Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t3.1

c5.s2.t3.1

One can easily observe the type of literature that was intended for inclusion under at least two of these headings. It consisted more of anecdotes, stories, parables and so forth than of the actual doctrines of Buddhism. They were incorporated into the Buddhist literature in the garb of Pūrvānusmṛtis, and the chief object was to popularise Buddhism and to show that they were meant as much for the benefit of the masses as for the selected few who could retire from the world. This is an innovation which the earliest orthodox school, the Theravādins, had to make reluctantly under the pressure of circumstances. Their early literature was ignorant of the pāramitās,² and much later, when they spoke of pāramis it was only to inspire faith in the minds of the people and not to set an example to incite them to fulfil the pāramis. The attitude of the Sarvāstivādins and the Mahāsānghikas, however, was different. They did not diminish in the least the extreme difficulty of the task of fulfilling the pāramitās, but they did not discourage people from the endeavour. Not only to inspire faith, but also to encourage people in the performance of *dāna*, *śīla*, *kṣānti*, *vīrya*, *dhyāna* and *prajñā*, they invented story after story and associated them not only with the life of Buddha but also with the lives of persons who attained prominence in the history of the Buddhist faith.