All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Burmese)

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 9:

Those who have the kindness of benefit for others

For the sake of living beings, do not relax their powers.

Though these holy beings bear a heavy burden,

They never put it down and dwell in discouragement.

*the Great Chariot Sutra*

Burma is known as a golden land made of several ranges (or ‘Yoma’ in Burmese) where thousands of tribal memories, wisdoms, religions, cultures and beauties of plants and animals dwell. The rivers, all of them are indeed important to the people and other existences, snake through these beautiful mountainous regions and flow from the north to the south where Indian Ocean is. The peoples, Burma has 103 ethnics, all of them used to be really generous and all they knew was to give.

Since the modern day’s dictators have systematically destroyed, now the golden land is famous for its narcotic trades, refugees, migrant workers and various atrocities and sufferings.

One day, we’ll be free again and the land will be again famous for its beauty.

Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 39-49

 Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 39

Links: Lanka LXXV (Red); Lanka Chapter; To search, use Ctrl+F [3] (for example).

6.3. Ālayavijñāna

[1] our sufferings are originated from our consciousness, especially alayavijnana, which is the “store” house of our consciousness
[2] the mind is believed to be the same for alaya-vijnana, because “both store and give rises to all seeds of phenomena and knowledge” [...]
[3] The storehouse of our consciousness (alaya-vijnana) is filled with both positive and negative thoughts.
[4] They can be seeds of anger, hatred, delusion, and fear, but we also have seeds of compassion, deep understanding and forgiveness. [Buddhist Perspectives and Human Communication (Rueyling Chuang; pages 68-71)]
  • [1] We suffer from ālayavijñāna—the mind—the original Māyāvādi Tathagata [11].
  • [2] believed—must get beyond belief.
  • [2] Citta does not store or harbour. However, sannā and upādāna do (Part 4) and are like ālayavijñāna.
  • [4] seeds of anger, hatred, delusion, and fear and buddha seed (tathagatagarbha) are put in the same bag
  • [3] Ālayavijñāna does not need to empty kleśa because kleśa is bodhi:
Defilements (kleśa) are none other than awakening (bodhi). [The Teachings of Master Wuzhu SECTION 4. PDF page 93]
  • [4] [11] Bodhi and kleśa (māyā) are two aspects of dharmakaya (sunyata/emptiness) which is the conscious fundamental reality underneath the whole Universe—the Anuttara of anuttaram samyaksambodhim—Part 28
the 'Dharmakaya' is explained as having two aspects: 1)- 'Dharma-dhatu', the perfectly pure realm of ultimate truth itself [...] and 2)- arya-dharma which means the teaching in its form as conventional truth. This conventional teaching is the nature outflow ('nisyanda') of wisdom. [The Significance Of 'Tathagatagarbha' -- A Positive Expression Of 'Sunyata' (Heng-Ching Shih)]
  • Dharma-dhatu' is buddhadhatu (buddha-nature)
  • [1] opposes happiness
  • [4] conventional truths (veiled truths – saṃvṛtisatya) is māyā (perception/imagination)
[4] [Lanka PREFACE (Red):] sva–citta–dryshya–matra: “nothing but the perceptions of our own mind.”
  • [4] Nirvana (Dharma-dhatu' or buddhadhatu) and Samsara' (māyā and kleśa) share the same space:
[4] [Lanka Chapter 2:] Nirvana and Samsara's world of life and death are aspects of the same thing, for there is no Nirvana except where is Samsara, and Samsara except where is Nirvana.
  • [4] Nirvana is not free of māyā (kleśa). They are different in names only.

All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind; there is no other reality.

All Buddhas and All Living Beings Are Just This One Mind: Teachings of the Buddhas and Zen Ancestors on Buddha Nature, Empty Awareness, and Nonduality: Kokyo Henkel compiled the Mahayanist texts concerning This One Mind.

In providing evidence for the one mind concept, Kokyo Henkel mispresented Pabhassara Sutta, Kevaddha Sutta and Nibbāna Sutta and ignored other suttas which explain the nature of mind.

1 Huangbo’s Transmission of Mind

[Obaku Kiun, 9th century]

[5] All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind; there is no other reality.
[6] This mind, from beginninglessness, has never been born and never passed away.
[7] It is neither blue nor yellow; it has no shape and no form.
[8] It does not belong to existence or nonexistence...
[9] This very being is it; when you stir thoughts, you turn away from it. [1]
[10] It is like space, which has no boundaries and cannot be measured.
[11] This one mind is itself buddha. Buddha and sentient beings are no different...
  • [5] Ālayavijñāna is omnipresent and in all the buddhas and beings, and it is not yours or mine. If ālayavijñāna is omniscient, everyone should know what the others are thinking.
  • [11] is a sentient being [1] [4] but unborn and eternal [2]
  • [9] Ālayavijñāna is a being and it stores everyone's secrets, as everyone is māyā.
[10] [God is said so, too:] “God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being, yet God acts differently in different places." [God’s “omni” Attributes (Andrew S. Kulikovsky B.App.Sc.(Hons)]
  • [6] is the Unborn (un-born); sassatavada (eternalism)
  • [7] Emptiness (dharmakaya), infinite space; mind has no form (materiality).
  • [8] Ālayavijñāna cannot be altered by an individual, as it does not belong to existence; however, it can store [4] kleśa and Bodhi together [3] because it exists.
  • Then how does everyone develop and improve this one mind as his or hers towards enlightenment?
  • [11] Ālayavijñāna does not improve because everyone is a Buddha. Everyone is a buddha because [3]
[11] The Vimalakirti Sutra says, “Suddenly all at once you discover your original mind.” [...] You’re buddha now. You might not know it... [You are Buddha Right Now (Yorktown Zen)]
  • [11] The Vimalakirti Sutra says, these buddhas do not know who they are. [1]

The existence of ālayavijñāna and its theoretical functions are unproveable.

  • [4] You are māyā, and your mind is māyā's mind, which you may improve.
  • [2] However, you know nothing about ālayavijñāna.
  • [2] The hypothetical ālayavijñāna and māyā's mind are different in the sutras.
  • [4] A biological being can only know his/her own mind, not the minds of others.
  • [4] Knowing ālayavijñāna implies one access to it and knows it. Merely knowing this mind qualifies to be a buddha.
[Bloodstream Sermon:] [2] "Someone who sees his nature is a buddha." [11] "This nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha"

2 Pabhassara Sutta

[Thanissaro Bhikkhu]

Luminous (pabhassara), monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that—for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person—there is no development of the mind. Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that—for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones—there is development of the mind
  • Citta visuddhi: Luminous but not eternal
  • Sila, samadhi, panna: when free of taint and micchaditthi, citta can dwell in Samma-Sati and Samma-Samadhi.
  • Everyone can develop his/her mind that is independent; however, that is not māyā's mind.
  • The anattavadi Buddha did not teach the one eternal mind that resides in all buddhas and living beings. [5]

3 Kevaddha Sutta

[Maurice Walshe]

Where consciousness is signless, boundless, all-luminous, that’s where earth, water, fire and air find no footing; there both long & short, small & great, fair & foul – there name-and-form are wholly destroyed.

