Perhaps some arhats felt that the human realm is filled with too much suffering. They may have helped others for the remainder of their lives, but then they feel their duty has been fulfilled. Some arhats changed their attitudes before they died and started following the Bodhisattva Path, but others entered nirvana. From a Buddha's point of view, the latter arhats may have attained liberation, but they did not have sufficient merit and virtue. And so the sutras state that these arhats who felt they were liberated were in fact only taking a temporary rest in nirvana. Ultimately they will return.

From this perspective, then, there is no permanent Hinayana practitioner. Eventually, all arhats who enter nirvana will return and follow the Mahayana Path.

Beginning bodhisattvas have strong self-centeredness, but they have learned that to make progress and attain Buddhahood they must help sentient beings. Not doing so would be truly selfish; their self-centeredness would never diminish. That is why the first Great Vow is to help sentient beings. Through this process self-centeredness can be diminished.

There are also bodhisattvas between the first and eighth bhumis who have terminated the view of the self. For them, however, the goal is still to help others. On the other hand, the goal for Hinayana practitioners is to end vexations. For this reason, it is much quicker for Hinayana practitioners to end all vexations.

Finally, there are bodhisattvas on the eighth bhumi or above. These are the positions of non-functioning. At this point bodhisattvas are already on track helping sentient beings. It's like riding a bicycle downhill. No more effort is needed to keep the bike moving. One can also use the analogy of inertia. Once