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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c8.s4: II. Vimalā or Adhiśīla

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c8.s4

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II. Vimalā or Adhiśīla

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A Bodhisattva who has well practised the first bhūmi and seeks the second develops ten cittāśayas, *viz.*, ṛju (plain), mṛdu (soft), karmaṇya (pliable), dama (submissive), śama (tranquil), kalyāṇa (beneficial), asaṃsṛṣṭa (unclogged), anapekṣa (indifferent), udāra (noble) and māhātmya (magnanimous).⁴

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⁴ *B. Bh.*, p. 11 mentions ten samyagāśayas but does not enumerate them. The *Mtu.*, I, pp. 85-9 mentions twenty adhyāśayas and amplifies each of them by a stanza. This is followed by an enumeration of the evil consequences that follow their non-observance, making the Bodhisattva go downwards. It is in connection with the third bhūmi (*Mtu.*, I, p. 101) that the *Mtu.* tells us daśa karmapathān kuśalān sevanti puruṣottama.

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When these āśayas are developed he is established in the second bhūmi, Vimalā. He then quite naturally refrains from prāṇātipāta (taking life), adattādāna (stealing), kāmamithyācāra (misconduct), anṛtavacana (telling lies), piśunavacana (malignant speech), paruṣavacana (harsh speech), sambhinnapralāpa (frivolous talks) and becomes anabhidyā (non-avaricious), avyāpannacitta (devoid of malevolence), and comes to possess samyagdrṣṭi (right view).¹ He then thinks that all beings suffer on account of not avoiding the said ten akuśalakarmapathas. He therefore must persuade them to follow the right conduct, and with that object in view, he must himself first observe them.²

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¹ Daśa., pp. 23-5; on p. 26 the sufferings that follow each of the misdeeds are mentioned.

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² B. Bh., pp. 11-12 refers briefly to the acquisition of kuśalakarmapathas and remarks that just as gold is purified by heating and other processes, so a Bodhisattva is purified by the practice of these karmapathas. The Mtu., however, makes no reference to the kuśalakarmapathas in the second bhūmi. M. Ava. (ch. II) enumerates the kuśalakarmapathas in all their details, and also dilates on the purity acquired by the bodhisattva in this bhūmi, which is for this reason named Vimalā.

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He ponders over the fact that persons are graded according to their kuśalakarmapathas (good deeds performed) and other practices, by virtue of which they become men, gods, etc., and also Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. He also ponders over the fact that by committing evil deeds (akuśalakarmapathas) beings are born in hell, the animal world or the Yama world, or as human beings with a short life and many diseases. So he decides that he will observe the ten kuśalakarmapathas and persuade others to do so.³ He therefore becomes loving and compassionate towards all beings and takes upon himself the duty of being a teacher and a guide, bringing them from the wrong to the right view. He observes that beings suffer on account of anger, avarice, desire, hatred, delusion, mental darkness, lack of energy and so forth, that they are tossed up and down by the waves of desire, love of existence, ignorance, that they are tied up by love and hatred, likes and dislikes, and labour under the misconception of ‘I-ness’ and ‘Mine-ness’, etc. Out of compassion he resolves to rescue those beings and lead them to a suitable haven of peace.

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³ Sata., p. 1455 refers to śilas, but its account agrees to a great extent with that of Daśa. Sata. enumerates eight duties, śilapariśuddhi, kṛtajñatā, etc. For comments on them, see Sata., pp. 1460-1. The Mtu. gives us very little information in regard to this bhūmi.

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While in this bhūmi he can see many Buddhas, worship them and transfer the merit thus acquired to the attainment of Bodhi. He receives the kuśalakarmapathas from these Buddhas and fulfils them in many kalpas. He gets rid of mātsarya (covetousness) and carries out fully the precept of liberality. Of the four saṃgrahavastus, he increases priyavadya (affability) in a great measure, and of the ten pāramitās he improves the śilapāramitā in a great degree but not so the other pāramitās.

