Śrāvakayāna

Isabelle Onians asserts that although "the Mahāyāna ... very occasionally referred contemptuously to earlier Buddhism as the Hinayāna, the Inferior Way," "the preponderance of this name in the secondary literature is far out of proportion to occurrences in the Indian texts." She notes that the term Śrāvakayāna was "the more politically correct and much more usual" term used by Mahāyānists. "Hīnayāna" (the "lesser vehicle"), however, was used to include both Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna in contrast to the Mahāyāna. ==In Early Buddhist schools==

At least some of the early Buddhist schools used the concept of three vehicles including Śrāvakayāna. For example, the Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivādins are known to have employed the outlook of Buddhist practice as consisting of the Three Vehicles: • Śrāvakayāna • Pratyekabuddhayāna • Bodhisattvayāna The Dharmaguptakas regarded the path of a śrāvaka (śrāvakayāna) and the path of a bodhisattva (bodhisattvayāna) to be separate. One of their tenets reads, "The Buddha and those of the Two Vehicles, although they have one and the same liberation, have followed different noble paths." ==In Mahāyāna traditions==

In the 4th century Mahāyāna abhidharma work Abhidharmasamuccaya, Asaṅga describes those who follow the Śrāvaka Vehicle (Skt. śrāvakayanika). These people are described as having weak faculties, following the Śrāvaka Dharma, utilizing the Śrāvaka Piṭaka, being set on their own liberation, and cultivating detachment in order to attain liberation. While those in the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle (Skt. pratyekabuddhayānika) are portrayed as also utilizing the Śrāvaka Piṭaka, they are said to have medium faculties, to follow the Pratyekabuddha Dharma, and to be set on their own personal enlightenment. ==In Theravāda traditions==

in Shanghai, P.R. China Sāvakabuddha Sāvakabuddha is a Pali term (equivalent to Sanskrit: ), used rarely in Theravada Buddhism, to refer to an enlightened disciple of a Buddha. Sāvaka means "one who hears"; a person who follows the path to enlightenment by means of hearing the instructions of others. Lay persons, who take special vows, are called sāvakas. Such enlightened disciples obtained Nirvana| by hearing the dhamma as initially taught by a sammasambuddha. A Sāvakabuddha is distinguished from a Sammasambuddha and a Paccekabuddha. The standard designation for such a person is "arhat". Buddhas are supposed to reach by their own efforts and insights. A Sāvakabuddha might also lead others to enlightenment, but cannot teach the dhamma in a time or world where it has been forgotten, because they depend upon a tradition that stretches back to a Sammasambuddha. The term Sāvakabuddha is used in Theravadin commentaries but does not occur in the scriptures of the Pāli Canon. ==See also==