Mahāyāna Buddhism: Reasons for Diversity in the Buddha’s Teachings (2)

Abstract

     Despite the existence of various Buddhist schools during King Aśoka’s period, those schools were able to coexist under the same umbrella term “Buddhism.” This was the consequence of changing the definition of “saṅghabheda.” As a result of this change, Buddhism accepted the diversity of any doctrines as long as monastic orders participated in the same group rituals.
     Once the world of Buddhism as a whole came to recognizeand accept the diverse and innovative doctrines, it became possible to satisfactorily explain the phenomenon of the emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
     Mahāyāna Buddhism expounded that Buddhahood could be attained by anyone, regardless of whether they were monks or laypeople. This idea was based on studying the previous births of Śākyamuni Buddha when he was a bodhisattva. It was found that bodhisattvas can become Buddhas after encountering revious Buddhas. Consequently, Early Mahāyāna Buddhism explained different concepts of how to meet Buddhas which could be found in many Mahāyāna Sūtras.