4 Nibbana Sutta: Total Unbinding (3) 

[Thanissaro Bhikkhu]

There is, monks, an unborn—unbecome—unmade—unfabricated. If there were not that unborn—unbecome—unmade—unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born—become—made—fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn—unbecome—unmade—unfabricated, emancipation from the born—become—made—fabricated is discerned.
  • The Sakyamuni Buddha said, impermanent are all the fabricated structures made of the five nama-rūpa aggregates.
  • Unbinding means anupādāna—the destruction of anusaya-kilesa, saṅkhāra and jātisaṃsāra (circle of rebirths).
anusaya kilesa - the impurities sleeping deep inside In the Tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin (S.N. Goenka; dhamma.org)
  • Unbinding factors are arahattamagga and arahattaphala.
  • [1] If ālayavijñāna—the source of our sufferings—is eternal, our sufferings must be eternal or as long as ālayavijñāna remains as the source of our suffering. For having buddha-nature inside, one cannot realise Nibbàna. For having abandoned buddha-nature and ālayavijñāna [3], one may walk along the Noble Path and reach Nibbàna.
  • Unborn here is not the unborn mind [6] because mind is subject to anicca and dukkha [1] [3].
  • Nibbàna as the other shore could be said unborn because it is not the five nama-rūpa aggregates.
  • Thanissaro Bhikkhu gives the reason why he used the term unborn:
[...] If transmigration were unborn, it would be unfabricated (see AN 3.47), which is obviously not the case. Thus, in translating this term to describe unbinding, I have maintained the straight grammatical reading, "unborn."

5 Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Chapter 12

[Edward Conze]

The mind of the Buddha is never stopped, it was never produced, it has no duration in between production and stopping, it gives no support, it is infinite, since it cannot be measured, and it is inexhaustible, like the realm of Dharma (dharmadhatu) itself. The Tathagata knows the polluted minds of beings [...] The Tathagata knows unpolluted thoughts [...] he knows that those minds are transparently luminous (prabhasvara) in their essential original nature.
  • those minds are not Just This One Mind.
  • If all the polluted minds are just this one mind, they too must know the polluted minds and the unpolluted thoughts...
[6] [Arya Nagarjuna:] 29 [...] the mind is primordially unborn
  • Nagarjuna's mind is Lankavatara's Tathagata.
[6] [Lanka Chapter 12:] "The Un-born" is synonymous with Tathagata [also quoted in Part 18 and Part 35]
  • Trikaya (Part 21) concept presents dharmakaya (emptiness) as physical entities, who are alive, imagining, creating, ruling and emancipating beings elsewhere (Part 26)

6 Samdhinirmochana Sutra

[John Powers]

how does the mind itself investigate the mind itself?"[11]
The Bhagavan replied: "Maitreya, although no phenomenon apprehends any other phenomenon, nevertheless, the mind that is generated in that way appears in that way. [...]
"Bhagavan, are the appearances of the forms of sentient beings and so forth, which abide in the nature of images of the mind, 'not different' from the mind?" [4]
The Bhagavan replied: "Maitreya, they are 'not different [4]
  • The Bhagavan replied: the mind itself [can] investigate the mind itself for no apparent reason [11]. This is the basis of Citta-gocara (the mind world with physical phenomena).
  • the appearances [...] which abide in the nature of images of the mind are 'not different'
  • the mind that is generated cannot be the One Mind that is reality, permanent and unborn, as reality, permanence and the unborn cannot be generated.
  • How a generated mind looks like:
The doctrine says that vinnana gives rise to nama rupa. This means that with the arising of rebirth consciousness there also arise mind and body [...] With the arising of rebirth consciousness there occur simultaneously three kammaja rupakalapa or thirty rupas. These are rupas that have their origin in kamma, viz., ten kaya rupas, ten bhava rupas and ten vatthu rupas [...] Vatthu rupas are the physical bases of rebirth, subconscious, death and other cittas. So at the moment of conception there is already the physical basis for rebirth consciousness. The three kalapas or thirty rupas form the kalala which, according to ancient Buddhist books, mark the beginning of life. [A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada: Vinnana And Nama-rupa [Chapter 1] (Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw)]
  • Nāma is translated as mind (mental aggregates) and rūpa as body (aggregates or parts).
  • Consciousness (Viññāna) is also translated as mind.

7 Mahaparinirvana Sutra:

[Eric Greene]

No self is birth and death; self is the Tathagata.
What is impermanent are voice-hearers and the individually awakened; what is permanent is the Tathagata’s dharma body.
[...] happiness is nirvana. [1]
Impurity is conditioned dharmas; purity is the true dharma [4] of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
[...] one should understand permanence, happiness, self, and purity in this way
[...] the Tathagata’s treasure-store (tathagatagarbha) is the self. [3]
All sentient beings have the Buddhanature, and this is precisely the self.
[...] Today, the Tathagata reveals to all sentient beings the precious treasure-store of awakening, the Buddha-nature.
When sentient beings see this, their hearts are filled with joy and they take refuge in the Tathagata.”
  • Impurity is saṅkhata (saṁskṛta)
  • happiness [not purity] is nirvana—
  • Lankavatara: no nirvana for buddhas;
  • Lotus: emptiness.
[Lotus Chapter 5:] ultimate Nirvana which is constantly still and extinct and which in the end returns to emptiness.
  • Buddhanature is precisely the self.
  • tathagatagarbha is the self

Mahaparinibbana clarifies the very anattavada of Vibhajjavāda.

Mahaparinirvana clarifies the very attavada of Sarvāstivāda (Mahayana).

8 Tathagatagarbha Sutra 

The Buddha can really see sentient beings’ tathagata-garbha. And because he wants to disclose the tathagata-garbha to them, he expounds the sutras and the Dharma, in order to destroy kleshas (obscurations) and reveal the buddha-dhatu (buddha-element, buddha-nature). [...] Whether or not buddhas appear in the world the tathagata-garbha of all beings is eternal and unchanging. It is just that it is covered by kleshas of sentient beings. When the Tathagata appears [he] purify their universal wisdom. [All Buddhas and All Living Beings Are Just This One Mind (William H. Grosnick)]
  • Māyāvādi Tathagata can really see self [4] which is the Tathagata
  • Buddha can see Buddha. This is not a special ability.
  • Whether or not buddhas appear in the world, tathagatagarbha is (the self — self is) the Tathagata
[Lanka Chapter 12:] their own Buddha-nature revealed as Tathagata
  • When the Tathagata appears, his buddha-nature has revealed as Tathagata.
  • That sounds like buddha-nature is many rather than one as claimed: the tathagata-garbha of all beings is eternal and unchanging—and is present in all three times (the past, present and future, according to Sarvāstivāda).
  • However, tathagatagarbha (the self, the Tathagata) is covered by kleshas of sentient beings.

