Define Theravada and Mahayana. Describe the Arhat and the Bodhisattva. Explain how each achieves the goal of nirvana. Examine how they relate to some of the key concepts/teachings.

Theravada is a branch of Buddhism that focuses on the teachings of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. It is considered to be the oldest surviving school of Buddhism and promotes self-liberation through meditation, mindfulness, and ethical living. The path to liberation for followers of Theravada involves understanding the true nature of reality and eventually achieving Nirvana or enlightenment.

Mahayana is another major branch of Buddhism which emphasizes compassion as an essential part in the pursuit for enlightenment. Its core teaching revolves around bodhicitta or “awakening mind” which encourages practitioners to develop altruistic qualities such as kindness and empathy so that they can eventually reach a higher level of existence – nirvana.

The Arhat (or ‘Arahant’) refers to someone who has achieved enlightenment by following Buddhist teachings in their entirety while Bodhisattva means ‘enlightened being’ – referring to someone who strives towards attaining Nirvana not just for themselves but also for all other sentient beings in order to help them on their own paths.

Both Arhat and Bodhisattva share similar goals when it comes to achieving Nirvana though their approaches differ somewhat; while Arhat strive towards self-liberation through wisdom and personal discipline with no regard for others, Bodhisattvas are more focused on helping others reach this same state through acts of kindness and benevolence as well as remaining mindful/aware in everyday life. They both also relate heavily some key concepts/teachings such interconnectedness impermanence suffering found throughout Buddhist philosophy ultimately leading common goal: reaching end suffering liberating one’s self from cycle reincarnation.