Part 8 - Hinayāna (Theravāda) Buddhism

Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit term that applied to the Śrāvakayāna, the Buddhist path followed by a śrāvaka who wishes to become an arhat. The term Hinayāna appeared only much later, around the first or second century CE, when teachings of a different nature appeared which were called Mahāyāna. Hinayāna follows the original teaching of Buddha. It stresses individual salvation through self-discipline and meditation. Hinayāna is ethical and historical, as it commenced from Buddha's ‘mahāparinirvāṇa’ and its scriptures were written in Pāli and in Sanskrit.

Hinayāna Buddhism claims that the Buddha was an ordinary human being like everyone else. They did not attribute any godly characteristics to Gautama the Buddha. Hinayāna follows the underlying principles of the Pāli canon. Hinayāna Buddhism emphasizes the importance and the significance of the four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. This is the reason why they are considered as the sect that closely follows the teachings of the Buddha. Hinayāna Buddhism claims that one follows the Bodhisattva path before becoming a Buddha. Hinayāna Buddhism does not believe that the Bodhisattvas alone practiced the ten far-reaching attitudes. Hinayāna replaces mental stability, skill in means, aspiration-filled prayer, strengthening and deep awareness by renunciation, being true to one’s word, resolution, love and equanimity in the ten far-reaching attitudes. Hinayāna does not go into the details of Buddha-nature factors at all. Hinayāna Buddhism differs in the treatment of the four immeasurable attitudes, as well. It is indeed true that Hinayāna teaches the practice of the four immeasurable attitudes of love, compassion, joy, and equanimity. At the same time, it has difference in the definitions of these attitudes. Hinayāna defines immeasurable joy as rejoicing in the happiness of others in the absence of jealousy. Hinayāna Buddhism defines equanimity as the outcome of our compassion, love and rejoicing. The Hinayānists are said to be the upholders of the traditional and conventional interpretations of the words of the Founder and are branded as conservatives and Hina i.e., lower or lesser. The eighteen sects mentioned above are essentially Hinayānic but they never mention themselves as Hinayānists.

The orthodox and conservative Buddhists are always mentioned as Theravādins. In this regard, Nalinaksha Dutta observes:

“The central theme of Hinayāna is the twelve-linked chain of causation (Pratītya-samutpāda = Paṭīccasamuppāda), perpetual flux (santāna) of mind and matter (nāma-rūpa, consisting of the five elements, viz., rūpa (matter), vedanā (feeling), saṃjñā (perception) and vijñāna (consciousness). The adherents of this branch of Buddhism seek individual enlightenment, i. e., arhathood and, at the end of the span of life, Nirvāṇa, i.e., quietude, eternal peace and bliss (sāntaṃ sukhaṃ). The aim of Hinayāna is the realization of the non-existence of soul, i.e. pudgalanairātmya by eradicating mental impurities (kleśāvaraṇaṃ), i.e. mental and physical impurities, while Mahāyāna in contrast seeks both Pudgala-nairātmya as well as Dharmanairātmya, by which they mean that the five elements (skandhas) which is the basis for the conception of Pudgala (soul) do not exist, in other words, all the elements, which compose the worldly objects and beings (i.e. Dharmas) do not exist. For attaining: this goal, Mahāyāna prescribes the realisation of both Pudgala-nairātmya and Dharma-nairātmya.”

He also said:

“About a century after Buddha's mahāparinirvāṇa, Hinayāna became split up into eighteen or more sects. Each sect had its particular doctrinal views. Of the eighteen sects eleven held orthodox views with certain differences. The remaining seven headed by the Mahāsaṅghikas held semi-Mahāyānic views, paving the way for the advent of Mahāyānism. They conceived of Buddha as superhuman and even super-divine. Their Buddha's Kāya conceptions were vague and were in a nascent form. The Sautrāntikas and Harivarman's Satyasiddhiśāstra held views midway between Hinayāna and Mahāyāna.”^[1]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nalinaksha Dutt, Mahāyāna Buddhism, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi,1978, p. 79 - 80.