9 Lankavatara Sutra

[Red Pine]

the tathagata-garbha is intrinsically pure[,] present in the bodies of all beings, and [...] wrapped in [...] the skandhas, dhatus, and ayatanas and stained with the stain of the erroneous projections (parikalpa) of greed, anger, and delusion, and that is what all buddhas teach.
  • wrapped in the skandhas is the self [3], the original Māyāvādi Tathagata [11] and ālayavijñāna (attavadupādāna). [2] Sannā and upādāna are like ālayavijñāna. The self is tathagata-garbha (buddha-nature)
Bhagavan, followers of other paths also speak of an immortal creator without attributes, omnipresent and indestructible. And they say this, Bhagavan, is the self.”
  • Bhagavan is the mind, the self and the tathagata-garbha
“Mahamati, the tathagata-garbha [...] is not the same as the self mentioned by followers of other paths [but it is] ‘emptiness’ (shunyata), ‘formlessness’ (animitta), or ‘intentionlessness’ (apranihita), or ‘realm of reality’ (bhutakoti), ‘dharma nature’ (dharmata), or ‘dharma body’ (dharmakaya), or ‘nirvana,’ ‘what is devoid of self-existence’ (nisvavabhavata), or ‘what neither arises nor ceases,’ or ‘original quiescence,’ or ‘intrinsic nirvana,’ or similar expressions.
  • the tathagata-garbha is dharmakaya), nivana or ‘intrinsic nirvana
  • Dharmakaya is one of the trikaya of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
  • Two others are sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya.
Mahamati, bodhisattvas [...] should not become attached to any view of a self… The tathagata-garbha is the cause of whatever is good or bad and is responsible for every form of existence everywhere.
  • Being attached to any view of a self is bad but being attached to a self is good; however, the tathagata-garbha is the cause of whatever is good or bad...

[Kokyo Henkel's quote ends here]

[1A] [Lanka LXXXII29 (Red):] it is known as the repository consciousness (alaya-vijnana) and gives birth to fundamental ignorance along with seven kinds of consciousness. [...] Mahamati, although this repository consciousness of the tathagata-garbha (tathagata-garbha-alaya-vijnana) seen by the minds of shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas is essentially pure, because it is obscured by the dust of sensation (klesha), it appears impure – but not to tathagatas.”
  • [1A, 1] Ālayavijñāna (the original Māyāvādi Tathagata) is causing our sufferings.
  • [9] Māyā (the imagined) have no role in causing and suffering from sufferings and kleśa [3].
  • Furthermore:
[Lanka Chapter 8:] discriminations and false reasonings which are also of the mind itself
  • Buddha-nature reverts to a Buddha after removing discriminations and false reasonings caused by ālayavijñāna. However, the process is gradual and through bodhisattva stages.
[Lanka Chapter 13:] transformation death of the Bodhisattva's individualized will-control
  • Māyā (a bodhisattva) must give up māyā (individualized will-control or māyā's mind) and the ālayavijñāna/buddha-svabhāva) inside it will revert to Buddha.
  • Lotus presents sunyata, but Lankavatara and Heart do not.
  • Lankavatara presents the Citta-gocara with māyā-like physical world of Mahesvāra.
  • Heart and some other sutras present māyā-like physical world of Pure Land.

10 Bodhidharma’s Breakthrough Sermon 

[Red Pine]

The most essential method, which includes all other methods, is beholding the mind [because] The mind is the root from which all things grow; if you can understand the mind, everything else is included.
  • Some of all other methods were probably taught by the original Māyāvādi Tathagata. He wasted his and others' time.
  • It is the mind as the root from which māyā grow.

Points from the quotes:

1 All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind; there is no other reality

1 This very being is it; when you stir thoughts, you turn away from it

5 The mind of the Buddha is never stopped,

5 he knows that those minds are

6 how does the mind itself investigate the mind itself?"

10 beholding the mind

7 self is the Tathagata

9 this, Bhagavan, is the self

9 should not become attached to any view of a self (but be attached to the self)

7 the Tathagata’s treasure-store (tathagatagarbha) is the self.

8 The Buddha can really see sentient beings’ tathagata-garbha.

9 The tathagata-garbha is the cause of whatever is good or bad...

8 Whether or not buddhas appear in the world the tathagata-garbha of all beings is eternal and unchanging.

  • All buddhas share only one mind, which is the only reality [5], the self, the tathagatagarbha, this being who never stops, who knows those minds. The mind can investigate itself if one beholds it.
[3] [Lanka Chapter 2:] Nirvana and Samsara's world of life and death are aspects of the same thing, for there is no Nirvana except where is Samsara, and Samsara except where is Nirvana.
  • Samsara and nirvana—Problem and solution are the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
[Bloodstream Sermon:] "They teach nothing else if someone understands this teaching, even if he’s illiterate he’s a Buddha" [11]
  • [4] he’s a Buddha even before he becomes a bodhisattva.
  • [5] All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind.
[1B] our sufferings are originated from our consciousness, especially alayavijnana [Rueyling Chuang]
  • [5] Small egos are not reality; however, they have a big task to do:
[5] the small ego surrenders before this Great Ego.” [The Nirvana Sutra (Zen Master, Sokei-an)]

7 happiness is nirvana. [1, 1B]

Santisukha is Nibbāna

Nibbāna is not happiness (cetasika/feeling/emotion), but serene or tranquil comfort as the state of relief from the nāma-rūpa burdens. Nibbāna is sometimes compared with sleep.

When a king is tired, he will retire from material pleasure to seek the relief from nāma and rūpa and would not tolerate any disruption. Attachments are relatively absent (anupādāna) during deep sleep (slow-wave sleep or NREM).

The Buddha says; “Nibbānaṃ paramaṃ sukkhaṃ”–Nibbāna is bliss supreme”.[1] All happiness ends in nibbāna [because nibbāna is not] happiness to be experienced (vedayitasukha) [but] happiness remains peace (santisukha). [The Buddhist Path to Enlightenment (study): 6.9. Happiness of Nibbāna (Dr Kala Acharya)]
  • vedayita : [nt.] feeling; experience.
  • sukha : [nt.] happiness; comfort.
  • santi : [f.] peace; calmness; tranquillity.
  • Santisukha means freedom from all physical and mental miseries associating with bhava (life). Nibbāna is the end of all dangers. This fact is a source of the highest level of comfort.
Santisukha is the peace enjoyed in Nibbāna. It has nothing to do with earthly pleasured. It is the peace attained by the cessation of rupa Nāma saṅkhāra, the process of mind and matter. Let us suppose a very rich man sleep soundly. His servants prepare sensual pleasures for him and wake him up. He will surely scold his servants for having interrupted his peaceful sleep. He prefers carefree sleep to sensual pleasure. Some people exclaim, "How nice it is to sleep!" If we find sleep, which is void of any feeling peaceful, we can imagine the bliss of Santisukha, which is the end of rupa, and Nāma. [Janakabhivamsa (page 181)]
  • Ordinary people know the relief (Nibbāna), too, but have not observed or experienced the exact moment when the natural relief begins and suffering ends.
  • When an itch appears, the desire to scratch becomes overwhelming. [A meditator must apply indriyasamvarasila here.]
  • The itch will disappear sooner or later with or without scratching.
  • After scratching, one feels the itch has ended and relief has arisen.
  • One can also wait to experience or witness the natural cessation of a feeling and experience relief.
  • When relief is artificially reached, the sense of atta arises.
  • When relief is naturally reached, the sense of atta does not arise. Only understanding the end of feeling arises.
  • Relief is realised at the end of dukkha.
  • Relief is asaṅkhata (unconditioned).
  • Relief is not a mental state, but the mind can experience it.
  • Relief can be experienced passively.
  • When vedana (feeling) ends, dukkha ends.
  • Understanding anicca, dukkha and anatta is wisdom (panna).

