What does the Sanskrit word Śrāvakayāna translate to literally?
The Sanskrit word Śrāvakayāna translates literally as the vehicle of listeners. This term describes a path to enlightenment available to disciples who follow the teachings of a Buddha.
Questions about Śrāvakayāna
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who is called an Arhat in the context of Śrāvakayāna?
A practitioner on this road achieves liberation by listening to instructions from a Samyaksañbuddha and such an individual is called an Arhat. The standard designation for such a person remains Arhat rather than Sāvakabuddha in common usage.
Why did Mahāyānists prefer the term Śrāvakayāna over Hinayāna?
Scholars observe that Śrāvakayāna was the more politically correct and usual term employed by Mahāyānists themselves. Isabelle Onians notes that Mahāyāna texts rarely used the term Hinayāna in actual Indian sources despite its prevalence in secondary literature.
How did Asańga describe followers of the Śrāvaka Vehicle in his fourth-century work Abhidharmasamuccaya?
Asańga described followers of the Śrāvaka Vehicle as having weak faculties who follow the Śrāvaka Dharma. He portrayed the goal of the Śrāvaka as self-liberation rather than the perfection and liberation of all beings found in the Great Vehicle.
What time period did Gampopa write about the Pratyekabuddha family in The Jewel Ornament of Liberation?
Gampopa wrote about the Pratyekabuddha family in his text The Jewel Ornament of Liberation between 1074 and 1153 C.E. He described these individuals as fearing samsara and yearning for nirvana with little compassionate activity toward others.