Theravada and Mahayana

There are two major traditions of Buddhism such as Theravada and Mahayana. In Theravada Buddhism, the goal is to become an enlightened saint who has attained nirvana while Mahayana Buddhists hope to become bodhisattvas, altruistic enlightened saints who delay nirvana so they can help others attain it.

Theravada Buddhism

Theravada is one of the two major traditions of Buddhism: the other is Mahayana. Whereas Mahayana is sometimes referred to as Northern Buddhism, Theravada is called Southern Buddhism for its prominence in the more southern countries of Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, among others. The name comes from the Pali language and is translated as “doctrine of the elder monks.” Theravada claims to be the oldest school of Buddhism and the one that remains closest to the Buddha's original teachings, having descended from the Buddha's own disciples. According to the book, “The Pali Canon constitutes the definitive core of Theravada Buddhism. Theravada is the name of one, albeit a prominent one, of the schools of Buddhism that took form in India during the centuries following the death of Buddha in the early fifth century B.C.E.” (Bresnan 213)

There are some 

Mahayana Buddhism

different between Theravada and Mahayana. Unlike Theravada Buddhists whose goal is to become enlightened saints who have attained nirvana, Mahayana Buddhists hope to become bodhisattvas, altruistic enlightened saints who delay nirvana so they can help others attain it. Mahayana is one of the two main traditions of Buddhism, the other being Theravada. From Sanskrit, maha means “great” and yana means “vehicle.” The Mahayana tradition also teaches that even a layperson can attain enlightenment. The schools within the Mahayana Buddhist tradition differ in how to achieve this goal, but believe that enlightenment is attainable in a single lifetime. In my opinion, I think the thing that make two traditions is different is the goal, the belief and opinions.

Work Cited

Bresnan, Patrick. Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. Fifth ed., Pearson, 2013.