Mahāyāna is not based on one universal canon. Different communities inherit different collections, especially those preserved in Chinese and Tibetan.
Mahāyāna sūtras expand the literary and doctrinal inheritance: the bodhisattva aspiration, Perfection of Wisdom, Buddha-fields, and—in some scriptures—Buddha-nature.
Traditions accept these works as authoritative Buddhist teachings. Historians investigate their composition and development over centuries. Scriptural authority and historical dating are distinct questions.
Earlier Buddhist materials are also preserved in these broader collections. Mahāyāna is not simply a replacement for everything early.
This page is an orientation to the work or collection, not its full text.