śrāvakayāna

thumb|Hanging scroll of an Indian Buddhist [[arhat by Japanese painter Shiba Kōkan]]

Article

8 sections

Contents

Use of the term
In Early Buddhist schools
In Mahāyāna traditions
In Tibetan Buddhism
In Theravāda traditions
''Sāvakabuddha''
See also
References

thumb|Hanging scroll of an Indian Buddhist [[arhat by Japanese painter Shiba Kōkan]]

Śrāvakayāna (; ; ) is one of the three yānas known to Indian Buddhism. It translates literally as the "vehicle of listeners [i.e. disciples]". Historically it was the most common term used by Mahāyāna Buddhist texts to describe one hypothetical path to enlightenment. Śrāvakayāna is the path that meets the goals of an Arhat—an individual who achieves liberation as a result of listening to the teachings (or following a lineage) of a Samyaksaṃbuddha. A Buddha who achieved enlightenment through Śrāvakayāna is called a Śrāvakabuddha, as distinguished from a Samyaksaṃbuddha or pratyekabuddha.