Buddhism
The Development of Mahayana Buddhism
· 9 min read
How Mahayana Buddhism originated in India, with new sutras, the bodhisattva ideal, and the doctrine of emptiness.
Origins of Mahayana
Mahayana Buddhism began to form in India around the 1st century BCE. It was not a formal schism but a renewal movement.
First Manifestations
The first Mahayana texts were written in southern India.
The Doctrine of Mahayana
The Bodhisattva Doctrine
The ideal of Mahayana is the path of the bodhisattva: one who seeks the liberation of all beings.
The Doctrine of Emptiness (Sunyata)
Nagarjuna systematized the doctrine of emptiness.
The Two Truths
- Conventional truth: the world as it appears
- Ultimate truth: the empty nature of phenomena
The Mahayana Sutras
- Heart Sutra: the shortest sutra
- Diamond Sutra: presents non-duality
- Lotus Sutra: establishes the Ekayana
- Avatamsaka Sutra: total interpenetration
- Surangama Sutra: 25 doors of perception
The Main Philosophers
Nagarjuna (ca. 150-250 CE)
Founder of Madhyamaka.
Asanga (ca. 300-360 CE) and Vasubandhu (ca. 300-380 CE)
Founders of Yogacara.
Santideva (ca. 685-763 CE)
Author of the Bodhicharyavatara.
The Sub-Schools of Mahayana
Yogacara, Madhyamaka, Tiantai, Huayan, Chan/Zen, Pure Land, Vajrayana.
Mahayana Today
Mahayana is the majority religion in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan.
Sources
- Paul Williams: Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations
- Mark Allon and Robert Sharf: The Origin of Mahayana Buddhism
- Edward Conze: Buddhist Thought in India
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