The Rise of the Mahayana

Transcription

1 The Rise of the Mahayana

2 Council at Vaisali (383 BC) Sthaviravada Mahasamghika Council at Pataliputta (247 BC) Vibhajyavada Sarvastivada (c. 225 BC) Theravada Vatsiputriya Golulika Ekavyavaharika Sammatiya Bhadrayamiya Kasyapiya * Dharmaguptaka (c. 100 BC) Vaibheshika Sautrantika* *Contributed to rise of Mahayana * Prajnaptivada Sammagurika Bahushrutiya Dharmottariya Mahisasaka (c. 125 BC) (c. 200 BC) Lokottaravada (c. 180 BC) Caitika Uttarashaila * (c. 50 BC) Aparashaila

3 The Mahasanghika The Mahasanghika (great assembly) Arose as a liberal movement Provided a vehicle for the lay community The Three Classes of Disciple: Sravaka, Pratyeka, Bodhisattva

4 Great Enlightenment The goal of Mahayana is the Great Enlightenment The enlightenment of all beings The Way is Bodhichitta the compassionate wish to serve the liberation of all beings.

5 The Mahayana: Three Cycles of Doctrine 1. The Hinayana the Lesser Vehicle in Mahayana The doctrine of no individual self. conception. 2. The Madhyamaka the Middle Way School. 3. The Yogacara/Cittamatra the Yoga-praxis /Mindonly school The doctrine of no self for external phenomena, no self-existence for subject/ object or consciousness. The doctrine of the ultimate nature of consciousness

6 The Mahayana Outlook Philosophy: The universe is infinitely vast in space and time Sunyata and Conditioned Arising All dharmas are empty The equation of samsara & nirvana The nature of the Buddha Buddha Nature Tr i k a y a

7 Buddhology: Trikaya In the Mahayana the Buddha signifies the Supreme, Ultimate reality I t i s u n d e rs t o o d t h a t u l t i m a t e re a l i t y m a n i f e s t s i n a c c o rd a n c e t o t h e r e a l i s a t i o n o f t h e Pe r c e i v e r. This is called the doctrine of trikaya or Three bodies

8 The Three Bodies Dharmakaya Truth Body (ultimate reality underlying the whole universe realised by the Buddha) Sambhogakaya Enjoyment Body (The way that reality appears to the bodhisattva. Manjushri is an example of sambhogakaya) Nirmanakaya Form Body (The way ordinary beings experience ultimate reality the appearance of sakyamuni was in the nirmanakaya)

9 The Six Perfections The Six Perfections are the practical expression of selfless compassion - bodhicitta Generosity Morality Patience Effort Meditation Wisdom Develop the compassionate motivation to liberate all beings. The very opposite of selfish craving. Therefore leads to both the happiness of others as well as happiness for oneself

10 Conditioned Origination No particular has own-being (svabhava) Nothing either is or is not Is generates the eternalist view Is not generates the nihilist view Both of these are wrong views Jivas do not understand the conditioned nature of existence due to attachment

11 The Two Truths In Madhyamaka Tradition Samvrti The world of linguistic or verbal expression (Conventional Truth ) Paramartha (Ultimate Truth ) The inconceivable truth known by Buddhas and Arya bodhisattvas in meditative equipoise

12 Cittamattra: Mind Only Karma and karmic fruition is all in Mind Mind/Cognition is real - material objects not real in themselves Buddha-nature as inherently zestful, creative, loving, wise but obscured by hatred, ignorance and desire

13 Nagarjuna Sometimes called the Second Buddha Born to a Brahmin family in South or Central India around 2nd Century C.E. Joined the Sangha as a child Introduction of the Prajnaparamita Sutras

14 What is Mahāyāna? Re-interpretation of the Buddha s original teaching that emerged around the first century BCE in (in Gandhara?) in the form of texts known as the Prajñāparamitā ( Perfection of Wisdom ) Not really a schism as no disagreement over Vinaya Monastics of Śravakāyāna and Mahāyāna orientation practice in same monasteries Questions often revolved around interpretation

15 What is Mahāyāna? Greater emphasis on lay practitioners rather than monks and scholastics. e.g. Vamalikirta Sūtras present the new teachings as being expounded by layman to well educated monks who cannot comprehend it as they are too attached to their status Reworking of the main spiritual aspiration from the arhat (individual realiser) to the bodhisattva and Buddhahood

16 Madhyamaka Sunyavada vs. Realism of Abhidharma: All Dharmas are Empty Language itself is prapanca or vikalpa If we must speak it is is to say that the real is Tathata [suchness, just-so] Silence of the Buddha is the key teaching YES: Conventional Truth vs. Ultimate Truth NAGARJUNA is a brave De-Constructivist who reduced all asserted truths to ultimate falsity depending on the web of assumptions and conventions UP vs. DOWN INSIDE vs. OUTSIDE.even vs. Buddhist formulations SUCH AS NIRVANA vs SAMSARA All Utterance is falsity; based on conceptual assumptions

17 Core Mahayana Sutras 1. Prajñā-paramita Sutra 2. Prajñā-paramita Heart Sutra 3. Vajrachedika Prajñā-paramita Sutra Verse Prajñā-paramita Sutra...and many others...

18 Diamond Sutra The bodhisattva ideal as no-self : no one separate to be awakened Ch.9: Tell me, Subhuti. Does a Buddha say to himself,' I have obtained Perfect Awakening '? "No, lord. There is no such thing as Perfect Awakening to obtain. If a Perfectly Awakened Buddha were to say to himself, I am awakened he would be admitting there is an individual person, a separate self and personality, and would therefore not be a Perfectly Awakened Buddha."

19 Diamond Sutra Ch.17: One must create this resolved attitude of mind:' I must help to lead all beings to the shore of awakening, but, after these beings have become liberated, in truth I know that not even a single being has been liberated.' Why is this so? If a disciple cherishes the idea of a self, a person, a living being or a universal self, then that person is not an authentic disciple. Why? Because in fact there is no independently existing object of mind called the highest, most fulfilled, and awakened mind." Even the words total Awakening are merely words, they are used merely as a figure of speech. Therefore reinstatement of the conventional: this worldly focus, as there is nowhere else to go.

20 Heart Sutra Avalokitesvara, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond. He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and He saw that in their own-being they were empty. Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form ; emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness; whatever is emptiness, that is form, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind ; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to : No mind-consciousness element ; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to : There is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path. There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment. OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA

21 Emptiness of Emptiness Ruthless deconstruction - even the Buddha s path and teaching must not be clung to - emptiness of emptiness Change and dependent origination only takes place because nothing is fixed or independent; there is no thing which changes and dependently arises (note derivation of English word reality from res = thing) So, there can only be change and dependent arising at the conventional level because, at the ultimate level, we can find no thing which changes or is dependently arisen Not only no permanence, but also no impermanence (because no thing which changes)

22 Emptiness of Emptiness Radical and challenging proclamation: saying that ultimately there is no unsatisfactoriness and no awakening. No person who suffers and who is awakened; everyone is always awakened and no-one is ever awakened (c.f. Diamond Sutra.) Positive and (apparently) negative implications: Negative in the motif of emptiness (śūnyatā) of things Positive side in the motif of suchness (tathatā) of things: everything already alright the way it is