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Should a bodhisattva after the attainment of the second bhūmi desire material prosperity, he can become a righteous cakravartin with seven ratnas and so forth.¹

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¹ Cf. B. Bh., p. 12. The Mtu. adds in every bhūmi the qualities which make a bodhisattva retrogress from a higher to a lower bhūmi but passes over the other details.

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This account of the second bhūmi leaves us little doubt as to its similarity to the Adhiśīla practices of the Hīnayānists, without, of course, taking into account the adhyāśayas developed by the Bodhisattvas. In the Visuddhimagga it is stated that the sila practices lead to the purification of all impurities relating to conduct,² and serve as the basis for the attainment of sotāpanna and sakadāgāmi stages. In the first chapter of the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa dilates on the various silas to be observed by the householders, lay-devotees, monks and nuns, supplementing it by the second chapter on the thirteen dhutaṅgas, which he considers necessary for the ascetics (yogi) to bring their silas to perfection.³ The Nikāyas usually mean by the silas the commonly known ten silas and the 250 pātimokkha rules.⁴ By the complete performance of silas and a little of samādhi and paññā,⁵ an adept becomes a sotāpanna and a sakadāgāmi. We know that a sotāpanna is free from the three samyojanas and the two anusayas, viz., diṭṭhi and vicikicchā.¹ By bringing the three hindrances, rāga (attachment), dosa² (hatred), and moha (delusion) to their minimum (tanutta), and by getting rid of anusayas, kāmārāga and paṭigha and by practising a little more of samādhi, and paññā, he becomes a sakadāgāmi. In the Paṭisambhidāmagga,³ it is stated that an adept in sotāpattiphala, sakadāgāmimagga, etc., obtains aññindriya (the faculty of perfect knowledge), and the dhammas that were already existing in him become unmanifest (avyākata), and the new thoughts that arise in his mind are pure, transcendental and conducive to Nibbāna.⁴ A sotāpanna also gets rid of diṭṭhāsava completely and the other three āsavas so far as they lead to hell, while a sakadāgāmi of olārika (gross) kāmāsava, and partially of bhavāsava and avijjāsava.⁵ In addition to the attainments required in the sotāpattimagga, the adept must also think of the transitoriness and essencelessness of the five upādāna khandhas.⁶

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² Vis. M.: sīlena ca duccarita-saṅkilesavisodhanam pakāsitam hoti.

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³ Ibid., p. 59.

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⁴ See, e.g., Aṅguttara, I, pp. 229, 235.

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⁵ It will be observed that an adept commences practising all the three, sīla, samādhi, and paññā, but he fulfils only one in one stage.

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¹ Paṭis. M., II, p. 96.

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² Ibid., I, pp. 72-3; II, p. 96.

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³ Ibid., II, p. 96.

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⁴ Ibid., I, p. 116.

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⁵ Ibid., I, p. 24.

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⁶ Saṃyutta, III, p. 168.

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There are two sub-stages between sotāpatti (or sattakkhattuparama) and sakadāgāmi. They are called kolaṃkola (kulaṅkula) and ekabījī (ekavīcika).⁷ Any one who has got rid of the three samyojanas, completed the silas and practised a little (mattaso) of samādhi and paññā is usually called sotāpanna. He is also called sattakkhattuparama⁸ because he will be re-born seven times more among men and the gods before he can attain Nibbāna. He will never fall back into hell and is destined to attain Nibbāna after getting rid of two more avarabhāgiya (orambhāgiya=lower) fetters, viz., kāmacchanda and vyāpāda, and five ūrdhvabhāgiya (uddhambhāgiya=higher) saṃyojanas (fetters), viz., rūparāga, arūparāga, auddhatya, māna and moha.

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⁷ Aṅguttara, I, p. 233; IV, pp. 380-1; Saṃyutta, V, p. 205; Pug. P., p. 16; Netti., p. 189; Vis. M., p. 709; Paṭis. M., I, p. 161; Kośa, VI, 34. For the two stages prior to sotāpanna, viz., Dhammānusārī and Saddhānusārī, see ante, pp. 250 ff.

