Final answer:
Mahayana, meaning 'Great Vehicle', represents a broad approach within Buddhism that emphasizes universal enlightenment through the bodhisattva ideal. It advocates for following the Eightfold Path for leading a moral life, with an emphasis on meditation and compassion, and includes diverse practices like Pure Land and Zen Buddhism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The literal meaning of the name Mahayana is 'Great Vehicle'. This term has significant implications in the context of Buddhism, as it refers to one of the main branches within this religious tradition. Mahayana Buddhism is characterized by its expansive approach, seeking to accommodate a wider variety of teachings and practices and emphasizing the bodhisattva ideal, where the goal is to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings rather than for individual liberation alone.
Mahayana Buddhism's view on leading a moral life includes following the Eightfold Path, which is a central element of the Buddha's teachings. The Eightfold Path consists of right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. This path is similar to various concepts found in other religious traditions, such as the call for a moral and dutiful life in Hinduism, but differs in its specific practices and ultimate goal of achieving enlightenment.
The meditative practices in Mahayana, such as those found in Zen Buddhism and within the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, aim to cultivate universal compassion and selflessness, contributing to the moral life of practitioners.