English
Nagarjuna also speaks in the same clear strain in his Prajna param ita-sastra :— “In-the Sravaka siitras (hinayana) the doctrine of Dharma-tathata also has been preached, but not clearly enough, while in the Prajiaparamita-sitras it has. been. * Padcavimbéati-Prajidpara mita-siitra, faseiculi 83, te, Yuch Bundle, Vol. 2, p. 52a, Chinese Tripitakn, 62 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM clearly explained. . Therefore, in them we easily get 91 real. penetration into the doctrine.” In the Saddharmapundarika-siitra-upodesa* of, Vasu- bandhu we meet with a similer idea. In the said upadesa, Vasubandhu has given seventeen different names of Mahayana * of which the fourteenth one is “Sitra in which the doctrine of One Vehicle has been preached” or (ekayana-upadesa-siitra). * Asa further explanation of the fourteenth name we have the following from Vasubandhu :— ‘The name is so, because the doctrine embodied in it fully explains and” indicates thé reality of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment. But the doctrine of Two-fold vehicle or (dviyana) is not the perfect reality.” + The above quotations clearly indicate the two different characteristic doctrines to be met with in the Buddha’s preachings. Next, we understand that the 1 Prajéiaparamita-dastra, 68 Fasciculi, ie, Wang Bundle, Vol. 4, p. 4¢, Chinese Tripitaka. * Wang Bundle, Vol, 6, pp. 59b-a, Chinese Tripitaka. 3 Seventeen different names of Mahayana are :— * (1) “Sdtra on the immeasurable meanings” or (Amitdrtha-sitru). (2) “Most excellent siitra ” or (Uttama-siitra). {3) Mahavaipulya siitra. {4) “ Doctrine which was preached for Bodhisattva.” (5) “The doctrine which is being protected by Buddhas.” (8) “ Esoteric doctrine of Buddha.” (7) “ The Pitaka of all Buddhas” or (Sarva Buddhanar Pitaka). (8) “The Esoteric place of all Buddhas” or (Sarva Buddhanim guhya- sthaénam), . {9} “Phe siitra which relates the birth of All Buddhas.” (10) “ Sacred place of All Buddhas.” (11) “ The wheel of the Law which is being turned hy All Buddhas.” (12) Sarva Buddhanam dhiradhati, (13) Sarva Boddhananh up3yakauSalya siitra. (14) Ekaydna upadeéa siitra. (15) Paramartha sthapam. (16) Saddharmapundarika. (17) Uttama dharma. -: The Sanskrit restoration of above names is purely persor. * Wang Bundle. Vol. 6, p. 59a of Chinese Tripitaka. THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 63 Phenomenological doctrines were being preached according to men’s requirements and capabilities, but that was not - the real doctrine; while the Introspectional and Ontolo- gical doctrines explained in the light of the Buddha’s independent self-perception was only real and final. ‘Thus, from the above we understand clearly, that the Buddha’s Introspectional and Ontological doctrines existed even in his lifetime ahd that was the only real doctrine from his own ‘point of view. II. Let us, then, consider historically our next point and see how the Buddha’s Introspectional and Ontological doctrines had been developed after his " parinirvana by a set of brilliant disciples and followers. To discuss this point, it will be necessary to know at first in what Stitras, the Buddha’s Introspectional and Ontological doctrines have been recorded. For this purpose again, itis better to speak here of the classifi- cations and systematic division of Buddhism made by great Chinese Buddhist scholars, during the period from the fifth to ninth centuries A.D., so that we may understand what sort of Stitras were put under the Mabayanie division. According to Chinese Buddhist history, during the period from the time of the Sui- dynasty to that of the Than-dynasty, i.¢.,.from 581-906 A.D.,! Nine Buddhist Schools were established in China. Among them, “ the Three sastra schools,” “The Thin-thai ‘--eaka school,’ and “The Dharma- ~ absaye der the Mahayana head.* And 1 {In this period Buddhism was in a most flourishing coudition in China, so it has been rightly called, “ The blossoming age of Buddhisw.” 2 Nine schools were the following : (of which four have already been rpferred io) (1) “The Pure land sect,” (2) “The Dhyéna sect.” (8) “fhe Montra sect.” (4) “The Abhidharma sect.”. (&) “ The Vinaya sect.” Of the above, again, the first three were Mahayanic and the last two Hinayanic. 