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Again this Dharma is called the Mahayana: because it is the vehicle (yana) in which all Buddhas from the beginning have been riding and Bodhisattvas when riding in it will enter into the state of Buddhahood.”! IX. The application of the terms by Sthiramatt. Sthiramati, sometimes known as Saéramati, is a man of Central India :* and he flourished about the latter part of the 5th century A.D. So he is a later contemporary of Asvaghosa II, and from the doctrinal point of view he undoubtedly belonged to the same lineage with ASsvaghosa II. According to Hiuen-Tsang’s record® he wrote the Mahayana-dharmadhatu-avisesata-sastra (?) and the Mahayanottaratantra-sastra in the Southern India. From this it seems that his influence spread in the Southern india. 1 Awakening of Faith by I. Suzuki, pp. 52-55, 2 The Discourse of History of Mahay&na Buddhism, by Eun, Mayeda (in Japanese), p. 134. 3 Beal’s Records of Western World, p. 268. DIFFERENT APPLICATION OF THE TERMS 183 Through the above works, we come to know that his application of the terms ‘Mahayana’ and ‘ Hinayana,’ with respect to the relation or comparison of different aspects of Buddhism, was by the disparaging of Hinayana doctrine. And he counted the Hinayadnic faith as one of the great ‘sins of abusing religion’ (dharma- pavada). So in his Mahayanottaratantra-sastra, it is stated thus :— “Those people who have a preference for the doctrine of Hinayana have no faith in the Mahayana Dharma, so they are abusing all Mahayana Dharma...... Therefore, you should be afraid of such slander of Dharma. Because, such sin will lead us to hell where people suffer endless miseries,” ! CHAPTER III. > The application of the terms ‘ Mahayana’ and * Hinayana by the teachers of Nalanda University. Naland& was the centre of Buddhism during the period that covers the time of Sakraditya and Buddha- gupta of the later Gupta dynasty, on the one hand and the time of Mahipala of the Pala dynasty on the other, that is to say, the period running from the 5th century A.D. to the 11th century A.D.” We know that the. Yogacara school of Maitreyanatha, Asaiga and Vasubandhu first arose in Ayodhya and gradually spread to the South- East. The _ Madhyamika school of Nagarjuna arose in the Andhra country at first and extended its influence gradually to the North and Central India. It is rather strange that those different Mahayana schools came across + Su Bundle, Vol. II, p. 1020 of Chinese Tripitaka, * T have discussed about the History of Nilandd in my work ‘the Shifting of the Centre of Baddhiam in India,’ published in the Journal of Lettera, Calcutta University, Vol. I, p. 36. 184 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM each other in the Madhyadesa. The famous Nalanda monastery was the very place where these two schools met each other during the 5th century A.D. After thut time, Nalanda became the most important place as being the centre of Buddhisin as well as the seat of Buddhistie learning. There, not only Mahiyanie doctrines, such as ‘Madhyamika’ and ‘ Yosacira,’ but also other systems of it such as ‘ Bhiitatathatéi’ doctrine of Asvaghos II, ‘Mantrayana’ doctrine of Nagibhodhi—nay even_ the Hjnayanic systems—were taught and studied simul: laneousiyo" > In this period several famous learned monks of lifferent schools flourished in India and many of them ‘ame and lived together in Nalanda. Though they hid o contend against each other in course of their discussions § to their doctrinal differenves and though their opinions iffered from each other yet they were equally at their iest in exalting the Mahiyana Buddhism and disparaging he Hinayana and other heretical doctrines. For this eason I shall not take their accounts separately but put ll_ of them together under the Nalanda school. (A) As to Naigarjuna’s lineage the following teachers ‘tho flourished during this period might be noticed, rey are :— "1, Bhavaviveka (about 528-560 A.D.) 2. Jfanaprabha (about the end of 6th century A.D.). 3. Candrakirti (about the end of Gth century A.D.). 4, Sithhaprabha (about the beginning of 7th ceutury A.D.). 5.__Jinaprabha (abot the end d of 7th century A.D. ds 6. Santideva (about thé end Of 7th century A.D.). Bhiwaviveka,—One of the lines of Nagarjuna—held he idea of ‘Svatantra’ on the Madhyamika doctrine as ypposed to the tenets of ‘Prasanga’ of Buddhapalita on DIFFERENT APPLICATION OF THE TERMS 185 the same doctrine mentioned above. Of his application of the terms ‘Mahayana’ and ‘Hinayana’ we find in his Prajiadipa-sastra-vyakhya. There it has been stated :— “Saddharma (true law) is pure and it can do away with all sorts of sufferings as well as their semblances (or perfumes) which may leave some impression on one’s mind. ‘Therefore, it has-been described as pure...... and this Saddharma is what we call Mahayana.”