The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (422 page)

 
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Bodhisattva-y
na
.

The ‘Vehicle of the
Bodhisattvas
’, an alternative designation for the
Mah
y
na
or ‘Great Vehicle’, is the way, means or method by which bodhisattvas pursue their religious career.

 
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(704–60).
Indian Buddhist monk, commonly referred to as Baramon-s
j
(Jap., ‘the
brahman
abbot’). Bodhisena, Emperor
Sh
mu
(who conceived the idea), R
ben (the first chief abbot), and
Gy
gi
, a charismatic monk, are known as the four founders of T
dai-ji. T
dai-ji was the central monastery (S
kokubun-ji), unifying all the provincial monasteries and nunneries built by imperial edict. The casting of the Great Buddha (
daibutsu
) demonstrated the majestic power of the emperor and the unity of the nation.