Mahayana Buddhism (mainstream)
Mainstream Mahayana Buddhism — the dominant tradition of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam — is a low-CLCI reference point. Encompasses Pure Land, Chan/Zen, Tiantai/Tendai, Nichiren and other schools.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — broad family of traditions including Pure Land, Chinese, Korean, Japanese; voluntary practice.
Profile facts
In context
Mahayana Buddhism is internally diverse, lay-friendly, and emphasises the bodhisattva ideal. Pure Land devotion is the largest single tradition globally. Lay participation is voluntary; monastic life is regulated by Vinaya. Specific high-control sub-movements (e.g. NKT, certain Soka Gakkai contexts, Aum Shinrikyo historically) are covered separately.
Key control doctrines
- Bodhisattva ideal
- Emptiness (sunyata) doctrine
- Buddha-nature teachings
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1st c. BCEMahayana sutras emerge
- ModernGlobal diaspora and Western convert communities
Sources
- Paul Williams, 'Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations' (1989) search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.