Hinayana

/ˈhinəˌjɑnə/

Definitions of Hinayana

1. noun

   a major school of Buddhism teaching personal salvation through one's own efforts
   type of:

   Buddhism

   a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha
2. noun

   an offensive name for the early conservative Theravada Buddhism; it died out in India but survived in Sri Lanka and was taken from there to other regions of southwestern Asia
   synonyms: Hinayana Buddhism

   type of:

   Theravada, Theravada Buddhism

   one of two great schools of Buddhist doctrine emphasizing personal salvation through your own efforts; a conservative form of Buddhism that adheres to Pali scriptures and the non-theistic ideal of self purification to nirvana; the dominant religion of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand and Laos and Cambodia