This point, though important from the point of view of the difference in the creed of the two schools, is not so from the point of view of philosophy.  But there is another trait of the Mahayanists which distinguishes them from the Hinayanists from the philosophical point of view.  The Mahayanists believed that all things were of a non-essential and indefinable character and void at bottom, whereas the Hinayanists only believed in the impermanence of all things, but did not proceed further than that.

It is sometimes erroneously thought that Nagarjuna first preached the doctrine of S’unyavada (essencelessness or voidness of all appearance), but in reality almost all the Mahayana sutras either definitely preach this doctrine or allude to it.  Thus if we take some of those sutras which were in all probability earlier than Nagarjuna, we find that the doctrine which Nagarjuna expounded

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with all the rigour of his powerful dialectic was quietly accepted as an indisputable truth.  Thus we find Subhuti saying to the Buddha that vedana (feeling), samjna (concepts) and the sa@mskaras (conformations) are all maya (illusion) [Footnote ref 1].  All the skandhas, dhaetus (elements) and ayatanas are void and absolute cessation.  The highest knowledge of everything as pure void is not different from the skandhas, dhatus and ayatanas, and this absolute cessation of dharmas is regarded as the highest knowledge (prajnaparamita) [Footnote ref 2].  Everything being void there is in reality no process and no cessation.  The truth is neither eternal (s’as’vata) nor non-eternal (as’as’vata) but pure void.  It should be the object of a saint’s endeavour to put himself in the “thatness” (tathata) and consider all things as void.  The saint (bodhisattva) has to establish himself in all the virtues (paramita), benevolence (danaparamita), the virtue of character (s’ilaparamita), the virtue of forbearance (k@santiparamita), the virtue of tenacity and strength (viryyaparamita) and the virtue of meditation (dhyanaparamita).  The saint (bodhisattva) is firmly determined that he will help an infinite number of souls to attain nirva@na.  In reality, however, there are no beings, there is no bondage, no salvation; and the saint knows it but too well, yet he is not afraid of this high truth, but proceeds on his career of attaining for all illusory beings illusory emancipation from illusory bondage.  The saint is actuated with that feeling and proceeds in his work on the strength of his paramitas, though in reality there is no one who is to attain salvation in reality and no one who is to help him to attain it [Footnote ref 3].  The true prajnaparamita is the absolute cessation of all appearance (ya@h anupalambha@h sarvadharma@nam sa prajnaparamita ityucyate) [Footnote ref 4].