Are you Mahayana or Hinayana?

Posted by adi on Dec 6, 2008 in The world of the web |

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I was reading a little about Buddhism recently, not with any real intent on converting but more out of academic interest, and discovered two strands of Buddhism: Mahayana and Hinayana.  It struck me how they seem to reflect well two distinct kinds of people in life.

The Mahayana, “great vehicle” or “great path”, or the Hinayana, “lesser vehicle” or “lesser path”.  Jose Ortega y Gasset suggests that society is fundamentally split into these two camps.  On one hand you have those that make great demands on themselves, piling up difficulties and duties.  On the other hand you have those that demand nothing of themselves, making no effort towards perfection, mere buoys that float on the waves.

Which are you?

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Tags: Buddhism, Hinayana, Mahayana, Society