sravakas and pratyekabuddhas　声聞・辟支仏 Skt. śrāvaka, literally, “one who hears”. Originally, it referred to Śākyamuni’s disciples who heard his teaching directly. In contrast to bodhisattvas in Mahayana, sravakas are those who aim at attining their own enlightenment only. Skt. pratyekabuddha, literally, “solitary Buddha”; an early type of Buddhist sage who, along with sravakas, seeks to attain nirvana for his own sake only and is not concerned about benefiting others. He endeavors to become an arhat―hte highest rank attainable in early Buddhist practice―without the guidance of a teacher.
　A Mahayana concept which distinguishes among the teachings for bodhisattvas, and those for sravakas and those for pratyekabuddhas. The teachings for bodhisattvas are the Mahayana, and the others are considered Hinayana. In Chapter on Easy Practice, the state of the two vehicles, i.e., sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, is considered to be inferior to the Mahayana in the way of attaining enlightenment.