The Distinction Between Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna Takes the Mind as Its Root

There is a saying: "When an upright person employs an unwholesome method, the unwholesome method also becomes upright; when an unwholesome person employs an upright method, the upright method also becomes unwholesome." The key lies in the human heart and human wisdom. If one cultivates the Small Vehicle with a bodhisattva's heart, the Small Vehicle is also the Great Vehicle; if one cultivates the Great Vehicle with a selfish heart, the Great Vehicle is also the Small Vehicle. The distinction between the Great and Small Vehicles is determined by the heart, not by the dharma. The dharma itself has no great or small; it is the capacity of the heart that is great or small, and thus the greatness or smallness of the dharma one cultivates is immediately determined.