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Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c8.s6: Uddhamāghātanika

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c8.s6

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Uddhamāghātanika

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VI. Sixteen kinds of *Uddhamāghātanika-saññivādins*¹ (those who believe in the existence of a conscious soul after death).² The sixteen conceptions are as follows:—

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¹ The Aparāntakappikas, according to the *Dīgha Nikāya*, number forty-four from the *Uddhamāghātanikas* to the *Diṭṭha-dhamma-nibbānavādins*.

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² *Dīgha*, I, p. 31; *Majjhima*, II, p. 229.

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(a) Soul is material (*rūpī*)³ and remains healthy and conscious after death (*aroga param maraṇā saññī*). This view, says Buddhaghosa, is due to the meditator developing the notion that the soul is identical with the object of his meditation. He further says that such beliefs are held by the Ājīvikas. From the information collected by Dr. Barua, it is apparent that the Ājīvikas conceived of soul as an entity absolutely pure in its nature, but there is nothing to show that the soul, according to the Ājīvikas, is material.

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³ *Rūpī attā*. 'Rūpa' is usually translated as 'form'. On the basis of the connotation of 'rūpa' in *nāmarūpa*, I think it should be translated by the word 'matter.' In the Buddhist cosmological speculations, 'rūpadhātu' means not 'the world of forms,' but the 'material world.' Likewise 'Arūpadhātu' means not 'the world of the formless' but the 'non-material world.'

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ppikas, while some who have developed higher vision (*dibbacakkhu*) become Aparāntakappikas (*Sumangala Vilāsinī*, I, p. 119).

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In the *M. Vṛ.*, it is clearly stated that 'nāma' is a collective name of the four *arūpiṇaḥ skandhā* (i.e. immaterial skandhas) while *rūpa* is that which takes form and offers obstruction (*rūpyata iti rūpam bādhyata ityarthaḥ*). The Tibetan rendering of *rūpyate* is *gshig tu. run bus* = because it is susceptible of examination and that of *bādhyate* is *gnod. par. bya. bar. nun* = it is susceptible of being struck (see *M. Vṛ.*, p. 544 fn.). Cf. Another conception of soul similar to this (b) Soul is non-material (*arūpi*) but remains healthy and conscious after death. Buddhaghosa thinks that this view is due to the meditator reaching the Arūpasamāpatti stage and confusing the *nimitta* (object of meditation) of Arūpasamāpatti with *attā* (soul). He attributes to Mahāvīra a doctrine similar to this. Buddhaghosa seems to be correct in his suggestion, for the Jainas also describe their soul (*jīva*) as non-material (*arūpa*) and formless (*amūrta*).¹

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¹ See *Pre-Buddhistc Indian Philosophy*, p. 309 See also Guerinot, *La Religion Djaina* (Paris, 1826), ch. VI. *L’âme le djiva, est le principe de la vie, la force vitale. Elle possède une série de qualités: elle est immatérielle, amourta, sans forme, aroupa.........*

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The next six views are more or less stereotyped combinations of *rūpi* and *arūpi*, *anta* and *ananta*. These are as follows:— The soul after death is
(c) both material (*rūpi*) and non-material (*arūpi*)
(d) neither *rūpi* nor *arūpi*
(e) finite (*anta*)

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in the Mahānidāna Sutta (*Dīgha*, II, p. 64): *Rūpi me paritto attā ti* and *Rūpi me ananto attā ti*.

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It may be observed that if *Rūpi* means ‘form’ it cannot be *ananta* (infinite) hence *rūpi* should mean ‘material’.

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The only point to which I want to draw attention is that the word ‘aroupa’ (*arūpa*) should have been rendered into French by the word ‘immatérielle’ and ‘amourta’ (*amūrta*) by ‘sans forme.’ Mr. Jaini also in his *Outlines of Jainism* (Cambridge, 1916), p. 83, translates *amūrta* by the word ‘immaterial.’ In the *Dravyasamgraha* (edited by Sarat Chandra Ghosal, 1917, The Sacred Books of the Jainas Series), pp. 4, 5, 22, *amūrta* is translated by the word ‘formless.’

