Real Dictionary

Mahayana in American English
a major movement or school in Buddhism: it emphasizes acts of virtue and compassion rather than asceticism and contemplation
noun: the later of the two great schools of Buddhism, chiefly in China, Tibet, and Japan, characterized by eclecticism and a general belief in a common search for salvation, sometimes thought to be attainable through faith alone

Mahayana in British English
noun: a liberal Buddhist school of Tibet, China, and Japan, whose adherents aim to disseminate Buddhist doctrines, seeking enlightenment not for themselves alone, but for all sentient beings