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⁸ There are disagreements among the schools as to the number of existences; some interpret seven existences among men and seven among the gods, and some even more, though the texts cited by each clearly show that seven existences in all were meant. See, for details, Kośa, VI, 34, pp. 200-2.

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A srotāpanna becomes a kulaṅkula by getting rid of the third and fourth categories of passions of the Kāmadhātu and by the acquisition of purer indriyas as opposed to the passions. He will be reborn twice or thrice either among the gods when he is called Devakulaṅkula or among men when he is called Manuṣyakulaṅkula.¹ The Nikāyas did not draw any clear difference between sotāpanna and kolaṅkola. The Visuddhimagga distinguishes them by saying that the Kolamkolas have vipassanā and indriyas of the medium order,² while the sotāpannas have those of mild (mṛdu) order.

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¹ Kośa, II, 34.

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² Vis. M., p. 709 following Kośa.

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The next stage Ekabījī (Ekavīcika) is put in the Pāli texts after Kolamkola and before Sakadāgāmi, but in the Kośa it is put after Sakadāgāmi.³ The superiority of Ekabījīs as shown in the Pāli texts is that they develop samādhi and paññā still more but cannot complete them.⁴ The Visuddhimagga adds that they have sharp faculties (tikkhindriya). In consequence of this, they are reborn once more among men (mānusakaṃ bhavam) for attaining Nibbāna. Quite similar is the description of a Sakadāgāmi; only in this case, it is not mentioned whether the one more rebirth will be among the gods or among men; the texts simply say “imam lokam āgantvā”, i.e., they will be reborn in the Kāmadhātu, which includes both men and the gods. In any case, the Sakadāgāmis reduce rāga, dosa, and moha to their minimum (tanutta).

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³ Kośa, VI. 35, 36.

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⁴ ‘Na paripūrakārī’ is used instead of ‘mattasokārī’.

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The Kośa tells us that a Sakṛdāgāmi destroys passions (kleśas) up to the sixth category. Having been born among the gods, he will be reborn once more among men. In him rāga, dveṣa, and moha are brought to the minimum, and there remain only the three lower categories of passion, viz., mṛdvadhimātra, mṛdumadhya and mṛdumṛdu. The Ekavicikas are distinguished from them by the fact that they destroy seven or eight categories of passions and acquire the faculties opposed to these passions.¹

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¹ Kośa, VI. 36 says on the etymology of the word thus: vici = interval, separation, i.e., they are separated from Nirvāṇa by one more birth. Quite different, however, is the etymology given in the Pāli texts, where bīja = seed.

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The divisions of srotāpannas into three classes are mentioned also in the Laṅkāvatāra. It says that the srotāpannas are of ordinary (hīna), medium (madhya), and excellent (viśiṣṭa) classes². The hīna class will undergo seven more rebirths, the madhya (i.e. kulaṅkula) three or five and the viśiṣṭa (i.e. ekavicika³) only one. The saṃyojanas, viz., satkāyadṛṣṭi, vicikitsā and śīlavrataparāmarśa are mild, medium or sharp according to the class of srotāpannas. A srotāpanna by getting rid of the three saṃyojanas does not have rāga, dveṣa and moha.⁴ While speaking of the sakṛdāgāmi, the Laṅkāvatāra simply mentions that they require one more birth to put an end to duḥkha.⁵ The stage next to sakṛdāgāmi is anāgāmi corresponding to the third bhūmi of the Mahāyānists.

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² Laṅkā., p. 117.

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³ Ibid., pp. 117-9 explains Satkāyadṛṣṭi as of two kinds, sahaja (natural) and parikalpita (imaginary), and then interprets Vicikitsā and Śīlavrataparāmarśa as a Yogācāra text would do.

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⁴ Laṅkā., p. 119; on this point Laṅkā. differs from all Hīnayāna texts, which say that Sakṛdāgāmis bring rāga, dveṣa and moha to the minimum.

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⁵ Ibid., p. 120.

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