Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c3.1

c3.1

The object of this work is to present an exposition of the principal doctrines of Mahāyāna as found in the early Mahāyānic treatises and to show points of agreement and difference between the doctrines of Hinayāna and Mahayāna. For the convenience of comparison and for comprehending clearly the gradual changes undergone by the Buddhistic doctrines, I have sometimes placed in a detached way the views as found in the authoritative texts of Hinayāna and Mahāyāna without attempting to mix them up into a composite whole. The reason for following this method of presentation is that the Buddhist texts are the products of different periods and regions separated sometimes by long distances of time and space and, therefore, they cannot always be expected to fit into one homogeneous whole. It would be obliterating the signposts of development of philosophical or religious thought or its distinctions due to its development in different schools or regions if we treat the views embodied in the different treatises as a composite entity. The views found in every volume of the Buddhist scriptures should be subjected to an examination from this standpoint before they could be mixed up into an amalgam. In these circumstances, it will be helpful to Buddhistic studies, if the facts collected from the various texts be stated accurately but in separate groups so as not to blur in any way the peculiar significance of each group.