Some related words:

  • Visuddhi (purification): Sila (conduct) and Citta (mind), also adhisila and adhicitta;
  • Citta visuddhi means the mind is undisturbed by mental factors (cetasika) and thus, is capable of sustained mindfulness (samadhi).
  • Dukkha vedanā and sukha vedanā
  • Sense pleasure (kamasukha) and relief (santisukha)
  • Relief (Nibbāna) is free of nāma and rūpa.

Indriyasamvarasila (sense restraint)

In Chatuparisuddhisila or Morality of Pure Conduct, there are four types of precepts: Patimokkhasamvarasila (Restraint in accordance with the monastic disciplinary code), Indriyasamvarasila (Restraint of the senses or self-control), Ajivaparisuddhisila (Purity of conduct as regards livelihood), and Paccayasamvarasila (Pure conduct as regards the necessaries of life). These four types of precepts can be applied by both monks and laity to cultivate wisdom and control of sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind that will ultimately lead to cessation of suffering or spiritual emancipation. [A Study of Buddhist Disciplines For Life Development to a Happiness 2011 (Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (mcu.ac.th)]
  • Indriyasamvarasila means to train in abstinence from three saṅkhāra (vaci, mano, kaya).
1.4.4 Dukkha-Sacca We (nama-rupa) are suffering in this existence all the time. This is dukkha sacca and cannot be remedied. (Only dukkha-vedana and sankhara-dukkha can be remedied.) Rupa and nama are always suffering in every position, all the time. [Vipassana Bhavana (Theory, Practice, & Result) (Boonkanjanaram Meditation Center, page 26)]

 Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 40

6.4. Sarvāstivādi Eternalism

Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: Sarvāstivādin-Sautrāntika Debate on Time (Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)—this Sarvāstivādi sutra presents the Sarvāstivādi ideals in a debate between two Mahayanist schools:

[Sautrāntikas:] Past dharmas, already destroyed, no longer exist; 
  • Particles and objects are destroyed at the end of lifespan. These events become memory indefinitely.
  • The Sautrāntikas and the Sarvāstivādins did not consider the nature of memory (sannā). The Sautrāntika considered the destruction of the dharmas means the past has been destroyed also, so the Sarvāstivādins rejected that. The Sautrāntikas seem to suggest annihilationism, and the Sarvāstivādins eternalism.
[Sarvāstivādins:] The Buddha affirms unobstructed penetration of the past, the future and the present. How can his word be wrong?
  • The Sakyamuni Buddha does not ignore the nature of memory (sannā).
  • Not just a Sammasambuddha, but everyone can access the past memories; however, the dhammas (living and nonliving things) are no longer accessible, as they lived and passed away. They lived up to the end of a lifespan in the past; however, they do not remain living in the past eternally. We can observe how they no longer exist beyond the end point.
  • We can observe nirodha (cessation). The Sakyamuni Buddha, when He was a bodhisatta, observed the nature and discovered the Nirodha Sacca and all the Four Noble Truths.
[Sarvāstivādins:] if there were no past or future and if there was only an instant of the present, the Buddha would never realize his innumerable qualities
  • A Sammabuddha was a bodhisatta many a time. That bodhisattahood ended when He attained Sammasambodhi.
  • The past existed and lived. The past events were lived up to the present moment.
  • One is the product of the past living (existence), intentions (kamma), learning, experiencing, win & loss, understanding... The past experiences were removed like the scaffoldings are removed after a castle is completed. The castle's ongoing existence does not require the scaffoldings of the past.
[Sarvāstivādins:] If the past and the future had the characteristic of the present, there would be the difficulties [that you have raised], but here past, future and present each have their own characteristic.
  • Indeed, these three times are different. The past and the future are not the present to exist right now. The past existed but does not exist in the past right now. The future will exist but does not exist in the future right now.

The Sakyamuni Buddha left a message for us:

In future time, there will be bhikkhus who will not listen to the utterance of such discourses which are words of the Tathāgata [...] On the contrary, they will listen to the utterance of such discourses which are literary compositions made [...] by people from outside, or the words of disciples... [The words of the Buddha (buddha-vacana.org)]
  • Mahādevā and his hypotheses are the main themes of the Mahayanist sutras composed by the fake disciples who stood opposing the Vibhajjavadi Sangha.

Sarvāstivādi Atomism

Sarvāstivādis (Vaibhāṣikas) present their atomism (element particles) disregarding the Pali terms:

(The numbers continue from Part 39)

[12] The Vaibhāṣikas hold that, in the final analysis, form, consciousness, and other dharmas are necessarily found.
[13] [They assumed the existence of] the minutest partless particles and a continuum’s briefest partless moments[, which] are the compositional basis of gross physical forms [and] are the components of temporal continuity.
[14] Since, even upon being broken or destroyed, the partless particle and moment, space, and so forth, are not lost to the mind that apprehends them, they are substantially existent, ultimately true, and ultimately existent; phenomena [dharmas] that are lost to the mind apprehending them by being broken or destroyed are imputed existents, conventional existents, and conventional truths.
[15] The Vaibhāṣikas assert that all entities included in the two truths are able to perform a function, and so are substantially established.
[16] [The] Tibetan traditions [assume that Vaibhāṣikas are] one of the two major Hinayana philosophical schools.
[Vaibhashika, Vaibhāṣika: 14 definitions (wisdomlib.org)]
  • [12] Other than the nāma-rūpa aggregates, what are the other dharmas?
  • [13] The minutest partless particles might be the element particles.
  • A continuum’s briefest partless moments might be the shortest length of time.
  • The Vaibhāṣikas did not consider the lifespan of an element particle (rūpa-calāpa). They were also unaware of the lifespan of the citta element particle.
  • [14] Space is considered to be paramartha, so it is not lost to the mind.
  • Other dharmas (phenomena) are māyā, seen of the mind or conventional truth, not ultimate truth.
  • The particles of a form (e.g. a person) are broken or destroyed when the mind apprehending them.
  • They did not consider the nature of light particles that come in contact with the eye.
  • [15] Do they also assert the entities not included in the two truths are unable to perform?
  • [16] Sarvāstivādis settled in Tibet and became Mahayana.
  • They claim being Hinayana for the illusion of historical connection with the Dhamma-Vinaya. They know they had nothing in common. For example, their two-truths doctrine is completely a different thing.

Two Attavadi Satya

Book Review: The Dalai Lama on Buddhist Tenet Systems and the Two Truths [The Wisdom Experience] reviews Appearing and Empty by the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron. It explains in brief how the two truths are different among the Mahayanist schools: Vaibhāṣikas, Sautrāntika, Yogācārins, Svātantrika Mādhyamikas, and Prāsaṅgika Mādhyamikas.

  1. veiled truths (saṃvṛtisatya) or conventional truth
  2. ultimate truths (paramārthasatya)

The Review clarifies:

The topic of the two truths is common [among traditions but] are defined differs.

