ers to the schools of Theravada, and
as such it is contrasted with Mahayana. The words are generally
translated as small vehicle (_hina_ = small, _yana_ = vehicle) and great
vehicle (_maha_ = great, _yana_ = vehicle). But this translation by
no means expresses what is meant by Mahayana and Hinayana
[Footnote ref 2]. Asa@nga (480 A.D.) in his _Mahayanasutrala@mkara_ gives

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[Footnote 1: Quotations and references to many of these sutras are found in
Candrakirtti's commentary on the _Madhyamika karikas_ of Nagarjuna; some of
these are the following: _A@s@tasahasrikaprajnaparamita_ (translated into
Chinese 164 A.D.-167 A.D.), _S'atasahasrikaprajnaparamita, Gaganaganja,
Samadhisutra, Tathagataguhyasutra, D@r@dhadhyas'ayasancodanasutra,
Dhyayitamu@s@tisutra, Pitaputrasamagamasutra, Mahayanasutra,
Maradamanasutra, Ratnaku@tasutra, Ratnacu@daparip@rcchasutra,
Ratnameghasutra, Ratnaras`isutra, Ratnakarasutra,
Ra@s@trapalaparip@rcchasutra, La@nkavatarasutra, Lalitavistarasutra,
Vajracchedikasutra, Vimalakirttinirdes'asutra, S'alistambhasutra,
Samadhirajasutra, Sukhavativyuha, Suvar@naprabhasasutra,
Saddharmapu@n@darika (translated into Chinese A.D. 255),
Amitayurdhyanasutra, Hastikakhyasutra, etc.]

[Footnote 2: The word Yana is generally translated as vehicle, but a
consideration of numerous contexts in which the word occurs seems to
suggest that it means career or course or way, rather than vehicle
(_Lalitavistara_, pp. 25, 38; _Prajnaparamita_, pp. 24, 319;
_Samadhirajasutra_, p. 1; _Karu@napu@ndarika_, p. 67; _La@nkavatarasutra_,
pp. 68, 108, 132). The word Yana is as old as the Upani@sads where we read
of Devayana and Pit@ryana. There is no reason why this word should be
taken in a different sense. We hear in _La@nkavatara_ of S'ravakayana
(career of the S'ravakas or the Theravadin Buddhists), Pratyekabuddhayana
(the career of saints before the coming of the Buddha), Buddha
yana (career of the Buddhas), Ekayana (one career), Devayana (career of
the gods), Brahmayana (career of becoming a Brahma), Tathagatayana
(career of a Tathagata). In one place _Lankavatara_ says that ordinarily
distinction is made between the three careers and one career and no career,
but these distinctions are only for the ignorant (_Lankavatara_, p. 68).]

126

us the reason why one school was called Hinayana whereas the
other, which he professed, was called Mahayana. He s