Talk:Hinayana Buddhism

Concerning the Article: "Hinayana Buddhism From Wikipedia" as a note:  In Thailand, where the National Religion is Theravada Buddhism, the National Museum, in its display concerning the history of the Kingdom of Thailand (specifically the Sukkhothai and Ayutthaya periods), makes a very clear distinction between Theravada and Hinayana Buddhism listing it as a seperate  religion (along with Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity)that was at times under the patronage of the King. It would appear that the Thai Hierarchy of Buddhism has no confusion concerning the use of this term.

no need for this article
Can I suggest this article be deleted. The Hinayana article on Wikipedia is more developed and makes this redundant. Anyone know how to delete an article?

Moonsell (talk) 07:50, 18 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I'm going to replace this article with a redirect to Hinayana, but paste the article's contents (less the category/interwiki tags) below, in case anyone wants it. Please let me know via my talk page if I should have gone about this differently. /Ninly (talk) 22:08, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

Hinayana Buddhism is an expression that may refer to Theravada Buddhism (mainly because it is the only surviving Buddhist school that does not claim to be part of the Mahayana tradition) or, more properly, to Hinayana practice and motivation.

There is a degree of controversy on the meaning and use of this expression, but most sources agree that Hinayana is a pejorative term that no school uses to refer to itself. Hinayana is, by definition, something to be avoided, and most certainly not a word that Theravadans use to refer to themselves.

Context usually clarifies which meaning this expression is supposed to have. For instance, census figures about Hinayana Buddhists are almost guaranteed to actually count Theravadans.

'Hinayana' can be translated into "lesser vehicle"- this refers to the purpose of the Hinayana practicer to attain Individual Enlightenment rather than Enlightenment as a Bodhisattva who works for the Enlightenment of all sentient beings, as is the goal in other forms of Buddhism such as Mahayana ("greater vehicle"). The Vajrayana School, often translated into English as "Diamond Vehicle" and at times referred to by other names such as Tantrayana, is presented as an extension of the Mahayana that embraces the Bodhisattva approach to Enlightenment while also giving teachings that go beyond the practice of the Mahayana Schools. </blockquote