The vehicle of the śrāvakas.

The practitioners of Dharma are identified as belonging to two different sets of teaching or "vehicles", according to the nature of their aspirations. These are known as the Hinayana, or Root Vehicle, and the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle. The Root Vehicle is subdivided into the way of the Hearers (or Shravakas), disciples of the Buddha, and the way of those who seek enlightenment relying only on themselves, or Pratyekabuddhas. The goal of the Shravaka and Pratyekabuddha paths is nirvana, conceived of as definitive liberation from the sufferings of samsara. The Great Vehicle is that of the Bodhisattvas, those who, while accepting the validity and efficacy of the other vehicle, aspire to the full enlightenment of Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. The term Hinayana is frequently taken to be pejorative and for that reason is often avoided. Numerous masters, e.g., His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Nyanaponika Mahathera, suggest that "Shravakayana" be used instead, even though, at least here, the category is understood to include the Pratyekabuddhas as well. [TEPTE 1996]