Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t13.2

c5.s2.t13.2

Apart from the Buddhological speculations, the Mahāsānghikas cannot claim much as their contribution to the growth of Mahāyāna. It may be that the *Prajñāpāramitā* which, as the Tibetan tradition tells us, was possessed by the Pūrvaśailas, contributed much to the philosophy of Mahāyāna but as yet we are completely in the dark about this *Prajñāpāramitā*. From Vasumitra's account of the tenets of the Mahāsānghikas¹ or from the discussions found in the *Kathāvatthu* about the doctrines of the Mahāsānghikas, one hardly notices anything particularly Mahāyānic in them. For instance, the Mahāsānghikas speak