Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c34.s8: XII. Other doctrines
Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c34.s8
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XII. Other doctrines
v2.c34.s8.1
The remaining three opinions of this group of schools, viz.,
(i) There is no intermediate state of existence (antarābhava),
(ii) Phenomena exist neither in the past nor in the future, and
(iii) The nature of mind is pure in its origin: it becomes impure when it is stained by āgantukarajas and upakleśas, are in accord with those of the Theravādins.¹ Both these schools do not admit that between death and rebirth there is any intervening period in which the subtle khandhas wait for the selection of the parents or the states of existences. The Kvu. says that the opinion of the opponents is formed through the miscomprehension of the meaning of the word ‘antarāparinibbāyī.’ We shall revert to this topic while dealing with the Sammitīyas, with whom, the commentator says, the Pubbaseliyas agreed.
v2.c34.s8.2
¹ Cf. *Atthasālini*, p. 68. *Cittam āgantukehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭham*.
v2.c34.s8.3
As regards the opinion that the past and future exist—the cardinal doctrine of the Sarvāstivādins, to be dealt with next, both the Theravādins and the Mahāsanghikas are emphatic in their protest against it.
v2.c34.s8.4
The third point raises an important problem that is to say whether the mind at the beginning was pure or not. The Theravādins are decidedly of opinion that *pubbakoṭi* (beginning) and *aparakoṭi* (end) of beings are unknowable, and as such they have not gone into the question whether the mind is pure at any time before the attainment of *vimutti*. This doctrine of the Mahāsanghikas obtained its full development in the idealistic philosophy of Yogācāra in which the *Ālayavijñāna* is pointed out as the storehouse of pure consciousness which gets contaminated with worldly objects through the *indriyavijñānas* and mentally creates a world around it. It is by the removal of this mental creation that a person regains the *ālayavijñāna* in its pure original form and becomes an emancipated being—a Buddha.