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Mons. Guerinot, however, does not mention the source from which he traced the word ‘arūpa.’ From the *Dravya-samgraha* (p. 22) it is apparent that soul, according to the Jainas, in its pure state, is invisible and it takes matter (*pudgala*) when it is afflicted by passions.

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(f) infinite (*ananta*)
(g) both *antavān* and *anantavān*
(h) neither *antavān* nor *anantavān* The soul after death is conscious of
(i) only one object (*ekatta*)¹
(j) many objects (*nānatta*)²
(k) limited space or object (*paritta*)³
(l) unlimited space or object (*appamāṇa*)⁴

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¹ Similar to the Brahmakāyikā and Subhakiṇṇā gods = 2nd and 4th Viññāṇaṭṭhitis (*Dīgha*, II, p. 69).

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² Similar to Ābhassarā gods = 3rd Viññāṇaṭṭhiti (*Dīgha*, II, p. 69).

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³ Cf. *Majjhima*, II, p. 13. *Sabbaso rūpasaññānaṃ samatikkamo, paṭighasaññānaṃ atthaṅgamo, nānattasaññānaṃ amanasikāro ananto ākāso ti ākāsānañcāyatanam upasampajja viharati ayaṃ catuttho vimokkho.*

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⁴ Cf. *Majjhima*, II, p. 229: *Etaṃ va pan’ ekesam upātivattataṃ viññāṇakasinam eke abhivadanti appamāṇam āneñjam*; for further elucidation see *Majjhima*, II, p. 13.

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These four views are attributed by Buddhaghosa to the various experiences acquired by ecstatic meditation. He says that the first (i) view is held by those who have attained the fourth *samāpatti*, while the second (j) by those who have not attained any one of the *samāpattis*. The third (k) and fourth (l) are held by those meditators who have for meditation an object or space or *viññāṇa*, limited (*paritta*) or unlimited (*appamāṇa*). The soul after death has
(m) unmixed happiness (*ekanta-sukhī*), e.g., when a being is in the third or fourth *jhānabhūmi*;
(n) unmixed misery (*ekanta-dukkhī*), e.g., when a being is in hell;

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(o) mixture of happiness and misery, e.g., when a human being is in the mortal world;
(p) neither happiness nor misery, e.g., when a being is in the Vehapphala heaven.

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Buddhaghosa attributes these four views to those who form their conception of soul on the basis of the four different kinds of future existences as indicated above.

Uddhamāghātanika-asaññivāda

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VII. Eight kinds of *Uddhamāghātanika-asaññivādins* (upholders of the existence of unconscious soul after death).

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Among those who are of opinion that the soul remains unconscious but healthy after death, the following eight conceptions of the soul are current:

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The soul is
(a) material (*rūpī*)
(b) non-material (*arūpī*) (c-h) both *rūpī* and *arūpī* and so forth as stated above in connection with the conscious soul (c-h)¹

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¹ See above, p. 68.

Uddhamāghātanika-n’eva-saññināsaññivādins

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VIII. Eight kinds of *Uddhamāghātanika-n’evasaññinā-saññivādins* (supporters of the view that the soul after death is neither conscious nor unconscious).

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Among those who adhere to the view that the soul after death remains healthy, but is neither conscious nor unconscious, the following eight opinions exist:

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The soul is (a) material (*rūpī*), (b-h) non-material (*arūpī*) and so forth, as shown under the previous head ‘unconscious soul after death.’

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The opinions placed under the headings ‘Adhiccasamuppannikas’ and ‘Uddhamāghātanikas’, are formed, says Buddhaghosa, according to the object (kasina) of meditation selected by a meditator. He says that the meditators sometimes become so much engrossed with the object of their meditation that they lose their power of judgment. They are carried away by their ecstatic experiences and give out their individual experiences as the Truth. In the exposition of the thirty-four views given above, he pointed out, as far as possible, how far a kasina could be responsible for a particular view.¹ There are some views, however, based on the Buddhist notion of heavens and hells, e.g. attā hoti ekantasukhī, ekantadukkhī, sukhī-dukkhī, and so forth.

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¹ An instance is given in the *Majjhima Nikāya* (I, p. 21) as to how a meditator is sometimes bewildered by the object of his meditation. See *Papañcasudani*, p. 121-2 commenting on the passage ‘Eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā rattim eva samānam divā ti sañjānāti, etc.’

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