A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s6.8

Language: English

v2.c19.s6.8.1

To the earlier Buddhist schools, whose main doctrines coincide with those of the Theravāda as it has come down in the Pāli Canon, individual liberation, Nirvāṇa, was the most complete salvation; and the state of the Arhat, who even during his mortal life is accorded a foretaste of Nirvāṇa, was the goal of all striving, a goal attainable only to the few, by the aid of certain spiritual experiences which can only be acquired in the monastic life. This doctrine is not rejected by the adherents of the Mahāyāna; but, though it is acknowledged to have originated with Buddha,¹ it is described as the Hīnayāna, *i.e.*, the lesser (hīna), the inadequate "vessel" (yāna), which does not suffice to steer all beings to the end of suffering. What they teach, is the Mahāyāna, the "great vessel," which is fit to conduct a larger number of beings, indeed the whole of the teeming mass of humanity, safely over the suffering of the world. This new doctrine which, according to the claims of its adherents, is based upon a profounder interpretation of the old texts, or upon the profounder teachings of Gotama Buddha, which he imparted only to the elect among his disciples, sets up the ideal of the Bodhisattva in the stead of that of the Arhat. Not only the monk, but every human being, can make it his aim to be reborn as a Bodhisattva, a "being destined for enlightenment," *i.e.*, a candidate for enlightenment, in order to bring salvation to all men.

v2.c19.s6.8.2

Now, if this aim is to be within the reach of the many, then there must be more convenient means of attaining it than are provided in the Hīnayāna. Thus, according to the teachings of the Mahāyāna, even in the householder in the midst of family life, the merchant, the artisan, the king, nay, even the labourer, the pariah, can attain salvation, on the one hand by practising pity and friendliness to all beings, by exceptional generosity and self-denial, and on the other hand by faithful and devoted worship of the Buddha, the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas.¹ Though, as we have seen, Buddha is frequently described as a superhuman being, even in the Pāli Canon, it is nevertheless the enlightenment which first makes him a superman, with power to perform many a miracle, and finally he enters into Nirvāṇa, leaving behind him only his doctrine, and at all events his relics, as objects of worship. The Lokottaravādins, who were still adherents of the Hīnayāna, went further than this. They regarded the Buddhas not as ordinary men, but as supernatural (lokottara) beings, who descend to earth for a certain period, in order to partake of all human experiences. In the Mahāyāna, on the other hand, the Buddhas are from the outset nothing but divine beings, and their sojourn on earth and their entry into Nirvāṇa are purely and simply sportive and a delusion.

v2.c19.s6.8.3

Furthermore, whilst the Hīnayāna already makes mention of a number of Buddhas, predecessors of Śākyamuni in earlier æons of the world’s history, the Mahāyāna speaks of thousands, nay, milliards of Buddhas. In addition, the Mahāyāna Buddhists worship as divine beings countless myriads of Bodhisattvas, beings destined for enlightenment, endowed with the “perfections” (pāramitās), who in their pity towards human beings, refused to enter into Nirvāṇa. Add to these also Hindu deities, especially from the cycle of Śiva, which became associated with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and with them filled the Buddhist pantheon. This newly originated mythology, the new Bodhisattva ideal, and the Buddha worship (Buddha-Bhakti) which now came more and more into prominence, all these combined form the popular side of the Mahāyāna. Even as this side was already prepared in the Hīnayāna, but found its further development under the influence of Hinduism, in the same way the philosophical side of the Mahāyāna is merely an elaboration of Hīnayāna doctrines under the influence of Brahmanical philosophy. Early Buddhism had explained the origin of suffering or the discords of existence by the Paṭiccasamuppāda,[^1)