http://phundha.com/index.php/qa/tibetan-buddhism Powered by Question2Answer http://phundha.com/index.php/7/mahayana-and-hinayana#a15 Mahayana (Mahayanas) introduced the idea of a deity into the religion, both on a speculative level which belongs more to philosophy, and in a popular way that was more like the polytheism of the masses.<br /> <br /> Hinayana (Huinayanas) professes to follow the basic principles of the Pali canon and, by this standard, may be identified with primitive Buddhism. Certainly its emphasis on the four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path places it nearer to the original teachings of Gautama than Mahayana whose express purpose was to reinterpret the Buddha's esoteric doctrine in order to make it universally acceptable. Tibetan Buddhism http://phundha.com/index.php/7/mahayana-and-hinayana#a15 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:39:17 +0000