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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c9.s5: Pāramitās

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c9.s5

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Pāramitās

c9.s5.1

The most essential and primary caryā of a bodhisattva is the completion of the six pāramitās. The Mahāyāna texts enter into the minutest details about the duties of a Bodhisattva for completing each pāramitā in the right way⁴. We shall quote here only one passage from the Śikṣāsamuccaya to illustrate what the Mahāyāna texts mean by perfection in a pāramitā :—

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⁴ There are many directions for the pariśuddhi of pāramitās.

c9.s5.3

(i) Yaḥ kāyasyotsargaḥ kāyaparityāgaḥ kāyānapekṣā iyam asya dānapāramitā (It is bodhisattva’s perfection in gift when he offers, gives up, or remains indifferent to his body);

c9.s5.4

(ii) Yat kāye chidyamāne sarvasattvān maitryā spharati vedanābhiś ca na saṃhriyate iyam asya śīlapāramitā (It is his perfection in precepts when he irradiates love towards all beings, and does not contract himself in pain even when his body is dismembered);

c9.s5.5

(iii) Yat kāye chidyamāne ya evāsya kāyaṃ chindati teṣāṃ eva pramokṣārtham kṣamate na ca cittena kṣaṇyate kṣāntibalam copadarśayatīyam asya kṣāntipāramitā (It is kis perfection in forbearance when his mind does not feel anguish and shows forbearance to persons dismembering his body, and pardons them in order that they may attain emancipation);

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(iv) Yena vīryeṇa taṃ sarvajñatāchandam notsṛjati, cittabalādhīnāṃ ca pratigṛhṇāti, saṃsāram eva cānubadhnāti, kuśalamūlārambham eva cārabhate, iyam asya vīryapāramitā [It is his perfection in strength that he does not give up his aspiration to attain omniscience and holds fast to it by force of thought, that he follows the course of the world (without attaining Nirvāṇa which he could) and continues collecting merits];

c9.s5.7

(v) Yat kāye vikīryamāṇe tat sarvajñatācittotpādaratnaṃ kartuṃ na sammuhyati bodhim evāpekṣate śāntapraśāntam eva pratyavekṣate iyam asya dhyānapāramitā (It is his perfection in meditation that when his body is cut in pieces he does not feel any doubt about the jewel of omniscience and aspires to bodhi calmly and sedately);

c9.s5.8

(vi) Yat kāye chidyamāne kāyasya tṛṇakāṣṭhakuḍyavat pratibhāsopamatāṃ pratyavekṣate māyādharmatāṃ ca kāyasyāvatarati, bhūtānityatāṃ bhūtaduḥkhatāṃ ca bhūtānātmatāṃ ca kāyasyopanidhyāyati, iyam asya prajñāpāramitā (It is his perfection in wisdom that when his body is dismembered he regards it as grass, wood, or wall, or as an image or illusion, and thinks of its real transitoriness, unhappiness, essencelessness and unruffledness)¹.

c9.s5.9

¹ Śikṣā., p. 187; Transl., p. 182.

c9.s5.10

It is difficult to say how far these ideas were put into practice, but at any rate, it is apparent from the avadānas that they cherished these ideas fervently. In regard to the practice of the pāramitās, no distinction was made between a layman and a monk except in matters of ordinary gifts².

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² See e.g., Śikṣā., p. 144; a monk's dāna should be ekā catuṣpadikā gāthā=Bodhic., pp. 143, 144.

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