Which one of the following is the most fundamental difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism ?

The principal and most fundamental distinction is Mahayana’s endorsement of devotion to multiple celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the use of images and iconography in worship—features that marked the “Great Vehicle” as distinct from the older tradition [1]. Veneration of stupas and relic-mounds, however, was a shared practice across Buddhist schools and therefore not a distinguishing criterion [2]. Likewise, doctrines like non-violence (ahimsa) and social ideas such as caste relevance are not the core dividing issues. Historically Mahayana arose as a reformist/currently distinct movement relative to the older Hinayana (the “Lesser Vehicle”), which Mahayana critics characterized as more conservative in practice and textual scope [3].

Sources

1. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > 10.1 The development of Mahayana Buddhism > p. 103
2. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > 7.1 Why were stupas built? > p. 96
3. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Buddhist Sects > p. 42