! Jitaprabha,—No work has as yet been found that can be attributed to his authorship. “.-However, from the Chinese as well as from the Japanese Buddhist source*® we come to know that he divided the whole Buddhist systen into three categories and ascribed them to three different schools :— (i) The doctrine which says that ‘both subject and object are existing.’ (ii) The doctrine which says that ‘subject is existing but object is not existing.’ (iit) The doctrine which says that ‘ both subject and object are not existing.’ ig Item No. (¢) indicates the Hinayana doctrine, 3.e., the doctrine of the Sthaviravadins and_the_ Sarvastiyadins and No. (ii)-indicates the doctrine of the Yogacara school, while No. (di) indicates the Madhyamika-dectrine. With the help of the” first item he disparaged the Hinayana doctrine and with the second as well as with the third he extolled the Mahayana doctrine. imndrakirti and Sinhaprabha,— Regarding them we have not as yet come across any statement that can throw light upon the application of the terms ‘ Mahayana’ and ‘ Hinayana.’ Su Bundle, Vol. I, p. 1390, of Chinese Tripitaka. * Jin-ni-mon-ron-shin-chi-gi-ki ; one of the most important commentariea on the DvAdasa-nikAya-Ststra of Nig&rjuna, p. 3a, 24 186 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM Santidera,— Regarding his application of the terms the following works bear testimony. In the Bodhicaryavatara it.has been stated :—- “Tf the great vehicle is not admissible, how then your tradition can be admissible ?”! Again, it has been stated in his Siks&-samuccaya thus:— “The Master replied; ‘Even so, Maijusri, whosoever after producing the thought of enlightenment holdeth not fast, neither studieth the Great Vehicle, but hath inter- course with such as follows the “ Disciples Vehicle,” and is intimate with them and readeth their doctrine, and maketh his study. therein, and proveth it, and ioformeth him thereof, and reciteth its topics...... * and so forth down to ‘......teacheth them, he thereby becometh dull of wit, and is torn away and cast back from the Road of the Highest wisdom.’ ’’* Again, in the’same Sastra, he stated :— ‘ Dissuading from following the Perfections— Preaching the Ideals that lead to the Hinayana.’—“ Again the inceptor Bodhisattva may speak thus to some one: You are not capable of practising the six perfections. You cannot become enlightened with the perfect Enlighten- ment. Speedily produce the thought of the way of the Disciples or the Pratyeka Buddhas: by this means you -shall escape from the chain of re-birth...and thus, as aforesaid, this is the second Root Sin of the Inceptor Bodhisattva,”’* , Again, in the Sarvadharmaratnottara-arthasay zitl- ' Sastra, he has stated:— “ The true doctrine has been preached in the Mahayan.”’* _ . *Nanu assidhath Mahdyanam kathath siddhastvadagamah.” (Published in Joursal of Buddhist Text Society, Vol. Il, Part II, p. 26, No. 42. 3 Siks§-samuccaya. Translated by W. H. D, Rouse, 1922, p. 7. ® Ibid, p. 63. : - * Su Bundle, Vol. 3, p. 88), of Chinese Tripitaka. DIFFERENT APPLICATION OF THE TERMS 187 Again in the same Sastra he stated thus :— “This Mahayana is the essence of all Dharma. (B) As to the lineage of Yogacira school, we have the following teachers during the Nalanda period, they are i— 1. Guyamati (about the end of bth A.D.). 2. Digunaga (about the end of the 5th A.D.). 3. Sthiramati (a contemporary of Digunaga). 4, Sankarasvami (a contemporary of Digunaga). 5. Nanda (about 528-560 A.D.). , 6. Vimala Candra (about 528-560 A.D.). 7. Dharmapala (about the beginning of the 6th A.D.). 8. Silabhadra (636 A.D.). 9. Dharmakirti (about 698-9 A.D.). 10. Jinaputra. 11. Visesa Mitra. 12. Jiiinacandra. 13. Bandhuprabha (Nos. 10-13-are all the younger contemporaries of Dharmapala). 931 Gunamati, Digunaga and Sankarasvimi.— Regarding the application of the terms by them we have no state- ment in particular. Sthiramati.—Of his application we find in the Mahayanabhidharmasamyukta-sangili-sastra thus :— “In the Mahiyana there are four secrets which include all kinds of truths that Buddha has preached.” 4-ain, in the same Sastra it has been stated :— “.@ question is: if the Sravaka-pitaka and Bodhi- sattva-pitaka, etc., are equally derived from the Dharma- kaya, then, why the people offering Bodhisattva-pitaka with fragrances and wigs, produce great limitless fortune and why it is otherwise in the case of Srivakayana ? 1 See Bundle, Vol 3, p. $92, of Chinese Tripifaka, 188 ORIGIN OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM Answer: Because, the Bochisattva-pitaka is the foundation of the divine favour and is the source of pleasure for all people.” ! Nanda and Vimalacandra.—Regarding their applica- tion of the terms, nothing is as yet known. Dharmapila.