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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c8.s5: III. Prabhākarī or Adhicittavihāra

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c8.s5

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III. Prabhākarī or Adhicittavihāra

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A Bodhisattva who has completed the second bhūmi and seeks the third should develop the following ten cittāśayas:⁶ śuddha (pure), sthira (firm), nirvid (disgustful), avirāga (non-detached), avinivṛta (non-returning), dṛḍha (strong), uttapta (energetic), atṛpta (never satisfied), udāra (noble) and māhātmya (magnanimous).

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⁶ Cf. B. Bh., p. 12; Mtu., I, pp. 89-90 mentions 28 qualities which send back a Bodhisattva from the 3rd to the 2nd bhūmi.

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While in the third bhūmi the bodhisattva realises that the constituted things are impermanent, full of sufferings, have momentary origin and decay, are without beginning and end, and are subject to the causal law. He understands the misery and despair as issuing from attachment to saṃskāras, and so he applies his mind to the attainment of Tathāgatajñāna,¹ which he finds as unthinkable, immeasurable and above all misery and despair, and where there is neither fear nor trouble, and by attaining which one can save beings. He then develops ten more cittāśayas.

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¹ Cf. B. Bh., pp. 12-3.

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Realising this state of things, the bodhisattva again resolves to rescue beings and strive for them. He then thinks over the means by which he can rescue them and finds that it is possible only by anāvaraṇavimokṣajñāna (the unscreened knowledge of emancipation). He observes that it is attainable only by hearing and practising the dharma. So he turns his mind to perfecting himself in the dharma and resolves to sacrifice all earthly wealth and enjoyment, and undergo all sorts of suffering.² He now sees that mere purification in speech and action would not be sufficient and that he must observe the dharmas and anudharmas.³ With that end in view, he practises the dhyānas, the four brahmavihāras, viz., maitrī, karuṇā, muditā, and upekṣā, and acquires the abhijñās, viz., ṛddhividha (power of performing miracles), divyaśrota (supernatural power of hearing), paracittajñāna (power of reading the thoughts of others), pūrvanivāsānusmaraṇa (power of remembering former births), and divyacakṣu (supernatural power of vision⁴).

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² Cf. Mtu., I, pp. 91-5 for ekā gāthā subhāṣitā a Bodhisattva is prepared to sacrifice everything, even his own life. This is followed by an enumeration of the evils for which a Bodhisattva may retrogress.

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³ Cf. B. Bh., p. 13; Mtu., I, pp. 91-2; M. Ava. (Le Muséon, VIII, pp. 301 ff.)

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⁴ Śata., p. 1455 mentions only five dharmas in connection with the third bhūmi. Except the first there is very little agreement among the three works Mtu. Śata., and Daśa.

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He sees many Buddhas, hears their discourses, and follows their directions. He comprehends that all dharmas are non-transmigrating, non-decaying and are only subject to cause and condition. The fetters of Kāma, Rūpa, Bhava and Avidyā become weak, those due to wrong views (micchādiṭṭhi) having been already destroyed. He gets rid of rāga, dveṣa and moha, and the following āśayas are purified: kṣāntisauratya (forbearance with gentleness), akhilya-mādhurya (sweetness without hindrance), akopya (non-anger), akṣubhita (non-agitation), alubhita (non-covetousness) anunāmāvānāma (non-elation and non-depression), sarvakṛtaprakṛtānāṃ niṣkāṅkṣā (non-desire for remuneration for works done), asāthyamāyāvitā (non-deceit) and agahanatā (non-mysteriousness). Of the four saṃgrahavastus, he increases arthacaryā in a great measure, and of the ten pāramitās he improves kṣāntipāramitā, but not the rest.

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In this description of the third bhūmi it will be noticed that the bodhisattvas apart from the extraordinary qualities peculiar to them commence practising the eight dhyānas (jhānas), the four brahmavihāras, and the six abhijñās. Their fetters relating to Kāma, Rūpa, Bhava, and Avidyā become weak, and those due to dṛṣṭi are destroyed. Their rāga, dveṣa, and moha are completely destroyed.

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In the Hinayāna system also, an adept after completing the sīlas attempts to rise higher and higher in the training of mind through samādhi.¹ The Visuddhimagga² treats in detail the practices that are classed under samādhi. They are the four jhānas with the help of forty kammaṭṭhānas (bases of meditation), ten anussatis (objects of remembrance), four brahmavihāras, the four āruppa (higher) jhānas, two bhāvanās, ten iddhis, and six abhijñās, all of which, it will be observed, are included in the third bhūmi. The Visuddhimagga also tells us that an adept after completing the citta practices becomes an Anāgāmi, i.e., he will not be reborn any more in the Kāmadhātu.³ He gets rid of the five orambhāgiyas (lower), viz., sakkāyadiṭṭhi, vicikicchā, sīlabbataparāmāsa, kāmacchanda and vyāpāda,⁴ completely destroys rāga, dosa and moha, and removes wholly kāmāsava, and partially bhavāsava and avijjāsava.¹ He comes into existence as an upapātika (self-born ²) and attains Nibbāna.

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¹ Vis. M., p. 84.

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² Ibid., ch. II.

