And it differed from the original teachings of the Buddha in many ways, but one that was fundamental. For Mahayana Buddhists, the Buddha was divine. I mean, we can, and religious historians do, fight over the exact definition of divine. But in Mahayana Buddhism, there's no question that the Buddha is venerated to a greater degree. The idea of nirvana also transformed from a release from that cycle of suffering and desire to something much more heavenly and, frankly, more fun. And in some versions of Mahayana Buddhism, there are lots of different heavens, each more awesome than the last. Rather than focusing on the fundamental fact of suffering, Mahayana Buddhism offered the hope that through worship of the Buddha, or one of the many bodhisattvas, holy people who could have achieved nirvana but chose to hang out on Earth with us because they're super nice, one could attain a good afterlife.