DIFFERENCES | Theravada | Mahayana |
The Buddha | Only Gautama Buddha and past Buddhas | Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha and Medicine Buddha |
Would-be Buddhas | Only Maitreya bodhisatta | Maitreya, Avalokitesvara, Mansjuri, Ksitigarbha and Samanthabadra |
Main Objective | Arahant or full enlightenment ultimately. | Buddhahood (via Bodhisattva) |
Buddhist scriptures | Pali Canon consisting of 3 baskets (Tipitaka) |
Tripitaka |
Geography | Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia, mainly | Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, mainly |
Main Script | In Pali | In Sanskrit |
Nibbana (Nirvana) | No distinction is made between Nibbana attained by a buddha and that of an arahat or pacceka buddha. |
There are subtle distinctions in the level of attainment for the three situations. |
Bardo (Interim stage after death) | not accepted | Accepted |
One meal a day practice | Yes for Monks (plus breakfast in some countries nowadays) | Variable |
Buddha nature | Not known | accepted |
Next Birth if not fully enlightened | Rebirth | Rebirth or Reincarnation |
SIMILARITIES | ||
The Four Noble Truths | similar | similar |
The Eightfold Path | similar | similar |
The Paticca-samuppada or the Dependent Origination | similar | similar |
Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta | similar | similar |
Sila, Samadhi, Panna | similar | similar |
Supreme God Conept | rejected | rejected |