Mahāyāna presents a vision of the path in which the central figure is the bodhisattva, one who generates bodhicitta—the awakened heart-mind—and vows to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Rather than seeking a private escape from suffering, the bodhisattva willingly remains engaged in saṃsāra until others are liberated, guided by profound compassion. This ideal is given concrete shape through the cultivation of the six perfections (pāramitās): generosity, ethical conduct, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom. These perfections are not merely moral virtues but the very means by which the bodhisattva matures insight and compassion together. In this way, the path is framed as an ongoing, relational commitment rather than a solitary quest.

At the heart of Mahāyāna philosophy stands the teaching of śūnyatā, or emptiness, which deepens earlier reflections on non-self. All phenomena, both persons and dharmas, are said to lack inherent, independent existence and arise only through dependent origination. This insight is expressed as a middle way that avoids the extremes of asserting absolute existence or complete non-existence. Emptiness is not a nihilistic void but the openness that allows for interdependence, transformation, and genuine compassion. Transcendent wisdom (prajñā) is precisely the clear seeing of this emptiness, and it is regarded as inseparable from compassion; authentic understanding naturally flowers as care for all beings.

Mahāyāna also affirms that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha), an inherent potential for buddhahood that underlies the obscuring defilements of mind. This teaching grounds the bodhisattva’s universal compassion: no being is seen as irredeemable or fundamentally flawed. The recognition of Buddha-nature goes hand in hand with the doctrine of multiple buddhas throughout time and space, suggesting a cosmos suffused with awakened presence rather than centered on a single historical figure. In this broader vision, great bodhisattvas and buddhas serve as exemplars and supports for practice, embodying the very qualities that practitioners seek to realize.

A distinctive feature of Mahāyāna is the emphasis on skillful means (upāya), the compassionate flexibility with which the dharma is presented. Teachings and practices are adapted to the diverse capacities, needs, and circumstances of beings, without clinging to any single formulation as final. This principle allows for a wide range of methods—ethical discipline, meditation, devotional practices, and philosophical inquiry—to be understood as converging on the same liberating insight. Underlying these varied expressions is a single orientation: to unite wisdom and compassion so thoroughly that the liberation of self and others is seen as one and the same movement of awakening.