MMW 12 Chapter Notes - Chapter Reading: Mahayana, Hinayana, Pratyekabuddha

• School: UCSD
• Department: Making of the Modern World
• Course: MMW 12
• Professor: Richard Cohen

Document Summary

Take a lot of the common doctrines of buddhism to the next level: cause no harm to any living thing, buddhas can prolong their life indefinitely, the first. Buddha (gautama) had magical powers, and there is no self of person (atman) therefore there is no self of dharma either (a universal dharma). Three main texts of buddhism (in order of most to least powerful beings): bodhisattva- yana, pratyekabuddha-yana, and sravaka-yana. Pratyekabuddha, coming from solitary buddhas who achieve enlightenment but don"t preach. Hinayana buddhism recognizes the 3 vehicles (listed above) as separate. Buddhism says that the 3 vehicles are only there to encourage everyone to take the path to enlightenment and there is only one great vehicle. The parable of the burning house illustrates this. There"s a house and it burns down and a man escapes. His sons are inside and he wants to save them. They don"t realize the house is burning and continue to play.