Nicholas
Bodhicitta
In the new translation of the Ornament of Great Vehicle Sutras, the translator give a traditional definition of 'mahayana':
“Why is this called the “Great Vehicle of enlightenment”?
Because whoever rides it delivers all sentient beings from suffering.
Resembling space, this vehicle is an immeasurable palace;
Granting joy, happiness, and bliss, this vehicle is supreme.
In these few lines, the Noble Sūtra on Transcendent Insight in Eighteen Thousand Lines teaches us about the nature, effect, purpose, and benefits of the so-called “Great Vehicle” (Skt. Mahāyāna). The sūtras of the Great Vehicle contain many hundreds of thousands of such lines of instruction, each of them contributing to a dynamic framework of teaching and realization—the Great Vehicle—that is intended to yield a buddha’s awakening for the sake of all sentient life.”
Excerpt From: The Dharmachakra Translation Committee. “Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras.” iBooks. iTunes - Books - Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras by Maitreya
“Why is this called the “Great Vehicle of enlightenment”?
Because whoever rides it delivers all sentient beings from suffering.
Resembling space, this vehicle is an immeasurable palace;
Granting joy, happiness, and bliss, this vehicle is supreme.
In these few lines, the Noble Sūtra on Transcendent Insight in Eighteen Thousand Lines teaches us about the nature, effect, purpose, and benefits of the so-called “Great Vehicle” (Skt. Mahāyāna). The sūtras of the Great Vehicle contain many hundreds of thousands of such lines of instruction, each of them contributing to a dynamic framework of teaching and realization—the Great Vehicle—that is intended to yield a buddha’s awakening for the sake of all sentient life.”
Excerpt From: The Dharmachakra Translation Committee. “Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras.” iBooks. iTunes - Books - Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras by Maitreya