Glossary

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Hinduism

The diverse body of mainstream religious beliefs and practices of India, which developed from Brahmanism. The majority of people in contemporary India and Bali (an island of Indonesia) are Hindus.

Hinayana

The "lesser vehicle" of the sravakas (hearers of Buddha's teaching) and arhats who strive mainly for their own personal liberation. In contrast, Mahayana, or the "great vehicle, " is the broader teaching of the bodhisattva who, out of compassion, puts his own salvation last and uses all available means to save sentient beings. (Hinayana is sometimes used to refer to Theravada, the form of Buddhism practiced in Southeast Asian countries.)

Hua-Yen

Schools of Chinese Buddhism. The fundamental teaching of this school is the equality of all things and the dependence of all things on one another.

Hua-T'ou

(Japanese: wato) literally, the source of the words (before they are uttered), a method used in the Ch'an school to arouse the doubt sensation. The practitioner meditates on such baffling questions as: "What is Wu?" "Where am I?" or "Who is reciting the Buddha's name?" He does not rely on experience, logic, or reasoning. Often, these phrases are taken from kung-ans, at other times, they are spontaneously generated by the practitioner. The term "hua-t'ou" is often used interchangeably with "kung-an." See "KUNG-AN."