Question
Tell any two points of difference between Mahayana and Hinayana.
Solution
The differences between the two are:
(i) Hinayana was the traditional form of Buddhism whereas Mahayana developed later, around first century CE.
(ii) Hinayana believed in attaining the nibbana for the self whereas Mahayana strived for the nibbana of the whole sentient beings.
(iii) Literally the Mahayana meant the “great vehicle” whereas the Hinayana meant the “lesser vehicle”.
