Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c8.s1.1

c8.s1.1

Regarding the literature on the subject, we may state that in Pāli there are no works dealing exclusively with the stages of sanctification. The accounts are found scattered in almost all the Pāli canonical works as well as in the few available Sanskrit works of the Sarvāstivādins. Buddhaghosa follows the scheme of spiritual progress in his Visuddhimagga. He divides it into three sections, of which the first deals with Sila (moral precepts), the full observance of which results in the attainment of the first two stages, sotāpatti and sakadāgāmi; the second deals with Citta or Samādhi, which results in the attainment of the third stage Anāgāmi; and the third treats of Paññā (knowledge), perfection in which leads the adept to the final stage, Arahatta or complete emancipation.³ Vasubandhu has dealt with the ‘stages’ in various places in his Abhidharmakośa,⁴ supporting mostly, as we shall see later on, the accounts in the Pāli works.