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Now let us see what was the cultural condition in the East, the land of the outlandic Aryans or mixed Aryans. It seems that in religious and philosophical ‘speculations ‘and thought-movements the East surpassed the land of the West at this time. It is more proper to say that at the time of the Buddha, the centre of speculative culture in India shifted from the land of the West to that of the East ; that is to say, the centre of the culture shifted from Kuru-Paficila to Magadha. In the Magadha proper and territeries around it, there were many teachers at the time of the Buddha, and they were not Ksatriya or Brahmana householders as inthe W est but Sramanas and Paribra- jakas. In Pali literature they are called ‘ Tittiyas ’. or ‘Tirthankaras.’ Dr. Rhys Davids, for the first time, called them ‘ Sophists,’ and said that, they established numerous independent religious orders, and” ‘several “speculative institutions.’ Again he said in the same book, “ Besides the hermits, there was another body of men, greatly respected throughout the country, quite peculiar ‘to 1 See ‘ Buddhist India’"by Dr. Rhys Davids, pp. 141-160. 52 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM India, and not known even there much before the rise of Buddhism called the wanderers (Paribbayaka). They were teachers, or sophists, who spent eight or nine months of every year wandering about precisely with the.object of engaging in conversational discussions on matters of ethics and philosophy, nature lore and mysticism. ° Like the sophists among the Greeks, they differed very much, aay intelligence, in earnestness, and in honesty.” Those teachers whether Brahmana or not by birth, “were in general attitude Anti- Vedic and Auti-Brihmanic.' ‘In the light of the evidence of Buddhist literature one: ‘can see that no less than 50 orders” and schools of recluses and wanderers were existing just at the time. Among them the most famous were the so-called six ‘wandering teachers namely :— 1. Purana Kassapa who held ‘ Akriya-Vada’® (i.e, tthe soul does not act or cause others to act). And at the same time he held ‘ Ahetu-appaccaya-Vada’ (ie.,' non-causation). 2. Kakuda. Katyayana, who held also * Akriya-Vada’ as well as ‘ Satta-Kaya-Vada° (i.e., the doctring of seven categories).> _ 8. Ajita Kegakambalin, who held ‘ Afjiatijiv- -afiii- thsarira-Vada ’ (ée., the doctrine of soul being distinct from’ the body).° ° And he was an annihilationist on the one ‘hand ‘and hedonist‘on--the other and at the same time a materialist? ? See Dr, B. M. Barua’s Pre- Buddhistic Indian Philosophy, p. 189. ® Regarding this point, Mr. Bimala Charan Law, M.A., has collevted the names and schools‘ of the wandering teachets in J. A. 8. B., Vol. XIV, 10t8, No. 7, Pp. 400-406. 3 Siitra-Kritenaga, LLI. 13. “4 8N, II, p: 69. | DN. 57 and Sitra-Kritahge 1.1.1 15. 16. ® Dr. B. M. Barua’s Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy, p. 294 ’. Jacobi's Jaina Siiras, Part 2, p. 341 THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 88 4, Maskarin Gogala, who held ‘ Parinima-vada’ (i.e., a doctrine of natural transformation).! — 5, Safijaya Belatthiputta who held ‘ Ajfana-vida’ (i.e., scepticism). 6. Nigantha Nataputta, who held ‘ Kriya-Vada’ (i.c., the law of action). All these religious and philosophical movements eithe: of thé Vedic Aryans in the West or the Outlandic Aryans in the East, either of the school of Sramanas or Brahmanas. can be included within eight kinds of categories stated in the Brahma-jala-sutta in Digh-nikaya. —(1) Sassata-vada i.e, the doctrine which says that. both the.external_worlc _and individual souls ave eternal. (2) Ekacca-sassata-vada i.e., the doctrine that a portion of the world a and souls arc eternal and the other part is not so. (3) Antanantika some hold that the, world... is. finite, and others ‘ that i infinite. (4) Amari-vikkhepika, which does not give an definite answer in any. question on any subject. (5 Adhicca-samuppannika, which says that origin | of thing: is without a cause. (6) Uddhamaghatanika, “whicl believes in thefuttire existence of human souls, (7 Uccheda-vada, the doctrine which says that there is: soul but that it will cease to exist. (8) Dittha-dhamma nibbina-vida which says that there is a soul and tha it can attain perfect bliss in the present world. All the above ideas stood on quite a contrary relatio: to the Buddha’s thought. Most of them’ were one-sidec extremes and quite naturally led ignorant people more and more to the ‘ Eternalists,’ ‘ Annihilationists, ' According to Jaina Bhagavati sitra and its commentary his doctrine 4 mentioned as ‘ Puttnparihdra-Vada, (see Pr. B, M. Barva’s Pre-Baddhistic India Philosophy, p. 304). In D.N.L, p. 53, bis Goctrine is mentioned as Niyati-sahgat bhava-parinata-Vada 