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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c6.s6.t1: I. Asaṅga

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c6.s6.t1

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I. Asaṅga

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Asaṅga in the first chapter of his Sūtrālaṅkāra³ puts forward these arguments: "If it be a fact that Mahāyāna was not preached by Buddha and that it was invented (utpāditam) by some body at a later time, then it would be a danger (antarāya) to the excellent religion (saddharma), and it should have been foretold by Buddha as one of the many dangers that might befall his religion in future (anāgata-bhayas),¹ but it was not. It appears that Mahāyāna originated at the same time with Hīnayāna and not afterwards; then why should it not be regarded as based on Buddhavacana. Mahāyāna is a sublime and profound religion and so it cannot be understood by tārkikas (sceptical dialecticians). It is also not correct to say that it was uttered by some body other than Buddha, for it does not appear in the Śāstras of the non-Buddhists (tirthikas), and even if the tirthikas are told of it, they do not believe it. If we admit that it was said by some body other than Śākyamuni, then it must have been uttered by some one who had attained Bodhi. In that case also it is Buddhavacana, for he who after realising Bodhi has uttered this is a Buddha. If the existence of the Mahāyāna be denied, then there cannot exist a Śrāvakayāna, because Śrāvakayāna is Buddhavacana and it is not proper to say that there is no Mahāyāna (or Buddhayāna), for there cannot arise a Buddha without a Buddhayāna. It is also Buddhavacana in view of the fact that the unconditioned knowledge (sarvanirvikalpajñāna) attainable through Mahāyāna operates as an antidote to all kleśas. This scholastic reasoning of Asaṅga may have a value of its own but it does not establish the simultaneous origin of Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna.

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³ Sūtrā., pp. 3, 4. This passage of the Sūtrālaṅkāra is cited also in the Chinese commentary of the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi for proving the authenticity of Mahāyāna. See Prof. Poussin's French translation of the Chinese commentary, pp. 176-78.

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¹ For a note on the Anāgatabhayas, see Lévi's French Translation of Sūtra., pp. 6, 7 fn.

Cites (1)