The Distinction Between Mahayana and Hinayana Is Rooted in the Mind

There is a saying: When a righteous person employs wicked methods, even wicked methods become righteous; when an evil person employs righteous methods, even righteous methods become wicked. The key lies in the human heart and wisdom. Cultivating the Hinayana with a bodhisattva's heart makes the Hinayana equivalent to the Mahayana; cultivating the Mahayana with a selfish heart makes the Mahayana equivalent to the Hinayana. The distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana is determined by the heart, not by the Dharma. The Dharma itself has no distinction of great or small; it is the breadth of one's mind that determines its scale. Thus, the relative greatness or smallness of the Dharma being cultivated becomes immediately apparent.