Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c34.s7: XI. How many Asaṃskṛtadharmas are there?
Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c34.s7
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XI. How many Asaṃskṛtadharmas are there?
v2.c34.s7.1
In the Pāli texts, as also in the *Abhidharmakośa* (of the Sarvāstivādins) the three asaṃskṛtas are, (i) Pratisamkhyā-nirodha, (ii) Apratisamkhyā-nirodha and (iii) Ākāśa. The Andhakas increase them to nine by adding the four āruppas¹ and ārya-mārgāṅikatva.² Excepting the nirodha of two kinds, all other asaṃskṛtas of the Mahāsaṅghikas are not recognised as such by the Theravādins, whose argument is whether each of these asaṃskṛtas is of the same nature as Nibbāna, if not, they are saṃskṛtas. Strangely enough the *Kvu.* goes so far as to say that ākāśa is not asaṃkhata. The attitude taken in the *Kvu.* (VI. 2, 4, 6; XIX. 3, 4) is that Nibbāna is *tāṇaṃ lenaṃ accutaṃ amataṃ*, (escape, refuge, infallible and immortal) so each of the seven of asaṃkhatas, even every member of the formulæ of the Paṭiccasamuppāda, each of the four phalas must be *tāṇaṃ* lenaṃ accutaṃ amataṃ, otherwise they are saṃkhatas (constituted). The Mahāsaṅghikas interpret, as presented in the Kvu., that the asaṃkhata is that which is unchangeable (aneñja) but not tānaṃ lenaṃ, etc. In regard to the causal law, they rely on Buddha's statement: avijjā paccayā bhikkhave saṃkharā, uppādā va Tathāgatānaṃ anuppādā va Tathāgatānaṃ thitā va sā dhātu dhammaṭṭhitatā dhammaniyāmatā idappaccayatā etc., and point out that by asaṃkhata they do not mean the links separately but the unchangeable law (a) of the origin a thing through a cause, and (b) of the unchangeable nature of dhammas, undisturbed by appearance (uppāda) or non-appearance (anuppāda) or continuity (ṭhiti). As for the āryamārgāṅikatva, the Kvu. explains that Pubbaseliyas regard as asaṃkhata the fact of attainment (patti) of a magga or phala by the removal of certain mental impurities (kilesapahānaṃ) and not the maggas or phalas by themselves. This, Vasumitra corroborates by using the term mārgāṅikatva i.e. prāpti of a mārga and not simply mārga.¹ In the Kvu. there are a few other discussions relating to the asaṃkhatas to which we shall revert when dealing with the Mahīśāsakas.
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¹ The four āruppas are—
(i) Ākāsānañtāyatana.
(ii) Viññāṇānañtāyatana;
(iii) Ākiñcaññāyatana; and
(iv) Naivasamjñā-nāsamjñāyatana.
v2.c34.s7.3
² Cf *Kośa*, iii, p. 77.
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¹ In the Majjhima Nikāya (I, p. 301) it is distinctly stated that aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo is saṅkhato.
Linked texts (2)
- Cūḷavedallasutta — Pāli
- Abhidharmakośa — Vasubandhu, Sanskrit