MAHAYANA

 Mahayana is one of the important Schools of Buddhism. Like any living religion, Buddhism also  constantly reinterpreted, added to and transformed by the social and cultural traditions amidst which it was practiced. It gave birth to various schools of thoughts and beliefs differing on various points of doctrine and their practice. By the third century BC there were about twenty such different schools of Buddhism co existing and growing in south Asian countries and abroad. One of them is the precursor of the Mahayana school. The main concepts of the Mahayana doctrine were articulated in the first century AD by Nagarjuna through his famous treatise known as Prajnaparamita, a text on transcendental knowledge or the perfection of wisdom.

Mahayana is the response to the expectations of the world; an altruistic and representative views of all those great teachers and Bodhisattwa’s who renounced their salvation from life for keep helping fellow men to their path to enlightenment. It was taken as a path to salvation more directly conceivable, less demanding and easier for an ordinary man to follow.  As its name suggests, Mahayana is considered as  the great vehicle and thus, this doctrine made salvation  possible for all human beings, monks and laity alike not only through their individual  endeavor but also through the vicarious efforts of the Boddhisattvas. 

Unlike in Hinayana, Mahayana recognized faith and worship as alter¬native path to enlightenment and salvation. An inevitable consequence of this being reinterpretation of the concepts of Buddhism.

Putting it in other words, early Buddhism stressed that the goal of each individual was to seek freedom from the chain of rebirth and thus from all sufferings. The word used to describe this goal was Nirvana . Although there were many different philosophical schools, the religion centered around the institution of the monastery with its ordained monks and a lay congregation that supported the monastery. The rituals were simple and minimum. Meditation and introspection were encouraged. Each individual sought his own Nirvana.  But, in case of  Mahayana Buddhism the concept of Boddhisattwa is very important. He is considered as the one who is already enlightened but still desirous to stay on for the welfare of others. His practice of six Parmita’s or the texts of transcendental knowledge namely Dana, Sila, Kshanti, Birya, Dhayana, Prajna is exalted and emphasized. The function of the Boddhistwa is believed to be the postponement of his own final leap into Nirvana and retaining of his life cycle as long as a single sentient being remain undelivered from suffering.