Glossary
to
The Voice of the Silence
H
A bird, a swan or goose. A mystic word with various occult meanings. Connected with Kāla (Infinite time), it refers to the Absolute (Parabrahm); in the manifested world, Brahmā is the “vehicle” of this bird (Haṁsa Vāhana) (T.G.). In the Haṁsa Upaniṣad the adept in meditation identifies himself with the bird (nested in the heart), the higher Self. Hence the formula: Aham sa (I am Him), echoing the word Haṁsa.
The “small vehicle” of early Buddhism is regarded as relatively inferior to the Mahāyāna, or the “great vehicle,” which developed openly only later. Hinayāna is often called the “Buddhism of the South” (spread in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia).
