Key Terms/Hīnayāna
From Bodhicitta
हीनयान Hīnayāna
Lesser Vehicle
ཐེག་དམན།
theg dman
小乘
xiǎo chéng
Sanskrit - Noun
Basic Meaning
The mainstream teachings and the early schools of Buddhism which primarily taught individual liberation through practice-focused renunciation and monasticism, considered lesser than the later movement of the Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which professed enlightenment for all sentient beings and promoted compassion.
Has the Sense of
The term was used mainly by the proponents of the Greater Vehicle, who considered the goals, understanding, practices, methods, and results of this school as being lesser in scope.
| Term Variations | |
| Key Term | Hīnayāna |
|---|---|
| Topic Variation | Hīnayāna |
| Tibetan | ཐེག་དམན། ( thekmen) |
| Wylie Transliteration | theg dman ( thekmen) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | हीनयान |
| Romanized Sanskrit | Hīnayāna |
| Chinese | 小乘 |
| Chinese Pinyin | xiǎo chéng |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | Lesser Vehicle |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | Lesser Vehicle |
| Ives Waldo's English Term | lesser/individual vehicle |
| Alternate Spellings | theg pa dman pa |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | The mainstream teachings and the early schools of Buddhism which primarily taught individual liberation through practice-focused renunciation and monasticism, considered lesser than the later movement of the Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna), which professed enlightenment for all sentient beings and promoted compassion. |
| Has the Sense of | The term was used mainly by the proponents of the Greater Vehicle, who considered the goals, understanding, practices, methods, and results of this school as being lesser in scope. |
| Related Terms | nikāya, śravakayāna |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Wikipedia | wikipedia:Hinayana |
