Key Terms/Ekayāna
Basic Meaning
The notion that ultimately there is only one vehicle, or means, of achieving enlightenment.
Has the sense of
There is ultimately only one way to become a buddha.
See page 281: In Sanskrit, lit. “one vehicle” or “single vehicle.” “Vehicle” literally means “conveyance” or “transportation,” viz., the conveyance that carries sentient beings from saṃsāra to nirvāṇa; the term may also refer to the actual person who reaches the destination of the path. The doctrine of a single vehicle is set forth in certain Mahāyāna sūtras , most famously, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra (“Lotus Sūtra”), which declares that the three vehicles of the śrāvaka (disciple), pratyekabuddha (solitary buddha), and bodhisattva are actually just three expedient devices (upāyakauśalya) for attracting beings to the one buddha vehicle, via which they all become buddhas.
mthar thug nges don snying po'i theg pa ste 'bras bu'i theg pa'o/
