Mahayana

Mahayana (Sanskrit: महायानcode: sa is deprecated , mahāyāna, literally the "Great Vehicle") is one of the three main branches of Buddhism. Zen is a kind of Mahayana that is influenced by Chinese Buddhism.

Buddhism
Basic terms
Three Jewels Four Noble Truths Dukkha Suffering Samudaya Cause of Suffering Nirodha Cessation of Suffering Magga Noble Eight Fold Path Buddhahood Enlightenment Nirvana
People
Gautama Buddha Dalai Lama Bodhisattva Sangha
Schools
Theravada Mahayana Zen Vajrayana Nyingma Kagyu Sakya Gelug
Practices
Dharma study Noble Eightfold Path Meditation Chanting Metta

Mahayana Media

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  An illustration in a manuscript of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra from Nalanda, depicting the bodhisattva Maitreya, an important figure in Mahāyāna

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  The Five Tathāgatas in Shishoin Temple (Tokyo). A unique feature of Mahāyāna is the belief that there are multiple Buddhas which are currently teaching the Dharma.

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  Seated Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva. Gandharan, from Loriyan Tangai. Kushan period, 1st – 3rd century CE. Indian Museum, Calcutta

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  Cave complex associated with the Mahāsāṃghika sect. Karla Caves, Mahārāṣtra, India

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  Painting from the Mogao Caves (Cave 217), Dunhuang, illustrating Sukhavati, the buddhafield of Amitabha Buddha

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  Photograph of three bodhisattva statues found at Jamal Garhi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).

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  Ruins of the Nalanda Mahavihara (Great Monastery) in Bihar, a major center for the study of Mahāyāna Buddhism from the fifth century CE to c. 1200 CE

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  Recreation of a cave mural from the Mogao Caves depicting the Buddha surrounded by bodhisattvas