Mahayana literature tends to recognize four primary leaders, whose biographies are explained in detail in both the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra and the Daśabhūmika Sūtra.
mˌæheɪˈɑːnə lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚ tˈɛndz tə ɹˈɛkəɡnˌaɪz fˈoːɹ pɹˈaɪmɚɹi lˈiːdɚz, hˌuːz baɪˈɑːɡɹəfiz ɑːɹ ɛksplˈeɪnd ɪn diːtˈeɪl ɪn bˈoʊθ ðɪ ˈɛs ɐ dˈiː dˈiː ˈeɪtʃ ɐ ˈɑːɹ ˈɛm ɐ ˈɛs ˈɛm lˌɛɾɚwˈʌnˈiːfˈaɪvbˈiː tˈiː wˈaɪ jˈuː pˈiː ɐ ˈɛs tˈiː ˈeɪtʃ ˌeɪmˈækɹˌɑːn ˈɛn ɐ sˈʌtɹə ænd ðə dˈæsɐbhjˌuːmɪkə sˈʌtɹə.