Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun hinayana_buddhism
1 sense of hinayana buddhism
Sense 1
Hinayana, Hinayana Buddhism -- (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)
=> 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)