Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana: Key Differences and Concepts

Theravada

Theravada views itself as representing the original and authentic teaching of the Buddha. It emphasizes the pursuit of Nirvana through the individual’s own efforts. The Buddha is revered as one who achieved Nirvana and provided his teachings, the Dharma, so that others could do the same. But the Buddha himself is beyond the reach of the individual and no longer available to provide direct assistance. Theravada stays true to the Buddha’s last words: “Work out your salvation with diligence.” The individual pursues Nirvana primarily through meditation, for which the monastic lifestyle is best suited. Theravada therefore also emphasizes the central role of the monastic community, or Sangha. Those who do attain Nirvana are known as arhats.

Mahayana

Mahayana Buddhism understands the Buddha as something far greater: the earthly expression of ultimate reality. In the Mahayana view, reality exists at three levels called Buddha Bodies. At the lowest level is the Nirmanakaya, the “earthly body,” which is ultimate reality expressed rather crudely in material forms. The second Buddha Body is the Sambhogakaya, or “bliss body.” This is ultimate reality expressed at what we might think of as a “heavenly” level, at which particulars exist but are beyond space and time. This is the level at which many bodhisattvas and “celestial buddhas” exist. At its highest level, the Dharmakaya, or “truth body,” ultimate reality exists as it is: undifferentiated, impersonal, absolute—and completely beyond all forms and labels.

• Nirmanakaya — the “earthly body,” ultimate reality expressed in material forms.
• Sambhogakaya — the “bliss body,” a heavenly level where bodhisattvas and celestial buddhas exist.
• Dharmakaya — the “truth body,” undifferentiated and beyond all forms and labels.

Vajrayana

Vajrayana is a unique form of Buddhism that combines elements of Mahayana—and, in particular, the bodhisattva ideal—with secret teachings found in the Tantras, ancient Indian texts that teach esoteric knowledge about special methods for attaining enlightenment and liberation.

The Tantric texts reveal Tantra as a system of thought and practice based on the idea that the material world is a manifestation of divine energy. Practitioners of Tantra seek to gain control of this energy and to channel it in ways that will allow them to break through the confines of the ego, thereby finding enlightenment and liberation.