Hinayana and Mahayana | The Six Paramitas

By a hundred years after the Buddhak nirvana, approximately twenty different schools of Buddhism had arisen and had begun interpreting the teachings in various ways.1 About 400 years later, Mahayana (Great Vehicle) Buddhism first appeared, and distinguished itself from the earlier schools by referring to them as Hinayana (Small Vehicle).

The term ‘Hinayana’ refers to those Buddhists who mainly practice the Four Noble Truths2 and the Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment3, and ‘Mahayana’ refers to those who also engage in the Six Paramitas and the Four Ways of Gathering Sentient Beings4. However, there is no scriptural basis for this distinction. In fact, the earliest Buddhist scriptures (the nikayas in Pali and the agamas in Sanskrit) encourage the practice of the Four Noble Truths and the Thirty-Seven Aids as well as the Six Paramitas. The early schools did not refer to themselves as Hinayana, and the term can be viewed as derogatory if used by Mahayanists to designate other Buddhists as practitioners of a lesser path.

Nevertheless, upon closer examination we do see a distinction between the two schools in that Mahayana Buddhism places a greater emphasis on generating a supreme altruistic intention to help others. This aspiration to alleviate the suffering of others without concern for one’s own nirvana is the dnuttara (unsurpassed) bodhi-mind.5 While diligently practicing the Dharma, such a practitioner realizes that nirvana is not a blissful, abiding state in which one rejects samsara, the existential realm of suffering. Without rejecting or clinging to nirvana, a bodhisattva vows to return to worldly existence to help sentient beings. This is the correct scope of mind on the Mahayana path. As ideals of this we point to Manjusri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom; Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva of Great Actions and Great Functions; Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion; and Ksitigarbha, Bodhisattva of Great Vows. These great bodhisattvas vowed to help sentient beings reach liberation before attaining their own buddhahood. Therefore, if we must make a distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana, it should be based on the bodhisattva’s more expansive scope of mind rather than on methods of practice.

At and after the time of the Buddha, the idea that the ultimate goal of practice was to transcend this world and attain nirvana was very prevalent among practitioners of Buddhism, and of other paths as well. This idea of transcending the world and abiding in a heavenly realm is also common in many Western spiritual disciplines. To distinguish their own practice from the path of personal liberation, the Mahayana teachers used the term ‘Hinayana.’

Some people, of course, are so attached to the material and sensual delights of this world that they do not want to leave it. Their attitude is “Why would anyone want to leave this wonderful world?” But bodhisattvas realize that even as people immerse themselves in sensual delight, they create unending afflictions for themselves and others. They realize that the world is characterized by inherent suffering, and they wish to end the cycle of suffering for themselves and for others; they have aroused a desire to help others break free from the endless cycle. Realizing that they have awoken from false dreams, they want to help others awaken too. This is the proper attitude of bodhisattvas. When we reflect on their sincerity and genuine intentions, we feel quietly touched and grateful.

PREVIOUS: The First Paramita: Generosity | The Six Paramitas
NEXT: Practicing the Paramitas | The Six Paramitas