Vajrayana Online
The Hinayana View
~ Summary of Key Points ~
HINAYANA VIEW
Introduction ● The circle of suffering is called “samsara”. ● The main characteristic of our suffering is ignorance. ● If you remove ignorance, you will be liberated from samsara. ● Wisdom is understanding the nature of reality; this is the essence of the view. ● There are three levels of concept: gross, m edium and subtle. ● In the Hinayana the focus is on the medium level, which consists of: 1. Concept of permanence 2. Concept of singularity 3. Concept of independence ● In order to see the nature of these three concepts, their opposites need to be realized: impermanence, multiplicity, and interdependence.
Example: Samsara is Like a Dog Chasing its Own Tail. We might experience watching a dog chasing its own tail to be funny. However, when this happens to our own minds it is not so funny anymore.
The Four Seals of Dharma [#1-3 are the main view, whereas #4 is the result.]
1. Impermanence ● There are two levels of impermanence: 1. Gross Level (Continuous - being born, getting old, and die) 2. Subtle Level (Momentary - Thinking you’re the same person today as you were yesterday, or even a few hours ago.) ● Strong grasping to permanence leads to suffering. ● The acceptance of impermanence leads to wisdom.
2. Suffering ● The use of the word suffering in this context means dissatisfaction; you are not able to appreciate what you have. ● The basic level of happiness has to come from within. It cannot be improved through money, etc. ● There are three types of suffering: 1. Suffering of suffering (Unpleasant feelings such as losing a job, having an accident, etc.). 2. Suffering of change (Pleasant feelings such as drinking sweet poison.)
Vajrayana Online | Summary of Key Points | Hinayana View (Three Yanas Section 2) 3. Pervasive suffering (The feeling that something is always missing.)
Example: Always Wanting More While studying you think, “When I get my degree, everything will be fine!” But when you receive your degree, you’re still not satisfied. You get a job, become CEO, but still you’re not satisfied.
3. NoSelf ● No-Self is the opposite of singularity. ● Unless one has gone beyond the concept of self altogether - which is connected with Buddha Nature - we can say there are two types of self: 1. Positive (Being confident, etc.) 2. Negative (Selfish, not caring about others, etc.) ● The self does not consist of one single thing. When you try to find the self, you cannot do so.
Example: Looks Like a Solid Rock But is Like Shaving Foam The self looks like one big thing - like a giant rock. However, when you look closer and go deeper into it, you’ll find it’s more like shaving foam, consisting of many small parts. It is not solid at all.
4. Nirvana ● Nirvana is the result of having realized the nature of the way things are. ● The happiness of nirvana is stable and is not dependent upon outer circumstances.
Example: Investing in the Stock Market The happiness of nirvana is not like the stock market which goes up and down. The happiness of nirvana is stable and reliable.
Vajrayana Online | Summary of Key Points | Hinayana View (Three Yanas Section 2)