2 In DN. 1, pp. 24-28, his doctrine mentioned as Amard vikkhepika (or Eel wrigzler. ) 3 4 These eight categories sum up 62 kinds of different opibions which existe: m India about the time of Buddha. : 54 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM ‘ Determinists,’ ‘ Fortuitist,’ ‘ Individualist,’ ‘ Fatalist,’ ‘ Hedonist,’ * Ascetic,’ etc., of course, those Sramana and Bribmana teachers must be ranked in the class of ‘philosophers just because they in their own way had sufficient penetration of thought to recognise the suffering and miserable state of the ‘ Sarisara’ and also they found out ways -for men’s salvation. That was. also just what Gotama Buddha did. It must be recognised, however, that such extreme ideas or one-sided ways could not lead men to real truth. Buddha with his characteristic insight, understood the particular religiqus and philosophical condition of the country at that time; therefore, against their ideas he kept his ‘Ontological perception’ aside from the common mass and preached directly his ‘ Phenomenological percep- tion’ Besides this he established tlie ‘ Middle-path ’ as the real way to salvation and avoided all kinds of extremes: It was all useless discussion, he said, to inquire into the origin of all things and existences as the Sramanas and Brihmanas did. He considered that such enquiries were absolutely without any. profit and would never lead men to salvation. So when Malumka asked Buddha whether the existence of the world is eternal or ephemeral, he made no answer, but simply said :— “It is necessary to come out at once from fire for those who | are in the burning flames and it is necessary to take away the arrow from. the body of those who have been struck with the poisonous arrow. They are quite ignorant, who think about, the condition when they.will be coming out of the fire, while they actually are burning in fire ; they are’ also ignorant who, being struck by the poisonous arrow want to know the construction of the arrow without attempting to remove it from the body.”! MLN, Vol. I, p. 29. THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 44 Thus in accordance with the particular: time, socia condition and. people’s inclination and necessity, Buddhi , permitted himself to preach ‘ Phenomenological doctrines in his lifetime. Now we can understand. why. ‘ Phenc menological doctrines’ had been preached in Buddha’s lifc time and at the same time why from the historical pot of view, it has been called ‘ Original Buddhism.’ . Here such a question must arise naturally, when at to whom the Buddha preached his. * Introspection doctrines?’ In answer to this, we have, at least. ty explanations to offer. First, Buddha preached his ‘ Intr spectional doctrines’ even in his lifetime; secondly, tl aspect of his doctrines remained to be manifested, devéloped_ by brilliant disciples... of Buddha. and.thi followers after the Master’s Parinirvana. Let us now discuss these points one.after. anoth (I) With regard to the first point; Buddha actua preached ‘ Phenomenological doctrines’ in his lifeti according to men’s capacity. But from Mahayai statements, we come to. know that Buddha’s final a was to preach his ‘ Ontological doctrines,’ so that all m could attain salvation equally as he himself did. Frc the same source we also come to know that as soon Buddha understood that the’ common reopleé had’ r sufficient mental and intellectual strength to grasp’ cS] Introspectional doctrines,’ he hesitated at ‘once. disseminate such high doctrines ¢ among, ‘them... So- ig said in the Upiyakausalyaparivarta < of Saddharr pundarika-sibra sn “nant wfiga ged etqatd quart aamacefe: wa age: ufeax |efade wa TAA ATE: i Li ua mifeya ae wa Sa saaadatereiaet = ' Baddharmapundarika-sitra, Part T, pp, 29-30, AG ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM “The Buddha-knowledge, Sariputra, is profound, difficult to understand, .difficult to comprehend. It is difficult for all disciples and Protyekabuddhas to fathom the knowledge arrived at by Tathagatas,.. None but a Tathagata, Sariputra, can ‘impart, to. a Tathagata alone those laws which the Tathagata knows.”’! A similar expression is.also to be found even in the Pali canon :— : bs Tassa mayham bhikkhave etad ahosi, adhigato kho me ayath dhammo gambhiro duddaso duranuhodho santo ' panito atakkavacaro nipuno pandita-vedantyo.” * “Then this thought occurs to me; verily has this Dhamma been realised by me, the Dhamma which is profound, which is difficult to perceive and difficult to understand, which is tranquil, and excellent, which has not its foundation upon argumentation, but which is subtle, and comprehensible only by the wise.” But nevertheless it was a fact that Buddha preached his ‘ Introspectional doctrines’ in, an ~esoteric,—mystical garb for the advanced disciples.