A collective name for the 18 schools of Indian Buddhism that emphasize methods for attaining liberation from suffering. Theravada, practiced throughout Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, is the only extant school of these 18. Literally, a "Modest Vehicle of Mind" – levels and states of mind with a modest motivation - renunciation - and, with modest methods, leading to the modest goal of liberation.
Tibetan: ཐེག་དམན། theg-dman
Sanskrit: hīnayāna
J. Hopkins: Lesser vehicle; Hīnayāna
Synonyms: Lesser Vehicle; Modest Vehicle of Mind
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