▁ś r ā v aka ▁who ▁wished ▁to ▁become ▁an ▁ar hat . ▁This ▁term ▁appeared ▁around ▁the ▁first ▁or ▁second ▁century . ▁H ī n ay ā na ▁was ▁often ▁contrast ed ▁with ▁Mah ā y ā na , ▁which ▁means ▁the ▁" gre at ▁vehicle ". ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 0 ▁the ▁World ▁Fellow ship ▁of ▁Buddh ists ▁declared ▁that ▁the ▁term ▁H ī n ay ana ▁should ▁not ▁be ▁used ▁when ▁referring ▁to ▁any ▁form ▁of ▁Buddh ism ▁existing ▁today . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁past , ▁the ▁term ▁was ▁widely ▁used ▁by ▁Western ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁cover ▁" the ▁earliest ▁system ▁of ▁Buddh ist ▁doctrine ", ▁as ▁the ▁Mon ier - Will iams ▁S ansk rit - English ▁Dictionary ▁put ▁it . ▁Modern ▁Buddh ist ▁scholar ship ▁has ▁deprecated ▁the ▁pe jor ative ▁term , ▁and ▁uses ▁instead ▁the ▁term ▁Nik aya ▁Buddh ism ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁early ▁Buddh ist ▁schools . ▁ ▁Hin ay ana ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁syn onym ▁for ▁Ther av ada , ▁which ▁is ▁the ▁main ▁tradition ▁of ▁Buddh ism ▁in ▁Sri ▁L anka ▁and ▁S out heast ▁Asia ; ▁this ▁is ▁considered ▁in ac cur ate ▁and ▁der og atory . ▁Robert ▁Th ur man ▁writes , ▁"' N ik aya ▁Buddh ism ' ▁is ▁a ▁coin age ▁of ▁Professor ▁Mas atos hi ▁Nag atom i ▁of ▁Harvard ▁University , ▁who ▁suggested ▁it ▁to ▁me ▁as ▁a ▁usage ▁for ▁the ▁eigh teen ▁schools ▁of ▁Indian ▁Buddh ism ▁to ▁avoid