Two of these schools:

[For Vaibhāṣikas,] An ultimate truth is an object that, no matter how it is broken down physically or isolated into parts mentally, still generates the thought of that object. Directionally partless particles, temporally partless moments of mind, and unproduced space are examples of ultimate truths.
For Sautrāntika—specifically Sautrāntika Reasoning Proponents—a phenomenon that is ultimately able to perform a function is an ultimate truth, and a phenomenon that is not ultimately able to perform a function is a veiled truth. Unlike other Buddhist systems, they say all impermanent things—such as a person and a table—are ultimate truths because they ultimately perform a function. In this view, veiled truths are imputations—permanent phenomena such as permanent space, conceptual appearances, and true cessations.

Their similar concepts seemingly attempted to differ the Pali Canon and to provide multiple options.

In the context of the four truths, true cessations are ultimate truths, whereas the other three truths are veiled truths. 

The review does not indicate if the authors, Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron, analysed the four paramattha and the five nāma-rūpa aggregates of the Pali Canon.

Compared the Mahabhuta with the Directionally partless particles:

[Geshe Kelsang:] The individual parts of the joint are merely imputed upon the collection of particles that make it up and so they also have no true existence [...] And likewise even the parts of the directions can be further divided. Thus a lack of truly existent parts, empty like space, is revealed. ~ p. 325. Once upon a time people thought visible lumpy things were the building blocks of the universe. [The building blocks of the universe according to Buddhism (Luna Kadampa)]
  • Māyā have no true existence because it is imagination (a manifestation of mind).
[Lanka Chapter 3:] the fundamental fact that the external world is nothing but a manifestation of mind... emptiness, no-birth, and no self-nature.
  • Lankavatara is explicit about māyā (as the ignorant and simple-minded):
[Lanka Chapter 1:] Mahamati, since the ignorant and simple-minded [...] think that they have a self-nature of their own, and all of which rises from the discriminations of the mind and is perpetuated by habit-energy, and from which they are given over to false imagination. It is all like a mirage [seen as water] ...
  • Element particles having no true existence contradict the observable existence because an element cannot be further broken down:
An element is the simplest form of a substance. Generally, it cannot be simplified or broken down further into smaller particles. [Difference between Elements and Atoms in Tabular Form (BYJU'S)]
  • Element particles being empty like space contradicts the four observable mahabhuta that manifest as solid, liquid, gas and heat. If they were empty like space, they rather be just space and rather not manifest with unique properties that are ultimate (and irreducible to emptiness/nonexistent).
  • The Pali canon recogises space as rūpa (the pariccheda rupa or akasa rupa). Space cannot give rise to the four mahabhuta.
  • The notion of 'emptiness could give rise to existence' falls into ahetukaditthi, which in this context denies causality as reality and accepts the causeless existence to provide room for Māyāvādi creationism comprising dharmakaya and māyā.
[Lanka Chapter 6: After maya is removed, what] remains is the self-nature of the Tathagatas [dharmakaya].
  • Māyā is emptiness—so is the dharmakaya (one of the trikaya of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata who appears in the Sarvāstivādi sutras).
  • The Sakyamuni Buddha presents anattavada, which leaves no gap for a creator.
  • Once upon a time, people believed existence could only come to exist by the creation of God because they denied themselves to see outside the box.

Directionally partless particles

[Geshe Kelsang] Simply stated, if two things are partless, how could they ever meet? ~ p 329
  • The four mahabhuta element particles fill entire space—literally, no space is left unoccupied.
  • For example, water exists as solid, liquid and gas/vapour because of cool-therms and hot-therms.
  • For example, space is dark and cold because of sita tejo that cools and sustains the objects, as unhatejo heats and burns them:
the element of Cold (sitatejo), assisted by its motive force of Wind Element, arises every moment to sustain the prolonged existence of those physical phenomena [...]
Temperature (utu) as Origin
Temperature that causes the arising of the Four Great Elements, i.e. the physical phenomena, means cold (sitatejo) and heat (unhatejo). The element of cold causes cold material to arise; the element of heat causes hot material to arise. [Manuals of Buddhism, Alin - Kyan (Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw, Aggamahapandita, D.Litt.)]
  • Note: arising means heating or burning. Tejo (heat/cold) is one of the Four Great Elements (mahabhuta). When highly concentrated, unhatejo (hot-therm) particles appear as fire or flame, as they push the sitatejo away. When sitatejo are overwhelming, they reduce the unhatejo. That is my understanding; however, these do not concern the Sasana and its goals.
  • The Mahabhuta element particles at present are present together and interacting in various relationships.
  • They are impermanent, not eternal:
the Vaiśeṣikas, a school of Vedic philosophy, propounded a theory of reality in the form of indivisible, eternal atoms, a metaphysical approach counter to the doctrine of not-self (anātman) in Buddhism. [Quarks of Consciousness and the Representation of the Rose: Philosophy of Science Meets the Vaiśeṣika-Vaibhāṣika-Vijñaptimātra Dialectic in Vasubandhu’s Viṃśikā; DHARM 2, 59–82 (2019)(Morseth, B.K., Liang, L.)]
  • eternal atoms are Māyāvādi emptiness (dharmakaya), the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika atomists held that the world was created when order was imposed on pre-existing matter: the motion of atoms was ascribed to a divine source. [...] The organization of atoms was cited as a proof for the existence of God by the 11th century CE atomist Udayana (Gangopadhyaya 1980, 36). The mind and self or soul—like time and space—was regarded as a distinct category from material elements, a distinction traced back to the classical scriptures. [Ancient Atomism (Sylvia Berryman)]

A Brief History:

The Hindu School digressed from theory of matter to issues concerning the spirit and inner self and thus material theories did not advance further. [Early Atomism (S Ramasesha)]

Ancient atomism was the works of the philosophers.

The Dhamma-Vinaya does not deal with atomism. The Buddha has provided the means to understand the nature of the Mahabhuta, the four types of the element particles. which the Theravadins can observe to understand their nature as anicca, dukkha and anatta. The element particles are very small for eyes and ears. However, they can be felt as solid, liquid, gas and heat. And the meditators only need that much knowledge to understand their own bodies (the separate groups of the rūpa aggregates).

The origin of Two truths:

