Buddhism has been and remains one of the key religions
on the globe. Dating as far back as 500 BC, it underlines a spiritual
convention that mainly focuses on getting immense or maximum insight into
the essence of life and ones spiritual development. Some people, however,
opine that Buddhism is not a true religion as its followers do not believe in
God or any Supreme Being. For more than two thousand years, Mahayana
and Theravada have been the major forms of Buddhist thought and life
having some features in common and some distinguishing them from each
other. Indeed, the two branches are similar in a number of respects,
especially in their dedication to the well-being of oneself as well as other
sentient beings. But there are a number of key differences between the two
branches of the same religion. Theravada Buddhists strictly follow the
historical Gautama Buddha, while Mahayana Buddhists may choose from the
several Buddhas. Similarly, Mahayana Buddhists translate their teachings
into the local dialects, while Theravada Buddhists restrict themselves to the
language in which the original texts were written, Pali. On the same note,
the two branches are different with regard to their attitude to the stages of
life and death. Nevertheless, one must admit that Mahayana and Theravada

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only differ in philosophical, metaphysical issues sharing the basic spiritual

values.

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Bibliography
Assavavirulhakam, Prapod. The Ascendancy of Theravada Buddhism in
Southeast Asia. Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, 2010.
Print.
Harvey, Peter. An Introduction to Buddhism: Teaching, History and Practices.
Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992. Print.
Kornfield, Jack. Teachings of the Buddha. Boston, Mass.: Shambhala, 2007.
Print.
Kozak, Arnold. The Everything Buddhism Book: A Complete Introduction to
the History, Traditions, and Beliefs of Buddhism, Past and Present.
Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, 2011. Print.
Siderits, Mark. Buddhism As Philosophy. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. London:
Routledge, 2009. Print.