Mahayana
noun
Ma·ha·ya·na
ˌmä-hə-ˈyä-nə 
: a liberal and theistic branch of Buddhism comprising sects chiefly in China and Japan, recognizing a large body of scripture in addition to the Pali canon, and teaching social concern and universal salvation compare theravada
Examples of Mahayana in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An order of nuns still survives in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, where Mahayana Buddhism is practiced.
—
Megan Bryson, The Conversation, 6 May 2025
Surveillance video from an acupuncture and massage business on Canal St. that shares its location with the Mahayana Buddhist Temple shows Ouyang breaking a window there shortly before 1 a.m., police said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
One of the show’s earliest large-scale works, of the kind called a thangka painting in Tibet, is a portrait of the Indian monk Atisha (A.D. 982 to A.D. 1054), who was instrumental in introducing later schools of Buddhism — Mahayana, Vajrayana — to Tibet.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
An overnight cruise around Ashtamudi Lake on the hotel’s Mahayana houseboat, a two-bedroom vessel with hotel trappings, is a worthwhile experience.
—Prasad Ramamurthy, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2024
In a place as spiritual as Bhutan—where 75 to 80 percent of its less than 800,000-person population are Mahayana Buddhist—meditation and temple visits were the main reason for visitors.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 12 Dec. 2023
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Megan Bryson, The Conversation, 6 May 2025
Surveillance video from an acupuncture and massage business on Canal St. that shares its location with the Mahayana Buddhist Temple shows Ouyang breaking a window there shortly before 1 a.m., police said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
One of the show’s earliest large-scale works, of the kind called a thangka painting in Tibet, is a portrait of the Indian monk Atisha (A.D. 982 to A.D. 1054), who was instrumental in introducing later schools of Buddhism — Mahayana, Vajrayana — to Tibet.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
An overnight cruise around Ashtamudi Lake on the hotel’s Mahayana houseboat, a two-bedroom vessel with hotel trappings, is a worthwhile experience.
—Prasad Ramamurthy, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2024
In a place as spiritual as Bhutan—where 75 to 80 percent of its less than 800,000-person population are Mahayana Buddhist—meditation and temple visits were the main reason for visitors.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 12 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Mahayana.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mahayana. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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