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³ Pug. P. Cy., p. 198; oram vuccatī kāmadhātu.

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⁴ The first three are destroyed by the Sotāpattis and Sakadāgāmis; so in this stage only the last two are destroyed. See ante, pp. 264, 265.

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¹ Paṭis. M., p. 118.

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² In the Suddhāvāsalokas (Pug. P. Cy., p. 198).

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The Anāgāmis are divided into five sub-classes ³ called :

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³ Vis. M., p. 710. The *Kośa* adds five more to this list. See fn. infra. Pug. P. Cy., p. 200 calculates 48 clasess of Anāgāmis out of these five.

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(1) Antarāparinibbāyi, *i.e.*, those who practise the path to destroy the five higher (uddhambhāgiya) saṃyojanas just after coming into being and before reaching the middle of their lives.⁴

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⁴ Pug. P., p. 16. *Kośa*, VI. 37 explains it differently.

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(2) Upahacca (= Upapadya of *Kośa*)-parinibbāyi, *i.e.*, those who practise the path to destroy the five higher saṃyojanas after the middle and a little before the end of their lives.⁵

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⁵ Pug. P. Cy., p. 199 : āyukhayassa āsanne thatvā. It may be remarked in this connection that the length of lives in these existences is counted by thousands of kalpas. *Kośa*, VI, p. 211 explains it as those who attain sopādiśeṣanirvāṇa-dhātu immediately after birth.

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(3) Asaṅkhāraparinibbāyi, *i.e.*, those who attain parinibbāna by putting an end to kilesas with a little trouble and without great effort (appadukkhena adhimattaṃ payogaṃ akatvā).⁶ The *Kośa* explains it as those who attain Nirvāṇa without effort because they are not energetic.⁷ The *Aṅguttara Nikāya* gives us a different interpretation. It says that those who complete the fourth Jhāna, develop the five balas and five indriyas, and attain parinibbāna in this life are called Asaṅkhāraparinibbāyi.⁸

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⁶ Pug. P. Cy., p. 199.

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⁷ *Kośa*, VI, p. 211.

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⁸ Aṅguttara, II, p. 156.

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(4) Sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyi, *i.e.*, those who attain parinibbāna by putting an end to kilesas with great trouble and great effort (dukkhena kasirena adhimattaṃ payogaṃ katvā).⁹ The *Kośa* explains it as those who attain Nirvāṇa without relaxing the exercises because they are energetic. The *Aṅguttara Nikāya* explains it as those who look upon the body as evil (asubha), food as loathsome and all constituted things as disgusting. They cogitate on the transitoriness of things and death, and make their minds steady. They develop greatly the five balas and five indriyas.¹

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⁹ Pug. P. Cy., p. 199; see Vis. M., p. 453 sasaṅkhāra-pubbapayoga.

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¹ Aṅguttara, II, p. 156. Cf. Kośa, VI, p. 212 fn. The Anāgāmis (1) and (4) are of sharp faculties, (2) and (3) of mild faculties. (3) and (4) practise the dhyānas while (1) and (2) are described without any mention of dhyānas. About the precedence of (3) to (4), see Kośa, VI, p. 212.

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(5) Uddhamsota Akanitṭhagāmi, i.e., those Anāgāmis who do not attain parinibbāna while they are in the Aviha heaven but rise higher and higher until they reach the Akanitṭha heaven where they attain Nibbāna.²

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² See Kośa, VI. 37, p. 213 for two kinds of Ūrdhvasrotas: (i) Akaniṣṭhagā and (ii) Naivasamjñānāsaṃjñāyatanagā. The Akaniṣṭhagā are divided again into three sub-classes:
(a) Pluta (one who soars high); on account of dhyānas practised by him, he is born in the Brahmakāyika heaven and lastly he is born in the Akaniṣṭha heaven where he attains Nirvāṇa;
(b) Ardhapluta (one who soars only half-way); on account of dhyānas practised by him, he is born in the Brahmakāyika heaven, from which he passes to Suddhāvāsa and thence to Akaniṣṭha to attain Nirvāṇa there; and
(c) Sarvacyuta; before entering into Akaniṣṭha heaven, he passes across all the heavens except Mahābrahma. An Anāgāmi cannot have two existences in one heaven because he always rises higher and higher.

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Thus we see that the Hinayānic Anāgāmi stage is parallel to the Mahāyānic third bhūmi.

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The practices of the fourth, fifth and sixth bhūmis correspond to the Adhipaññā practices of the Hinayānists. In the Bodhisattvabhūmi, three bhūmis are put under Adhiprajñā-vihāra, the reason being that the Bodhisattva acquires Prajñā by three different means (tribhir mukhaiḥ), viz., bodhipakṣika dharmas, the four truths, and the causal law. So it subdivides this Vihāra into three:

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(i) Bodhipakṣyapratisaṃyuktādhiprajñāvihāra (practice of Prajñā with reference to the Bodhipakṣika dharmas);

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(ii) Satyapratisaṃyuktādhiprajñāvihāra (practice of Prajñā with reference to the Truths); and

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(iii) Pratītyasamutpādapratisaṃyuktādhiprajñāvihāra (practice of Prajñā with reference to the law of causation).

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