The Sūtra of the Visit to Lankara speaks of five vehicles: that of humans and celestial beings; that of Brahma; that of the Shrāvakas; that of the Pratyekabuddhas; and that of the Bodhisattvas. The first two of these are common to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions. The last three are specific to the Buddhist path in their teachings on ultimate freedom and emptiness, which is what we are usually referring to when we speak of the Buddha’s Doctrine.
