Definition of "Mahayana"
Mahayana
/ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/
proper noun
(Buddhism) A school of Buddhism widely practised in East Asia and Vietnam which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, recognizes a broader array of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and whose spiritual objective is to achieve Buddhahood and liberate other beings, rather than simply to achieve personal enlightenment, as in Theravada Buddhism.