64 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM Cia-Sian-ta-sh’, C’-c6-ta-sh, Hhien-shen-ta4-sh’ and Hiuen- thsang were the respective founders or systematizers of these schools. Be it remembered, however, that they all made classifications of Buddhism according to their own standpoint. However, on the whole, all their classifications agree equally on main points. All of them made both a periodical, as well asa doctrinal, classification ‘of Buddhism. _ First, three different periods of the Buddha’s preaching are recognised by all :—In the ‘ First period,’ that is to say, just after three weeks of his Enlightenment, the Buddha preached the doctrine embodied in the Avataiinska-siitras which he put forth in order to test the people, thereby to. understand whether Ontological doctrines will be appropriate for them or not. These siitras, later on, were éventually regarded as the most important records of the Buddha’s Introspectional perception, and necessarily of. great value as Mahayana stitras. But Buddha soon found that the people were too ignorant to understand such profound doctrines. ‘Therefore, he changed at once his intention and had recourse to a new method and began to preach ‘ Four Agamas’ (7.e., Four Nikayas in Pali) quite in keeping with men’s capacity. The doctrines herein em- bodied were ‘Expedient doctrine’ (upa&ya-upadesa). This is the ‘Second period’:—In course of time, Buddha came to learn that those people were then more advanced in their. mental culture so that it was high time for him to preach his Introspectional. and Ontological doctrines. Thus, then, this ‘Third period’ was reserved and kept aside to preach, when the right time would arrive, his _ true perception as contained in the Prajiaparamita-sitras, Mahavaipulya-siitras, Saddharmapundarika-siira, as well as Mahiyaina-Mahaparinirvana-sttras. Of the above three periodical divisions, the first was simply a trial stage. So that, really speaking, his actual THE TERMS MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA 65 preaching was covered by the last two periods. This periodical classification of the said Chinese scholars. is quite on a par with the statement in Amitartha-stitra alluded to above, as well as. Saddharmapundarika-sttra. It is beyond doubt that the classifications of the Chinese scholars were based upon the statements on the Amitgrtha and Saddharmapundarika-satras < of “Mahayana. Next, let us briefly state the Chinese classification of doctrine of Buddhism. They made .a_ two-fold division on the whole. The doctrines embodied. -in the so-called ‘ Four _Agamas’ have _ been - variously called ‘Triyana doctrines,’ ‘Expedient doctrine’ ‘ The Doctrine which was set forth according to -peoples o1 capacity.’ Later the generic name ‘Hinayana’ was applied to it. While the doctrines preached in the Third period with, that of the Avatarhsaka-siitras (which Buddha put forth as a test in the First period) were called the ‘True doctrine’ which later on came to be known_as ‘ Mahayana.’ Of the above mentioned two-fold classification, ‘the ‘ periodical one’ is very important for our present.pur ‘pose, Because, from these statements we come to know clearly that the Mahayana siitras; Avatarhsaka, Prajiiapdramita Saddharmapundarika and Mahaparinirvana siitras were the records of Buddha’s Introspectional and Ontological doctrines. This was our main point of ingniry and’ here we arrived at the right point. Tf Buddha’s Introspectional and Ontological doctrines came to be recorded in the Mahayana siitra-form, then, to be quite logical, it should not be said that this doctrine did exist in the Buddha’s life-time, becauge, ‘from the historical point. of view, these Mahayana siitras came to exist undoubtedly after Budcha’s Parinirvana and so-called ‘Four Nikayas’ or ‘Agamas’ are only regarded .as authentic records in comparison with later Mahayanic 9 66 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM siitras. Not only that, it is for the first time that we meet with the names of those Mahaydna-siitras in Nagarjuna’s Prajiiaiparamita-sastra ,’ the commentary on Prajiiaparamita-siitra. Therefore, it can be said without hesitation, that those Mahayina-siitras came to being at the time of, or some time before Nagarjuna. We have another inter-rélated statement on this matter, in Para- martha’s commentary on the Nikaya-avalarnbana-sastra ‘(Pu-Chib-I-lun) of Vasumitra,? and as its epitome we have the following :— * During’ two hundred years after Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, three schools sprang up from the Mahasanghika, namely; (¢) Ekavyavaharika, (ii) Lokot- tara-vada, (iit) Kaukkutika. And the cause of this separation was at first, Mahadeva, the leader of the Mahasaighikas who dwelt in Angottara country in the North of Rajagriha. There he preached the doctrine of ‘Avatarhsaka, Prjiaparamitd-siitras, ete. At that time, two parties seceded from, the main Mahasanghika school on account of Mahadeva’s preaching. Because some of them believed in that doctrine, they together formed one party; while others did not agree and they made up another party.” If we take this, as an authentic statement, then we can say at once that: some of the Mahayana siitras were existing in the time of the Second Council, held a hundred years after the Buddha's ‘Parinirvana at Vaisali. But undoubtedly, from the historical point of view or from the point of time, Mahayana stitras came into being definitely not before, but after, Buddha’s death. At the same time it cannot also. be said that Buddha’s Ontological perceptions or 1 See Appendix.