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Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit term that was at one time applied collectively to the Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna paths of Buddhism. This term appeared around the first or second century. The Hīnayāna (or Theravada) is considered as the preliminary or small (hina) vehicle (yana) of the Buddha's teachings. It is often contrasted with Mahāyāna, the second vehicle of the Buddha's teachings, or the great (maha) vehicle (yana). The third vehicle of the Buddha's teachings is the Vajrayana, the indestructible (vajra) vehicle (yana).
Western scholars used the term Hīnayāna to describe the early teachings of Buddhism, as the Mahāyāna teachings were generally given later.[1] Modern Buddhist scholarship has deprecated the term as pejorative, and instead uses the term Nikaya Buddhism to refer to early Buddhist schools. Hinayana has also been inappropriately used as a synonym for Theravada, which is the main tradition of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
In Sanskrit, "Hīnayāna" (/ˌhiːnəˈjɑːnə/, हीनयान) is a term literally meaning the "small/deficient vehicle" or "small path." Adherents of non-Mahayana traditions were said to be obliged to adhere to only the Five precepts.[2][3]
- ^ Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Oxford, 1899), "Proper Noun: simpler or lesser vehicle. Name of the earliest system of Buddhist doctrine (opposite to the later Mahayana; see Yana)."
- ^ "Sanskrit Dictionary".
- ^ "Meaning of hina | hina meaning in sanskrit | origin and history of hina | sanskrit syllables and sounds and text in hina".