Hinayana

[ hee-nuh-yah-nuh ]

noun

1. earlier of the two great schools of Buddhism, still prevalent in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Cambodia, emphasizing personal salvation through one's own efforts.

Hinayana

/ ˌhiːnəˈjɑːnə /

noun

1. 1. any of various early forms of Buddhism
   2. ( as modifier )

      Hinayana Buddhism

Derived Forms

• ˌHinaˈyanist, noun
• ˌHinayaˈnistic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hinayana¹

First recorded in 1865–70; from Sanskrit, equivalent to hīna “lesser, inferior” + yāna “vehicle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hinayana¹

from Sanskrit hīnayāna, from hīna lesser + yāna vehicle

Example Sentences

Still, compared with Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism in Nepal and Bihar, the Tibetan tradition is a fairly new phenomenon.

From Washington Post

Let us take, first of all, the schools of the Hinayana, or Minor Vehicle, which, as we should expect, is not extensively represented in Japan.

From Project Gutenberg

There can be no doubt that the form in which it became known at the outset was the Hinayana, or Exoteric, as distinguished from the Mahayana, or Esoteric.

From Project Gutenberg

It must be remembered that this school, though nominally belonging to the Hinayana, came to be something very different from the Theravâda of Ceylon.

From Project Gutenberg

He at first favoured the Hinayana but subsequently went over to the Mahayana, being moved in part by the exhortations of Hsüan Chuang.

From Project Gutenberg