Consider the following: 1. Deification of the Buddha 2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas 3. Image worship and rituals Which of the above is/are the feature/ features of Mahayana Buddhism?

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Q: 59 (IAS/2019)
Consider the following:
1. Deification of the Buddha
2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
3. Image worship and rituals
Which of the above is/are the feature/ features of Mahayana Buddhism?
With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term ‘paramitas’? (a) The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style. (b) Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas. (c) Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path (d) Powerful merchant guilds of early medieval south India.

question_subject: 

History

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,192,64,7,29,28,192

keywords: 

{'mahayana buddhism': [0, 1, 0, 3], 'buddha': [1, 0, 1, 5], 'features': [2, 1, 2, 14], 'rituals': [3, 1, 1, 3], 'image worship': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'deification': [0, 0, 0, 1]}

All of the above features are associated with Mahayana Buddhism. So, the correct answer is option (d) 1, 2 and 3.

Mahayana Buddhism emerged as a separate movement from the mainstream Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism in the early centuries of the Common Era. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the worship of Buddha and Bodhisattvas who are considered as the embodiments of compassion and wisdom. This sect advocates that it is not enough to seek enlightenment for oneself; rather, one should aim to help others also to attain enlightenment. Thus, the path of the Bodhisattva (one who is on the way to enlightenment) became a central doctrine in Mahayana Buddhism. It also adopted the use of images and rituals as a means to approach the divine. The Mahayana Buddhism worshipped the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in their celestial forms and personified them in deities with human forms. Thus, the deification of the Buddha became a feature of Mahayana Buddhism.