The Distinction Between Mahayana and Hinayana Is Rooted in the Mind

There is a saying: When a righteous person employs an unwholesome method, even the unwholesome method becomes righteous; when an unwholesome person employs a wholesome method, even the wholesome method becomes unwholesome. The key lies in the human mind and human wisdom. When cultivating the Hinayana path with a Bodhisattva's mind, even the Hinayana becomes Mahayana; when cultivating the Mahayana path with a selfish mind, even the Mahayana becomes Hinayana. The distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana is based on the mind, not on the method. The methods themselves have no inherent distinction of greatness or smallness; it is the magnanimity of the mind that determines whether the Dharma being cultivated is great or small.