Compare Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

Over its long history, Buddhism has taken a wide variety of forms. The Mahayana tradition tends to emphasize rituals and the worship of deities, while the Theravada tradition rejects rituals and gods in favor of pure meditation. Yet all forms of Buddhism share respect for the teachings of the Buddha and the goal of ending suffering and the cycle of rebirth.

The following chart provides an introduction to the similarities and differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

	Mahayana Buddhism	Theravada Buddhism
etymology	Sanskrit, "Great Vehicle"	Pali, "School of the Elder Monks"
languages	Sanskrit. Scriptures translated into local languages.	Pali. Tripitaka is only in Pali. Teaching in Pali supplemented by local language.
main locations	Northern (Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, parts of Southeast Asia)	Southern (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Southeast Asia)
Influences	Heavily influenced by local religious ideas as transmitted to new cultures (China, Japan, Tibet).	Mainly pre-Buddhist Indian influences like concepts of karma, sangha, etc.
branches	8 major schools: four practice-based (Zen, Pure Land, Vajrayana, Vinaya); four philosophy-based (Tendai, Avamtasaka, Yogacara and Madhyamika)	One surviving school (as many as 18 existed at one time)
texts	Tripitaka plus many other sutras (e.g. Lotus Sutra)	Pali Canon/Tripitaka only
Buddhas	Gautama Buddha plus Amitabha, Medicine Buddhas, and others	Historical Buddha (Gautama) and past Buddhas only
Bodhisattvas	Maitreya, Avalokitesvara, Mansjuri, Ksitigarbha and Samanthabadra	Maitreya only
goal of practice	Buddhahood via bodhisattva path	Arhat
Trikaya	Emphasized, including the samboga-kaya or reward/enjoyment body	Very limited emphasis; mainly on nirmana-kaya and dharma-kaya
	Mahayana Buddhism	Theravada Buddhism
Buddha's disciples	Many bodhisattvas that are not historical figures	Historical disciples described in Scriptures
buddha-nature	Emphasized, especially in practice-based schools	Not taught
bardo	Taught by all schools	Rejected
practices	Many, owing to local cultural influences	Very few; not emphasized
mantras	Emphasized in Vajrayana; sometimes incorporated in other schools	Some equivalent in the use of Parittas