Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c9.s8.t8: (H) Atonement

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c9.s8.t8

Language: English

(H) Atonement

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(xviii) A bhikṣu should atone for his sins in four ways :

(a) Vidūṣana-samudācāra = repentance and self-reproach by mentally entreating the various Buddhas to forgive him for the sins committed by him ⁵. It includes confession resorted to by Buddhist monks generally;

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⁵ For formulæ, see Bodhic., p. 154.

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(b) Pratipakṣa-samudācāra = performing some good deed which counteract the evils committed by him ;

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(ii) discourage persons from practising the pāramitās and ask them to take to śrāvakayāna ;

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(iii) dissuade persons from observance of Prātimokṣa rules and advise them to read only the Mahāyāna texts ;

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(iv) disparage Śrāvakayāna and advise persons to give it up, or praise Mahāyāna and ask people to take to it in order to attain bodhi ;

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(v) show disrespect to Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna ;

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(vi) read, teach or preach Mahāyāna for the sake of gain and honour; speak ill of others or show some supernatural powers with a view to lessen the gain of others and increase his own ;

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(vii) be proud of one’s own learning of Mahāyāna texts and imparting the same to others; or boast of his learning or his compassion to his hearers ;

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(viii) be proud of the gifts received from one’s admirers ;

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(ix) be instrumental in punishing bhikṣus and compelling them to commit offences against the saṅgha ;

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(x) give out false doctrines and thereby taint the morals of the bhikṣus and thus discredit them in the eye of the householders¹ ;

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¹ Śikṣā., pp. 60 ff; Bodhic., pp. 160 ff. It is also pointed out (Śikṣā., p. 64; Bodhic., p. 163) that a bodhisattva can absolve himself from all these sins by simply worshipping Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva.

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(xi) reproach a gṛhī- or pravrajita-bodhisattva for any āpatti ;

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(xii) show disrespect to a bodhisattva ;

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(xiii) show displeasure at a bodhisattva’s enjoying the five pleasures of the senses ;

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(xiv) cause mental or physical pain to a bodhisattva ;

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(xv) address an unkind word to a bodhisattva ;

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(xvi) fail to honour a bodhisattva thrice in the day and thrice at night ;

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(xvii) fail to give away kingship, wealth or body for the completion of the resolution formed by him ;

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(xviii) hesitate to dwell with a person as low as a caṇḍāla ;

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(xix) praise oneself and disparage others ;

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(xx) stop at a place to avoid quarrels, etc. ;

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(xxi) profess himself as an observer of dhutaṅgas or śīlas, or as one vastly learned; (xxii) give out his good points and conceal the bad¹; (xxiii) fail to examine his own self; (xxiv) wish the company of persons with little learning;
(xxv) be fond of assemblies; (xxvi) fail to reside in solitary places and practise self-control; (xxvii) hanker after gain and honour, frivolous talk, sleep, slumber and so forth; and (xxviii) fail to serve or praise the Tathāgatas.

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¹ For these and such other rules, see Śikṣā., pp. 98, 104, 105, 148, 309, 274.

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These rules are more like pious advice than a code of discipline meant for the bodhisattvas. They lack a system and have in view only the ideal life, which a Bodhisattva should lead.

Linked texts (2)

Bodhicaryāvatāra — Śāntideva, Sanskrit
Śikṣāsamuccaya — Śāntideva, Sanskrit