Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c33.s3.53

v2.c33.s3.53

The Mahāsanghikas on the basis of the statement of Bhagavā, “Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā nimittaggāhī hoti...pe...na nimittaggāhī hoti...pe...sotena saddaṃ sutvā etc.,” contend that a person using the five sense-organs may practise maggabhāvanā,¹ by not grasping the object seen or heard (nimittaggāhī) and directing his mind towards nibbāna. The Theravādins argue that if through pañcaviññāṇa one attains sotāpatti and other maggas, then the pañcaviññāṇa and magga should be of the same category, but the former is lokiya and the latter lokuttara, the former is savatthuka (have an object as basis) and the latter is avatthuka (without any basis). In this way the Theravādins argue that by the exercise of the five viññāṇas one does not attain nibbāna.