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Mapping the Mahāyāna: Some Historical and Doctrinal Issues
Author(s) -
D’Amato Mario
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
religion compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.113
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1749-8171
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2008.00083.x
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , psychology , buddhism , epistemology , philosophy , psychoanalysis , theology , artificial intelligence , computer science
Buddhism is often characterized as divided into two forms: Mahāyāna and H?nayāna. But how should this distinction be understood? In this article, I offer the reader a sense of how the contours of the Mahāyāna have been drawn from a historical and doctrinal perspective. I discuss three theories regarding the origins of the Mahāyāna, and elucidate an account of the Mahāyāna from a significant Mahāyāna treatise. I also comment on the use of the terms ‘Mahāyāna’ and ‘H?nayāna’, and conclude with some thoughts on a conundrum regarding the Mahāyāna's own self‐understanding.