Hinayana (Hinayana)

(Language: Sanskrit)

Short Description: Sanskrit term used by the Mahayanists to criticize early Buddhists for their limited or narrow perspective on the meaning of Buddha’s teaching

Long Description: Sanskrit term used by the Mahayanists to criticize early Buddhists for their limited or narrow perspective on the meaning of Buddha’s teaching. It means literally “Small Vehicle.” As a pejorative term it is not used in modern discussion to refer to Buddhists of South Asian background. The present term used is Theravada, the “Way of the Elders.”

Sources: Living in Amida’s Universal Vow: Essays in Shin Buddhism, by Alfred Bloom