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The following quotation will t clearly support t this point ; _in the Saddharmapun- darika-stitra, it is Stated : — — wa “wenrgurenfigaearai waeui we fafafaanaiaai fafeer Wada Faroftfeadamaa addaanATel aaa anratactiaq i alt waaeq: a: uaa aaa ford ya: gaaMarnguanweaetauaemai davafa | waca & wasfadae sf gfata a danafafs ga: ge: dadafa! aa 8 anadifratdan wacata: gag’: 1” And the venerable Sariputra, who apprehended the doubt and. uncertainty of the four classes of the audience 1 $B. B., Vol. XXI, pp. 30-32, ® MahSvagga. 1.5. 2-8. (Vol. I, p. 45). 8. N. VIO. 1. (Vol F, pp. 186-7) MEN. (Vol. ¥, pp. 167-168). § Saddharmapupdarika-siitra, Part 1, pp. 33-4. THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 57 and guessed their thoughts from what was passing in. his own mind, himself being in doubt about the law, then said to the Lord ; what, O Lord, is the cause, what the reason of the Lord so repeatedly and extremely extolling the skilfulness, knowledge, and preaching of the Tatha gaia? Why does he repeatedly extol it by saying, ‘Profound is the law by me discovered ; it is difficult to understand the mystery of the Tathagatas.’ Never before have I heard from the Lord such a diseourse on the law.” ! In the same sitra :— “anfa daaaafe dat cahata’ fe afafaaiz a”? “They have spoken in many mysteries; hence it is difficult to understand (them).’’® Therefore, Nagérjuna said in “his: Prajfiaparamita- Sastra :—* “ There are two kinds of Buddhism: one is * esotéric’ guhya) and another is ‘exoterie’ (vyakta). In the esoteric doctrine which he preached for only Bodhisattvas, it has been said that Bodhisattvas only obtain the reality which. is beyond the birth and death In the exoteric doctrine it has been preached bv him that all Arhats aré punya-ksetras.”’® | Now let us see what light on this point can be had from Mahayana sitras. If we read Amitartha-siitra and Saddharmapundarika-siitra, which are regarded as: the most important of Mahayana siitras, we come to know, that Buddha preached_his introspectignal doctrine. in ‘the fest pe oS The Amithartha-siitra runs thus :—: “After meditating six years under the Bodhi-tree, I have arrived at Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment and 18.8. B., Vol. XXI, p. 35. ? Saddbarmapundarika-sitra, Part I, p. 59. 2 8. B. F., Vol. XXI, p. 59. \y * Wang Bundle, Vol. I, p. 29a and Vol. 4, p. 25b of Chinese Tripitaka. ’ Every individual is = Kgetra or a field (metaphorically) in. which. pupya (virtaes or merits) may be produced. 8 58 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM I have. penetrated into the secret of the Dharma with the supreme eye of knowledge (buddha-netra), and have come to know that this) Dharma-cannot be preached at present. Because, I know, that people possess different capacities and different desires. Therefore, since that time, I have been preaching ‘several. otber doctrines according to their requirements as means or expedient (upaya). Thus during the ‘last forty years, I have not revealed the true doctrine. So people obtained different conceptions of truth but could not get Supreme Enlighten- ment at once...............0.. Now I shall preach this Mahayana Amithartha-sitra (t.e., sitra on the immeasurable meaning). This is the inconceivable deep doctrine of Buddha. Therefyre, this cannot be understood by Sravakas, Pratyeka-Baddhas ani ever vine. Bodhisattvas of the ‘ Dasavihara’ or the second stage of Bodhisattva-mairga. But a Tathavata alone can convey and explain this doctrine to a Tathigatha, and a Tathagatha alone can be understood.’’! Again in the Saddharmapundarika-sitra we meet with the following statement :— “mfiga agiaar seas TATA a waarey uafa a qaqnaawres atfe amare wararernaaa aarate: faatoafa ”° “ Sariputra, the Tathagata, the Arhat, &e., tells no falsehood when by an able device he first holds forth three Vehicles and afterwards leads all to complete Nirvana by the. one great Vehicle.” * Again in the same siitra we have :— “sqaatiey narsafen fafauifa arareraesiafan | wa 4 ar ofteiaafa set serqMANtaafag u” ‘ 2 In Bundle, Vol. I, pp. 34-45 of Chinese Tripitaka (see, also Nanjio's catalog _- p. 43, No. 133. $ Vol. I, p. 82. 5 8. B. E., Vol. XXI, p. 82, * Saddharmapugdarika-siiira, Part I, p. 53. THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA §9 “Those Buddhas while manifesting skilfulness display various vehicles though, at the same time, indicating the one single vehicle :' the supreme place of blessed rest.’”