[17] The distinction between "the two truths" was initially developed to resolve seeming contradictions in the Buddha's teachings.
[18] The Buddha teaches that persons should act compassionately, that persons will be reincarnated, and that persons do not exist.
[19] The first two lessons seem inconsistent with the third
[20] Consistency could be restored by distinguishing kinds of truth: the first and second lessons are conventionally true, but it is conventionally but not ultimately true that persons exist. [McDaniel, Kris (2019). Abhidharma Metaphysics and the Two Truths. Philosophy East and West 69 (2):439-463.]
  • [19] They admitted they did not believe in the Sakyamuni Buddha and their doctrines have no relationship with the Dhamma-Vinaya.
  • [18] They admitted they manipulated the Buddha-vacana. They accused the Sakyamuni Buddha of teaching reincarnation. They either did not know or were unable to understand the jātisaṃsāra (circle of rebirths, paticcasamuppada).
  • [20] That is how the Mahayanist schools got the two truths; however, they disagree with each other, so they can offer options to their customers.
  • [17] That is their admission; however, some people also spread the lie, or they have not yet noticed some obvious facts:
[21] In the theory of the two truths, as we know it today, maybe unknown to the earliest start of Buddhist thought in India.
[22] Contemporary scholarship suggests that the Buddha himself may not have made any explicit reference to the two truths. The early textual materials such as Pali Nikāyas and āgamas ascribe to the Buddha does not make explicit mention of the distinction of the two truths.
[23] Recent studies also suggest that the two truths distinction is an innovation on the part of the Abhidhamma which came into prominence originally as a heuristic device, useful for later interpreters to reconcile apparent inconsistent statements in the Buddha’s teachings (Karunadasa, 2006: 1; 1996: 25–6 and n.139, The Cowherds, 2011; 5). [The Theory of Two Truths in India (Sonam Thakchoe)]
  • [21] The Mahayanist two-truths concepts were the later inventions, as admitted by them [1]
  • [22] Paramattha-sacca is not related to paramārthasatya. Likewise, the samuti-sacca is unrelated to saṃvṛtisatya.
  • [23] The Sakyamuni Buddha taught the Abhidhamma. If some people were to speculate such profound Dhamma, they would end up with something similar to the Mahayanist two-truth concepts.
[24] The theory of the two truths, according to the Samādhirāja-sūtra, is a unique contribution made by the Buddha towards Indian philosophy. This text states: “the knower of the world, without hearing it from others, taught that there are the two truths” (Sde dge, mdo-sde da 174b–210b).
[25] Nāgārjuna, in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā [MMK], attributes the two truths to the Buddha as follows: “the Dharma taught by the buddhas is precisely based on the two truths: a truth of mundane conventions and a truth of the ultimate” 
  • [25] The History of the Sūtra does not support the claim that the Sakyamuni is the source of the attavadi two truths:
[25] i.­3 [History:] As is the case for most sūtras, it is impossible to be sure when this work first appeared in writing; indeed, the sūtra is very likely a compilation of earlier shorter works. None of the complete extant Sanskrit manuscripts can be dated to earlier than the sixth century. There is, however, a reference to it in the Sūtrasamuccaya, a work attributed to Nāgārjuna (second or third century) although the attribution is not universally accepted.
  • [24] Nāgārjuna is the second Buddha as accepted by the Mahayanists. His works have no relationship with the Sakyamuni Buddha. A concept that did not exist but suddenly popped up based on attavada cannot be attributed to an anattavadi Buddha.
  • [25] The authors of the Samādhirāja-sūtra are unknown. Nāgārjuna might or might not be a real person. [This subject will be explored in part 41].
  • Two truths in Lankavatara:
[4] [Lanka Chapter 6: After maya is removed, what] remains is the self-nature of the Tathagatas.

The Un-born: Lankavatara surely unifies the Mahayanist schools

[5] All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind; there is no other reality [Obaku Kiun, 9th century].
  • Lankavatara agrees with that.
[Lanka Chapter 12:] Mahamati to the Blessed One: It has been taught in the canonical books that the Buddhas are subject to neither birth nor destruction, and you have said that "the Un-born" is one of the names of the Tathagatas; does that mean that the Tathagata is a non-entity?
  • The original Māyāvādi Tathagata is the Un-born
[Lanka Chapter 3:] the self-nature of Tathagatahood is Noble Wisdom
  • Noble wisdom is āryajñāna is one translation.
  • Buddha nature is the self-nature, which is Noble Wisdom.
[Lanka Chapter 6:] Transcendental Intelligence (Arya-jnana) is not Noble Wisdom (Arya-prajna) itself; only an intuitive awareness of it. Noble Wisdom is a perfect state of imagelessness; it is the Womb of "Suchness"; it is the all-conserving Divine Mind (Alaya-vijnana) which in its pure Essence forever abides in perfect patience and undisturbed tranquility.
  • Noble Wisdom is Arya-prajna*,* the Womb of "Suchness, and the all-conserving Divine Mind (Alaya-vijnana/ālayavijñāna) [11].
[Lanka Chapter 12:] When the teachings of the Dharma are fully understood and are perfectly realized by the disciples and masters, that which is realized in their deepest consciousness is their own Buddha-nature revealed as Tathagata [...] the Tathagatas are permanent.
  • When māyā understands the Dharma, consciousness is revealed as Tathagata.
[Lanka Chapter 12:] The eternal-unthinkable of the Tathagatas is the "suchness" of noble Wisdom realized within themselves. It is both eternal and beyond thought. [...] Being classed under the same head as space, cessation, Nirvana, it is eternal. [...] it is no creator; because it has nothing to do with creation, nor with being and non-being, but is only revealed in the exalted state of noble Wisdom, it is truly eternal

Noble Wisdom, the self-nature of the Tathagatas, in action:

  • Māyā is neither being nor nonbeing, alive nor dead, but everything other than the Divine Mind.
  • Māyā is the divine imagination.
  • Māyā has no consciousness of its own and cannot become Tathagatas and permanent.
  • Māyā is empty and the Divine Mind inside it will be revealed as Tathagatas when Māyā with no consciousness understands what consciousness is about.

Summary:

Various words and terms are employed in the sutras to portray two points:

  • Everything related to the māyā is imagined, impermanent and bad.
  • Everything related to the Un-born is real, permanent and good.

These giant sutras deliver these two points only.


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 41

6.5. SARVĀSTIVĀDI BACKGROUND

[26] During the First Council, when the Sthavira or elder disciples assembled in the cave after the Buddha's death, and the other disciples (called to be Mahasanghika) assembled outside the cave. Both compiled the Tripitaka. However, the former emphasized on the rules of disciplines in the monastic community, while the latter concerned the spread... [Buddhist Door Glossary L - R]
  • [26] Devadatta persuaded some bhikkhus to follow him. Most of them returned after they understood what was wrong. There were some bhikkhus and bhikkhunis ordained under Devadatta.
  • [26] However, that Mahayanist account on the First Buddhist Council is not historical. For example, Faxian and Xuanzang do not present the First rival Council:
[27] Faxian (flourished 399–414) was a Buddhist monk [...] whose writings give important information about early Buddhism. [...] he stayed a long time at Pataliputra [...] and transcribing the Vinaya of the Mahasanghika school—a dissident group of the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) born from the Council of Vesali (c. 383 bce). [Faxian | Chinese Buddhist Monk & Explorer (Britannica)]
  • [26] True is the latter [was not] concerned with abiding by the Vinaya rules, and that was the reason for [27] the Council of Vesali (the second Buddhist Council).
  • [26] Another Chinese pilgrim, Xuanzang, too, did not know the First rival Council.
[28] As per Xuanzang, six months after the Mahāparinirvāṇa of the Buddha the first Buddhist Council was held here. Several arhat-s for months recited and compiled the words of the Buddha which is now popularly known as Tripitaka (three baskets of Buddhist scriptures). The logistical support for the First Buddhist Council was provided by King Ajātshatru under the guidance of Mahākaśyapa. [XUANZANG'S TRAVELS IN BIHAR (637-642 CE) (Google Arts & Culture)]
  • [28] the words of the Buddha were not in Sanskrit but in Pali only.
  • [26] The First rival Council compiled the Tripitaka is noncoincident.
  • [33B, 37] The possibility is the Sarvāstivādis completed their Tripiṭaka (wih four āgamas) based on the works of the Mahāsaṅghikas (only) after the third Buddhist Council:
[29] Sarvāstivādin Sūtrapiṭaka
It comprised four āgamas [...] The first five patriarchs, Kāśyapa, Ānanda, Madhyāntika, Śāṇavāsa and Upagupta, conserved it carefully. As Upagupta, a contemporary of and advisor to Aśoka, had established residency at Mathurā, the old Vinaya which he retained was designated under the name ‘Vinaya of the land of Mathurā in 80 sections’. The text contained Avadānas and Jātakas. [THE TREATISE ON THE GREAT VIRTUE OF WISDOM OF NĀGĀRJUNA (MAHĀPRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀŚĀSTRA) VOL. III (Étienne Lamotte/Gelongma, pages 878-879)]
  • [29] They created these āgamas by mixing the Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit, the language the Buddha rejected:
  • [29] Whoever following the Sarvāstivādi sutras is a Sarvāstivādi. As all Mahayanist schools follow the Sarvāstivādi sutras, they are the Sarvāstivādi schools. Their differences are minor and do not alter the major sutras.
[30] [Mahāvaitulyamahāsannipāta (T. 397):] the Buddha prophesizes, they will also read, recite, copy and speak about non-Buddhist texts, receive [the doctrine] concerning the existence of [the dharmas] of the three time periods [past, present and future] and of internal and external [dharmas] [Why Did the Buddhists Adopt Sanskrit?: 5 Conclusion (Vincent Eltschinger, page323)]

