Why is Hinayana Buddhism so easily compatible with Mahayana Buddhism?

They are all the Dharma that the Buddha said, and they should be compatible, but what is incompatible is the prejudice, wrong opinion, and misunderstanding of ordinary people.

The Hinayana legal person has no self, and the Mahayana Dharma is empty, and there is no conflict in nature.

In the Lotus Sutra, the "half-city parable" is used as a metaphor for Hinayana to mean that Hinayana has only traveled half the way and has not yet reached its true destination.

The Buddha manifested a city of Nirvana, and said that this is the place"Endpoint"。After resting, go back to small to large, continue the journey, and go to the only destination.

Therefore, Mahayana and Hinayana are not in conflict, their directions are the same, and they are both paths pointed out by the Buddha.

Just like going to Beijing, some people like to walk, some people take high-speed trains, some people take planes, some people choose different paths, the first goal is right, and they will always reach their destination.

What I am most afraid of is the wrong understanding of the true meaning of Buddhism, thinking that Mahayana is not a Buddha or that there is something wrong with Hinayana teachings.

There is no clear distinction between Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism, nor is there a division between Mahayana and Hinayana according to geography.

However, according to their practice, later generations called their own method of life and death Hinayana Buddhism, and called the method of saving sentient beings Mahayana Buddhism.

Many years after Shakyamuni's death, there was a great disagreement among Buddhists about the teachings, and the new schools called themselves "Mahayana" and the original schools "Hinayana".

1. Different nature: Mahayana Buddhism is a tool that can send immeasurable sentient beings to the other side, and the carriage is used as a metaphor for sentient beings in Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is a general term for the three vehicles of Buddhism: the Shravakayana and the Dependent Enlightenment Vehicle.

2. Different practices in practice: Theravada Buddhism generally advocates the cultivation of arhat fruit in order to attain the realization of self-liberation from emptiness. Mahayana Buddhism advocates the cultivation of Buddhahood, and if you cannot reach the state of Buddha for a while, you can at least become a bodhisattva first.

3. Different propositions: Theravada Buddhism advocates the existence of emptiness, denies the eternal immutability of the soul, but acknowledges the real existence of the objective world, and in some respects shows a materialist tendency. Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, advocates the emptiness of the Dharma, denies both the eternal immortality of the soul and the reality of the objective world, thus forming a system of outright idealism.

The main differences between Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism are:

1. On the system of religious doctrines:

Hinayana basically maintained the legacy of Shakyamuni, emphasizing ethical teachings, taking the Buddha as a teacher rather than a god, and not worshipping idolatry; Mahayana accepted the idea of foreign Taoism, revised the doctrine of Shakyamuni, regarded the Buddha as a god with different incarnations and boundless power, preached supernatural powers, and created various idols to worship.

2. On the path of monasticism:

Hinayana advocates that all sentient beings can help themselves, and everyone can enter Nirvana through cultivation, but not everyone can become a Buddha. Mahayana, on the other hand, advocates not only self-transcendence, but also transcendence of others, believing that as long as one sincerely believes, everyone can become a Buddha (those who can realize, perceive others, and attain perfection are Buddhas).

3. In philosophical theory:

Hinayana asserts that "self-emptiness exists" denies subjective truth, but does not completely deny objective existence; Mahayana advocates that "the Dharma and the self are empty", which not only denies the subjective truth, but also denies the objective truth, which is a thorough idealism.

4. To transcend the cycle of life and death

Hinayana believes that it is necessary to practice on its own, and even to become a monk and live a life of begging. Mahayana, on the other hand, advocates that believers can live a family life, run a business, and give alms as usual, so that they can make merits, and even transcend samsara as long as they sincerely recite the Buddha.