In Buddhism, the term 'Mahayana' means:

"Mahayana" means "Great Vehicle" ("maha" = great, "yana" = vehicle or path).

About Mahayana Buddhism:

• It developed around the beginning of the Common Era (1st century BCE - 1st century CE), especially in north-western India and the Deccan.
• It called itself the "Great Vehicle" because it aimed to help all beings attain liberation, not just individual monks.
• It called the older school "Hinayana" ("Lesser Vehicle"); followers of the older tradition call themselves "Theravada" ("Teaching of the Elders").

Main features of Mahayana (NCERT):

• The Buddha came to be regarded as a god, and was worshipped in the form of images.
• Earlier, the Buddha's presence was shown only by symbols, such as the Bodhi tree, a wheel or footprints; now statues of the Buddha were made, especially at Mathura and in Gandhara.
• The idea of the "Bodhisattva" became important: Bodhisattvas are beings who have attained enlightenment, but who choose to stay in the world to help others attain liberation, instead of entering nirvana.
• Bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri were worshipped.
• It developed a large literature in Sanskrit.

Spread of Mahayana:

• It spread to Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Vietnam.
• Many Mahayana texts were translated into Chinese.

Other forms of Buddhism:

• "Hinayana": the older form, which uses the Pali canon and focuses on individual liberation (becoming an "arhat").
• "Zen": a form of Mahayana that stresses meditation, popular in Japan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗"Small Vehicle" is the meaning of Hinayana.
• ✗"Diamond Vehicle" is the name of a later school.
• ✗"Middle Path" is the Buddha's teaching of avoiding extremes.