[31] Only the Four Noble Truths are the Dhamma of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Anything that is outside the Pali Cannon is not Buddha Vacana.

[30] They will refute heretics, be good at arguing, maintain that all kinds of beings are able to receive the precepts.
  • [26] the latter concerned the spread but not following the Vinaya. Thus, they never joined the Dhamma-Vinaya. Instead, they created their own tripitaka/Sūtrapiṭaka.
  • [26] To confront Vibhajjavādi Sangha, the Sarvāstivādis developed the bodhisattva ideal to belittle the arahants in the later sutras causing contradictory and inconsistency.

Authors of the Sutras

[32] Maha-prajna-paramita-sutra was delivered by Shakyamuni in four places at sixteen assemblies. It consists of 600 volumes as translated by Hsuan-tsang. It is the fundamental philosophical work of the Mahayana Buddhism, the formulation of wisdom, which is the sixth paramita. [Buddhist Door Glossary L - R]
  • [32, 43, 43A] Incorrect because Nāgārjuna received Prajnaparamita and his name (Nāgārjuna) from the nagas.
  • [28, 31] Suttas are designed for oral tradition; thus, many aggasavaka-s, mahasavaka-s and pakatisavaka-s memorised the entire Tipitaka by heart, and that way they can keep all three sasanas (pariyatti, patipatti and pativedha). The Sangha established by the Sakyamuni Buddha is dutiful. They have maintained this oral tradition; for example, Tipitakadhara (Bearer of the Tipitaka), and news: 70th Tipitakadhara Tipitaka Kovida Selection exam opens. Pativedha Sasana belongs to the Mahatheras and the arahants. That is the obvious wisdom of the genuine Buddha and the genuine Sangha.
  • The oral tradition remains essential, as the monks must know by heart the applied Dhamma from Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma to develop the faculties of Sila, Samadhi and Panna.
  • Oral tradition saved the Dhamma due to limited access. After written down, the scriptures became available to everyone with different purposes and intentions.
  • Comparing the texts of Mahayana and Theravada is acceptable.
  • Mixing these texts into one concept betrays them.
  • Group recitation helps the monk to know by heart the applied Dhamma.
  • [29, 30] The sutras are not designed to be memorised and remembered. The size and wordplay employed in the sutras are designed for confusion.
  • [32] The difference between the Genuine Dhamma and fake dharma is apparent and undeniable. Everyone is free to believe anything. Freedom of faith must be respected. However, selling the public fake dharma as genuine Buddha-Dhamma must be identified and condemned.

Kātyāyanīputra (Kātyāyāyana, Kātyāyana)

