The teaching of the “One Vehicle” (Ekayāna) in the Lotus Sutra presents a vision in which all Buddhist paths are revealed as facets of a single, unified way to Buddhahood. What are commonly spoken of as three vehicles—Śrāvakayāna for disciples, Pratyekabuddhayāna for solitary realizers, and Bodhisattvayāna for bodhisattvas—are reinterpreted as provisional rather than ultimately separate destinations. They are described as skillful means (upāya), tailored to the diverse capacities and dispositions of beings, yet always oriented toward one and the same final goal. In this light, earlier distinctions among paths are not denied, but are gathered into a larger, more comprehensive framework.

At the heart of this doctrine stands the affirmation of universal Buddhahood. All beings, regardless of their initial aspiration—whether seeking personal liberation or the bodhisattva ideal—are said to be ultimately guided toward complete and perfect enlightenment. No sincere practice is regarded as wasted or confined to a lesser attainment; instead, every authentic effort is drawn, sooner or later, into the current of the One Vehicle. This vision dissolves rigid hierarchies among practitioners by asserting a shared spiritual destiny and equal ultimate worth.

The One Vehicle teaching also reshapes how earlier teachings are understood. Rather than viewing multiple vehicles as separate and final, the Lotus Sutra portrays them as pedagogical strategies employed out of great compassion. The Buddha’s earlier instructions are thus honored as effective and meaningful, yet recognized as partial expressions of a deeper, unified intent. This re-reading of the tradition offers a way to hold diversity of teachings and practices without fragmentation, seeing them as stages or gateways within a single overarching path.

For practitioners, this doctrine becomes a profound source of confidence and resolve. By presenting Buddhahood as the common endpoint of all authentic paths, it encourages the bodhisattva orientation as something not reserved for a spiritual elite but ultimately relevant to all. Faith, perseverance, and devotion are strengthened by the assurance that the journey, however it begins, is embraced within the One Vehicle leading to full awakening.