What is zen Buddhism?
• What is “Mahayana Buddhism”? Mahayana means “great vehicle” and is one of the schools of Buddhism which prevalent in China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Tibet and other places in the Far East. It is also called Northern Buddhism and Zen Buddhism is one of its schools which has become popular in the West. In India, Mahayana succumbed to the spread of Hinduism after the 9th century AD. Mahayana is described as seeking Buddhahood and transforming beings, thus self-benefiting, for the benefit of the others. It evolved from Savakayana between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD, probably in response to a combination of factors including the continued development of the implications of what Buddha had taught, the shift in emphasis from meditation to philosophical contemplation, accommodating the needs of the lay community, and the need to respond to the challenge of Hinduism.
