Mahayana Buddhism Features

All three features characterize Mahayana Buddhism. Feature 1: Mahayana elevated Buddha to divine status, worshipping him as a god, unlike Theravada which viewed Buddha as a teacher. Feature 2: The Bodhisattva path is central to Mahayana—the concept of enlightened beings who delay nirvana to help others, representing the ideal of compassion. Feature 3: Mahayana embraced image worship and ritualism, developing elaborate ceremonies and depicting Buddha in statues and paintings, which Theravada Buddhism did not emphasize to the same degree. These distinctions mark the major doctrinal differences between Mahayana and Theravada traditions. > Mahayana = deified Buddha + Bodhisattva path + image worship (popular religion). Answer: d.