? From the above quotations, we get two different. statementsy one is the ‘ Periodical division’ of Buddha’s preaching ; another is the ‘ Characteristic division’. of Buddha’s doctrines and teachings. First, regarding the ‘Periodical division’ we come to learn from above | statements that Buddha preached his Phenomenological doctrines in the early Part of his life, and Introspec- tional doctrines or Ontological teachings in the last part of his life... Of course, this statement does not tally with known historical acts.” Because, - from the historical point of ‘view, there can be no such particular periodical division in the Buddha’s preaching except the two-fold forms—‘ esoteric’ and ‘exoteric.’? But from the above évidence we can easily conclude, that. Buddha preached his Introspectional doctrines even in his lifetime. Here, then, a question may arise, if thevewere="% such precise periodical division in the Buddha’s preaching, then why such a statement has been made at all in the said Mahayana sitras, that Buddha preached Plienomenological doctrine in early part of his life, while he gave away the Mahayana or Ontological doctrines in the last part of his life. , Su my opinion, Mahayana siitras and the statements embodied therein undoubtedly came into being ‘aiicr. Buddha’s death, and these were the products of a set of advanced and_ brilliant disciples of the Buddha. These Mahayanie ideas were the resulis-of a deep, critical. penetration over the Buddha’s Introspectional perceptions. ‘ In the above quotation words ‘Three Vehicles’ and ‘ Various Vehicles’ are indications of expedient doctriues which have been indicated in the Amitértha-siltra. Tbe words ‘Great Vehicle’ and ‘One Vehicle’ arethe indications of Buddha's self. intruspectional perception. , > 9. B, E., Vol. XVI, p. 53. 60 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM and his teachings. Thereby they thought, the Buddha’s real intention: was being fructified. Those Mahayanic views were really their éxpositions over the Buddha's Introspectional ideas as rightly grasped by them. # Historically, it must be said that Buddha preached his Phenomenological doctrines in an ‘ Exoteric form’ to the people and his Ontological doctrines iu the ‘ Esoteric form’ was reserved only for advanced or brilliant men. -- Teachings on both these lines proceeded simultaneously without implying any periodical or chronological division. However, from the doctrinal point of view, the former is the mere expedient (upaya) doctrine, while the latter is the real doctrine. This order equates well with the inherent natural law in the spiritual domain. Here the former or ‘exoteric’ must come first and the latter or ‘esoteric’ would come next. All classes of human beings, either wise or ignorant, have to pass through, first, the expedient stage of doctrines for some time as the first step for higher culture, and when they are well-grounded and sufficiently advanced they have to come at last to the real doctrine or final stage. This may have led to the conception of the said ‘ Periodical] division’ that we meet _ with in the Mahayanic sitras. "Here we can at once understand that the above statements in Mahayana siitras are not at all different from historical facts on the question of the existence of Buddha’s Introspectional doctrines and teachings in his lifetime:. Now, at the same time we also understand why Mahayanists have called Buddha’s Phenomenological doctrines by the term ‘Exoteric’ (or vyaktopadesa) and his Ontological doctrines under the name ‘ Esoteric’ (or guhyopadesa). Next, let us see what is the significance of the above noted ‘Characteristic division’ of the Buddha’s doctrines which we meet with in the above stitras? This is rather THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 61 an important consideration in order fo understand aright Mahayana doctrines. According to these statements, the loctrine which Buddha preached in-the eatly part of his life has been said ‘ Expedient doctrine’ or ‘upfyakausalya-upadega). Sometimes the same has seen called ‘Two-fold vehicle’ or (dviyana) as well as ‘Three-fold vehicle’ or (triyaéna); while the doctrine vhich he preached in the latter part of his life has been wermed, ‘True doctrine’ or (satya-upadesa) or some jimes ‘Great vehicle’. or (mahiayina), as well as ‘One vehicle’ or (ekaydna). oe A further elaborate’ explanation as well as_re-iteration of this point is to be met with in the Prajiaparamita and other sitras. In the Prajiaiparamita-siitra itself Subhati asks Buddha thus, * What do you say? Is the Bodhisattva stage complete or incomplete? ” Buddha answers, .““ Bodhisattva stage is itself complete but not incomplete. Another question still, “ Which vehicle (yana) do you think, sir, to be complete ? ” Fle answered, “The Two-fold vehicle (dviyina) is incomplete, while the Buddha vehicle ‘(buddhayana) alone is perfectly complete.” ? The above quotation plainly suggests that the doctrine of the Two-fold vehicle (dviyana).is neither complete nor real. While the Buddha vehicle (buddhayana) is alone complete. ‘This statement equates well with the general trend of the Amitartha-stitra as well as the Saddharma- pundarika-siitra.