Mahayana, meaning "The Great Vehicle of the Supreme Dharma," is the vessel that carries all sentient beings toward the path of ultimate liberation. It emphasizes the primary truth that "all beings possess Buddha-nature, and there is no distinction between the Mind, the Buddha, and all sentient beings." Practitioners strive for Supreme Enlightenment, vowing to deliver all beings. they cultivate the vast Bodhicitta by seeking wisdom above and helping all beings below, while diligently practicing the Bodhisattva Path through great vows and actions.

 

The core scriptures of the Supreme Dharma include the Shurangama Sutra, Prajna Sutra, Lotus Sutra, and Avatamsaka Sutra, which elucidate the ultimate emptiness of the true nature of all phenomena and the specific methods of practice. Originating during the Buddha's time in India and evolving through the early schools, Mahayana flourished around the 1st to 5th centuries CE with the establishment of the Madhyamaka school by Nagarjuna and the Yogacara school by Asanga and Vasubandhu. Meanwhile, it spread to China via the Silk Road, becoming the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism after the Northern and Southern Dynasties. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it gave rise to various schools such as Tiantai, Zen, Huayan, Yogacara, and Pure Land.

 

While Mahayana in India gradually merged with Vajrayana and declined, the Exoteric traditions of Chinese Buddhism flourished, spreading to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. As a major branch of Buddhism, it has now reached Western societies, continuing to guide all beings with whom it has a karmic affinity.