[Buddha-l] Lamas and such

[Dan Lusthaus]

Richard,
> The Chinese term is no offensive. "Xiao" means small. It is not a
> translation of "hīna," which means "discarded, thrown away, abandoned,
> rubbish."

I know a Chinese Theravada monk (ordained in Sri Lanka) who would beg to 
differ. The term xiaosheng (little vehicle) definitely carries negative 
connotations. Xiao doesn't just mean little, it means "lesser," "inferior," 
"minor" (as opposed to major), and when used to characterize a person, means 
someone of lowly, "mean", "inferior" character, a trifling, small-minded, 
petty. That is standard Chinese usage for at least the last 2500 years.

Dan