Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c9.27

c9.27

From the remarks quoted above it is evident that the Mahāyānists adopted the Prātimokṣa rules of the Hinayānists, though they pointed out their inadequacy for the attainment of Bodhi. The references in the Śikṣāsamuccaya to 5 or 10 śikṣāpadas, to 250 śikṣāpadas for bhikṣus, or to 500 śikṣāpadas for bhikṣuṇīs distinctly show that they were using some sort of a code, which was similar to, or had much in common with, the Hinayānic Prātimokṣa⁴. The name of one of their texts, viz., the Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa sūtra may lead one to think that it is an adaptation of the Hinayānic Prātimokṣa sūtra, but from the few quotations that we have in the Śikṣāsamuccaya it may be said that it is not a code of monastic rules like the Prātimokṣa sūtra but a mixture of monastic rules with those about the general conduct of the bodhisattvas both lay and ordained¹. The Śikṣāsamuccaya further hints that it is a compilation made from the Ratnarāśi and other sūtras².