Theravada and Mahayana can be seen as two great streams flowing from the same source, shaped by different ideals and emphases while sharing the core teachings of the Buddha. Theravada places its focus on individual liberation, holding up the arahant as the model practitioner: one who, through disciplined conduct, meditation, and insight, brings the cycle of rebirth and suffering to an end. Mahayana, by contrast, centers on the bodhisattva ideal, in which the practitioner aspires not only to personal awakening but to remain engaged with the world, working for the enlightenment of all beings and even postponing final nirvana for their sake. Both perspectives affirm the possibility of liberation, yet they frame the ultimate goal somewhat differently: Theravada stresses the cessation of suffering for the individual, whereas Mahayana envisions universal liberation as the fullest expression of the path.

These differing ideals are reflected in how each tradition understands the Buddha and the nature of Buddhahood. Theravada generally portrays Siddhartha Gautama as a supremely awakened human teacher whose life and teachings form the definitive guide to practice. Mahayana, while not denying the historical Buddha, often speaks of him in more transcendent terms, as one manifestation of a cosmic reality, with multiple Buddhas and bodhisattvas active across countless realms. This broader vision is closely linked to teachings on Buddha-nature in Mahayana, which affirm a universal potential for awakening present in all beings, and to a more elaborate cosmology in which devotion and relationship to these enlightened figures become central practices.

Scripture and practice also diverge in characteristic ways. Theravada relies on the Pali Canon (Tipitaka) as its primary and authoritative body of texts, emphasizing foundational doctrines such as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, dependent origination, and detailed analysis of mind and matter. Mahayana accepts this early canon but also embraces additional sutras—such as the Lotus Sutra and Heart Sutra—that articulate themes like emptiness, the non-duality of samsara and nirvana, and the bodhisattva path. In daily and monastic life, Theravada tends to stress strict Vinaya discipline, mindfulness, and meditation practices such as vipassana and samatha, with lay followers often focusing on ethical living and support of the monastic community. Mahayana, while also valuing meditation and ethics, employs a wider range of methods, including devotion to Buddhas and bodhisattvas, visualization, mantra, and other ritual forms, and places strong emphasis on the accessibility of enlightenment to laypeople through various skillful means.

These two currents have also taken root in different cultural landscapes. Theravada is most prominent in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, where monastic institutions and meditation lineages have played a central role in religious life. Mahayana has flourished in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, and Mongolia, giving rise to diverse schools that interpret the bodhisattva ideal and Mahayana sutras in distinct yet related ways. Despite their differences in doctrine, practice, and style, both traditions remain grounded in the Buddha’s original insight into suffering, its causes, and the path that leads beyond it, offering complementary ways of walking the same ancient road toward awakening.