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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c8.s12: X. Dharmameghā or Parama-Vihāra

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c8.s12

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X. Dharmameghā or Parama-Vihāra

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A Bodhisattva on completion of the duties of the ninth bhūmi passes to the tenth.³ Now he masters countless samādhis, and as the result, a lotus of infinite splendour and size appears and he is found to be seated on it with an equally resplendent body and established in the samādhi of omniscience (sarvajñajñānaviśeṣābhiṣeka)⁴ surrounded by countless bodhisattvas who are yet in any one of the nine bhūmis and all looking at him. The rays of light issue forth from his body and make all beings happy.⁵ While he is thus seated on the lotus, rays come forth from the Tathāgatas and consecrate him as a Samyaksambuddha possessed of omniscience, and hence this bhūmi is called Abhiṣekabhūmi.

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³ The Mtu., I, p. 142, has nothing corresponding to the account of the Daśa. It mentions something connected with the Bodhisattva's descent from the Tuṣita heaven and birth in the world of mortal beings.

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⁴ Cf. B. Bh., 24.

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⁵ The wonders of raśmi are described here as well as in the Prajñāpāramitās and other Mahāyāna works.

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He now knows thoroughly how the world and its dharmas appear and disappear, the innumerable functions of a Buddha, the countless bodhisattva-vimokṣamukhas, samādhis, dhāraṇīs, etc. He is now possessed of such smṛti-kauśalya (expedients of memory) that he can hold all dharmas showered on him (dharmameghā) by infinite Buddhas.¹ He can perform any kind of miracle. In this bhūmi he greatly develops the jñāna-pāramitā.²

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¹ Cf., B. Bh., p. 24.

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² Śata., p. 1472 says that the bodhisattva in this bhūmi obtains, besides the pāramitas, Tathāgatabalas, four vaiśāradyas and four pratisamvids, eighteen āveṇikadharmas, sarvākārajñatā, sarvavāsanākleśānusandhiprahāṇa and sarvabuddhadharmaparipūraṇa.

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It is after the tenth bhūmi that a bodhisattva becomes a Tathāgata, and so the Laṅkāvatāra calls this stage Tathāgatabhūmi.³ The Śatasāhasrikā⁴ also remarks that a bodhisattva in the tenth bhūmi can be called a Tathāgata.

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³ Laṅkā., p. 227.

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⁴ Śata., p. 1458.

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In the Hinayāna literature one does not expect any account corresponding to that of the last four bhūmis. The conception of Buddha among the Hinayānists is more or less hazy and that is due to the fact that the introduction of the Bodhisattva conception in their literature was only an after-thought, suggested undoubtedly by the Mahāyānic speculations. They carefully avoided all metaphysical conceptions introduced by the Mahāyānists in connection with the Bodhisattva and Buddha conceptions, though they could not offer a similar treatment to the devotion-inspiring stories of the lives of the bodhisattvas. The Hinayānists, consistent with their doctrinal principles, incorporated in their literature a life of Buddha preceded by a short account of the Bodhisattva lives under the headings, Dūrenidāna and Avidūrenidāna.⁵ These two Nidānas are nothing but the gist of stories current among the Mahāyānists, and possess trace, though very slight, of borrowings. Apart from the expressions like Buddhabīja⁶ and Abhinirhāra,⁷ the passage in which Sumedha brāhmaṇa says, "I have no need of nibbāna by destroying the kilesas, like Dipaṅkara Dasabala, I shall attain the highest sambodhi and by means of the boat of dharma, I shall lead the men across the sea of transmigration and attain parinibbāna,”¹ shows clearly Mahāyānic, or at least, semi-Mahāyānic traces. But the Hinayānists rejected not only the metaphysical speculations but also the stereotyped list of pāramis of the Mahāyānists. The Jātaka as well as the Mahābodhivamsa² states that the Buddhakāraka dharma is only ten pāramis, viz., dāna, sīla, nekkhamma, paññā, viriya, khanti, sacca, adhiṭṭhāna, mettā and upekkhā. This is a list of their own making and does not agree with the Mahāyānic list.³

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⁵ Jāt., I, p. 2.

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⁶ Ibid., I, p 16.

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⁷ Ibid., I, p. 14.

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¹ Jāt. I, p. 14.

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² Ibid., p. 25; Mahābodhivamsa, p. 9.

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³ See ante, pp. 12, 278.

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Of the extraordinary spiritual powers attained by a Buddha, the Hinayānists say very little. We have in the Nikāyas the remark that Buddhas (including Paccekabuddhas) attain perfect knowledge by themselves, and by following the dharma unheard before.⁴ A Samyaksambuddha preaches the dhamma and becomes the founder of a religion, and the leader of men and the gods. He is sabbaññu (omniscient)⁵ and his knowledge in any matter whatsoever does not require any āvajjanā (reflection); he possesses ten balas, and four vesārajjas. In the Kathāvatthu⁶ there is a discussion on this topic, viz., whether the powers of a Tathāgata are the same as those of a Sāvaka—a point raised by the Andhakas on the basis of the Anuruddha-samyutta.⁷ Among the powers of Buddhas referred to, there is nothing very special except the few mentioned above, and the Theravādins were driven to an uncomfortable position by the question of the Andhakas. In their literature the Hinayanists tried to prove that a Buddha is a rare being and superior to the men and the gods, but they mention also that there is hardly any distinction between an Arhat and a Buddha except that the latter is a founder and teacher of a religion.⁸

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⁴ Aṅguttara, III, p. 9; Pug., P., p. 14.

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⁵ Majjhima, I, p. 482 sabbaññū sabbadassāvī aparisesam ñāṇadassanam paṭijānāti.

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⁶ Kvu., III, 1. 2.

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⁷ Samyutta, V, p. 304.

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⁸ For a comparison of the Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas and Buddhas see ch. II, pp. 80-4. Dial. of Buddha, II, 1-3; III. 6.

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