Similarities And Differences Between Mahayana And Two...

In Buddhism, the two major branches are the Theravada and Mahayana. Theravada is known as the â€Å"tradition of the elders.† Mahayana is called the â€Å"large vehicle.† Mahayana Buddhist came about after the first Buddhist council split. The second Buddhist council began a hundred years after the death of the Buddha. The councils came together to discuss the differences in buddha orders in which some Monks believed. They talked about the true meaning behind the Buddha teachings and certain practices. Monks that have followed these different teachings and practices didn’t reach an agreement with the first council who believe in the traditional ( Theravada) practices. The two different school of thoughts has spilled the councils. This split led†¦show more content†¦The Mahayana has their own thoughts of how Buddhism should be taught and practiced. This is where the differences in each school of thought comes in. Mahayana does believe in Gotayama Buddha b eing the main teacher of Buddhism but also believes in contemporary Buddha like Amitabha (the Buddha of infinite light) and medicine Buddha. Theravada and Mahayana both believe in Bodhisattva Theravada only believe in one Maitreya . Maitreya Bodhisattva is to believed to come in the future. Mahayana believes in multiple bodhisattvas the four main ones they believe in are Avalokitesvara, Mansjuri, Ksitigarbha, and Samanthabadra. Theravada believes in becoming an arahant. Arahat is Theravada Buddhist who reach nirvana. Nirvana meaning end their suffering and stopped themselves of rebirth. Theravada believes in becoming an arahant by self-reliance. Mahayana believe in Bodhisattva. Mahayana believe that people should reach bodhisattva level of enlightenment and stop themselves before reaching nirvana. The reasoning behind stopping themselves are that they should help others in reaching enlightenment and help in the suffering of others. Bodhisattvas stop themselves right before nirvana because they believe they can be rebirth, reach enlightenment again, and continue to help others They believe anyone can achieve enlightenment. Some other differences are that MahayanaShow MoreRelatedHinduism Vs. Buddhism970 Words   |  4 PagesHinduism and Buddhism are two of the most interesting religions in the world. To date, people still practice these religions in varying parts of the world especially in India. Although originating from Ancient India, some have difficulty in differentiating between the two. Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities and also differ immensely. What is Hinduism? 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