[33] [Heart (Thich):] The Heart Sutra was intended to help the Sarvāstivādins relinquish the view of no self and no dharma
  • [33A] Why did the author of the Heart Sutra put Mahādeva's five points into practice? Mahādeva was from the Mahāsaṅghikas that demanded to relax the Vinaya rules. And then he accused the arhats being underqualified. Later, the notion of bodhisattvayana became prominent. We could agree Mahādeva was right about the arhats from the Mahāsaṅghikas. However, Mahayana applied his theses to the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana. Mahayanists ignore their Buddhas are arhats' too.
  • [33B] The Sarvāstivāda came to exist only after the Third Buddhist Council after being expelled by Emperor Asoka from the original Sangha to support the Buddha Sasana to last. After being rejected by the main supporter, the Sarvāstivādi monks were forced to find a new support base, which they could not get without deception, without implementing Mahādeva's five points and downgrading the arahants whom the population of the time admired.
  • [28] The Vibhajjavadi monks were raised together in Vibhajjavadi doctrine. The outsiders had no clue and were unaware of the Vibhajjavadi Buddha; and when they were asked, they were unable to answer the correct terms (Part 7).
[34] a Brahmin monk named Kātyāyana, wise and of keen faculties (tīkṣnendriya), completely recited the three Baskets (tripiṭaka)
[35] Wishing to explain the words of the Buddha, he compiled the jñānaprasthāna-aṣṭa-grantha. [Jñānaprasthāna: 5 definitions (wisdomlib.org)]
  • [34, 28] Nowhere could a Brahmin monk learn the entire Tipitaka from the Buddhist Sangha. When the third Buddhist Council examined them, they proved they only knew their dharma and were ignorant of the Pali Canon and Vibhajjavada, as they existed separately from the Vibhajjavadis from the very beginning.
  • [33B] Thus, a Brahmin monk's Tripitaka must not be the Dhamma-Vinaya.
  • [36] That Brahmin monk Kātyāyana was not the Venerable Mahākātyāyana (महाकात्यायन) who knew the entire Tipitaka:
[36] The Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra says: “Mahākātyāyana, during the lifetime of the Buddha, explained the words of the Buddha and made a Pi le (Peṭaka), ‘box-collection’ in the Ts’in language (Chinee), which, until today, is used in southern India.” [Sutra (wisdomlib.org)]
  • [36] Assuming the Brahmin monk Kātyāyana was mistaken with Mahākātyāyana by [38] Paramārtha (a monk) (and Étienne Lamotte):
[37] The Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra tells us that after the Council of Aśoka (therefore, according to its accounting, in the 200th year after the nirvāṇa. Kātyāyana composed the Jñānaprasthāna.
[38] This date was confirmed by Paramārtha [a monk] who informs us “that in the 200 years, Katyāyāna left Lake Anavatapta, came to the country of Magadha into the Mahāsāṃghika school, where he established distinctions related to the holy teaching of the Tripiṭaka…; those who accepted his teachings formed a separate school called ‘the school that enunciates distinctions’; these were the disciples of Mahākātyana.”
[39] Actually, Kātyāyana was not a Mahāsāṃghika, but a pure Sarvāstivādin. Paramārtha later corrects himself in associating Kātyāyana with the beginnings of the Sarvāstivādin school which was formed at the beginning of the 3rd century after the nirvāṇa. [Kātyāyāyana (wisdomlib.org), The traditions regarding Kātyāyana [Appendix 3] (Gelongma), and Étienne Lamotte/Gelongma, page 104)].
  • [37] could be historical because it happened after the Sarvāstivādis were expelled from the Vibhajjavadi Sangha.
  • [38] is fictional (historical fiction). The Brahmin monk Kātyāyana was not Mahākātyāyana. He did not live by Lake Anavatapta, either.
  • [38] That Brahmin monk (not a Buddhist) was the founder of Sarvāstivāda.
  • [26] He also authored the Sarvāstivādi abhidharma (not during the First rival Council).
  • [39] One cannot rule out the link between the Mahāsāṃghika and the Sarvāstivādis.
  • [39A] The Sarvāstivādis gloted:
[39A] They will be able to answer correctly all intricate questions. Therefore, they will be called the Sarvāstivādins [5 Conclusion (Eltschinger)].
  • [39B, 35, 42A] However, they failed to answer correctly all intricate questions to Nāgārjuna, as he considered their Abhidharma was absurd.
  • [40A, 41D, 33A] Yet that Abhidharma is a fundamental part of the Greater Vehicle. Here they compete for intellectual domination and authenticity, which needs Biased conduct on account of like (chandagati).
Bias, prejudice mean a strong inclination of the mind or a preconceived opinion about something or someone. A bias may be favorable or unfavorable: bias in favor of or against an idea. Prejudice implies a preformed judgment even more unreasoning than bias. and usually implies an unfavorable opinion: prejudice against people of another religion. [BIAS (Dictionary.com)]
  • [41A] Nāgārjuna did not find truths in the philosophy of Sarvāstivāda.
  • [41B] Similarly, authors of certain sutras disagreed with each other and developed inconsistent scripture of diverse views, which cannot produce the arahants and sappurisa.
[41C] It's easy to see the errors of others, but hard to see your own. You win now like chaff the errors of others, but conceal your own —like a cheat, an unlucky throw.' — Dhammapada Verse 253 [A Person of Integrity (Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia)]
  • [41A] The Heart Sutra is said to be the longer version of the Heart Sutra, which was compiled and commentated by Nāgārjuna.
[41A] Anupamacintin, Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Manjusri, Vajramati, Ratnamudrahasta, Nityokshiptahasta and Maitreya the Bodhisattva, the great being, at the head of many hundred thousands of niyutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas. [Prajnaparamita (CONZE, Page 38)].
  • [41B] Prajnaparamita contradicts Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra (Heart) because the former presents the Buddha and the arhats who play the central roles, as the latter presents Avalokiteśvara as the protagonist.
  • Avalokiteśvara's name appears once only in Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra.
[40] Greater Vehicle. In its eyes, both the Tripiṭaka and the Mahāyānasūtras are the Words of the Buddha, but it is in the [Prajnaparamita Sastra] that the Buddha spoke most clearly of the true nature of dharmas (p. 2189F). [...] the Upadeśa sees an allusion to a system of causality where four conditions (pratyaya) and six causes (hetu) [...]
[41] The canonical sūtras had already placed the bases for them; the Abhidharmas and the Sarvāstivādin school had formulated them in their definitive form.
[42] Nāgārjuna [...] in the first chapter of his Mūlamadhyamakakārikas [...] showed the absurdity of the four conditions [Étienne Lamotte/Gelongma, page 1773)].
  • [40] [28, 31] Prajnaparamita was retrieved from the nagas in written form [43].
  • [41D] The Mahayana traditions are in the shade of Mahāsaṅghikas and/or Sarvāstivādis.
  • [40, 42B] The Tipitaka of the Dhamma-Vinaya harbour not even one contradiction because the Tipitaka are the Buddha Vacana.
  • [40] Who was Nāgārjuna?

The Coexistence

  • [34] The biography of Venerable Moggaliputta Tissa Mahathera presents the attitude of the Brahmans towards Buddhism. For eight years Venerable Siggava Mahathera stood in front of the brahmin Moggali's home for alms but received nothing, not even a word. Only the brahmin would speak to the thera.
  • The biography of Venerable Nagasena Mahathera in Milanda Panha presents similar events.
  • When the number of Theravadis dwindled, the Theravadi monks no longer received alms sufficiently. Theravada disappeared from the Middle Region (Majjimadesa) eventually.
  • [34] Both of these theras mastered the Vedas at very young age. And both of them joined the Vibhajjavadi Sangha and became arahants.
  • [33A] These theras defeat the sutras that implement Mahādeva's ignorance of arahattaphala, which proves Mahādeva was an outsider.
  • [26] Outsiders like Mahādeva did not follow the Vinaya and caused the second schism. They formed Mahāsaṅghikas and compiled rival scriptures that reflected their actual origins, which led to the emergence of Mahayana.
[26A] The Mahāsaṅghikas believed in a plurality of buddhas who are supramundane (lokottara) and held that what passed for Gautama Buddha in his earthly existence was only an apparition. [Mahāsaṅghika Buddhist school (Britannica)]
  • [26A, 49] The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Ishvara the original Māyāvādi Tathagata (Ishvara quotes: Part 23 & Part 38).
[26B] [MSS 2179, 2372-2386 and 2416] The Mahasanghikas are regarded as the traditional Buddhist school, which first propagated Mahayana ideas. The present collection stands right at the roots of the formation of Mahayana Buddhism, and is its single most important source. [ASOKA LEGEND (MS 2379/44) (The Schoyen Collection)]
  • [26B] The Mahasanghikas are regarded as the traditional Buddhist school, which emerged from the first schism led by Devadatta.
  • [26B] Devadatta caused the first schism on the basic of Vinaya rules (Part 7).

Ishvara vs Vetaala:

The term ‘Vetaala’ means ‘a spirit’ acting through a dead body; not exactly a vampire. [...]
STORY ONE
As the king kept walking, the spirit staying in that corpse (Vetaala) said to the king- “King! To entertain you on your journey, let me tell you a story! Listen!”
There is a city named Vaaraanasee, where resides Lord Shiva. Meritorious people visit the place as if it is the Kailaasa, the abode of Shiva. The heavenly river Ganges surrounds it like a pearl garland.
STORY NINE
[...] The king had no children. So he performed penance on Shiva on the bank of the Ganges along with his wife. After a long time, he heard Shiva’s voice from the sky- “King! You will get a valorous son who will bring fame to your dynasty and a daughter who will be more beautiful than a heaven-damsel!”
[TWENTY-FIVE STORIES TOLD BY ‘VETAALA’ TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT TEXT (Narayanalakshmi)]
  • Vetaala/Vetala
  • Lord Shiva resides in Vaaraanasee.
  • Kailaasa is the abode of Shiva.

Vikram and Betaal/Vetala is a fiction based on Indian mythology. The story has three characters: a sorcerer who asked the king to bring Vetala to sacrificial site, the brave King Vikram (Vikramaditya) who tries to bring Vetala to sacrifice ground, and the spirit Vetala (Baital/Betaal) who told the stories that end with difficult questions. Vetala eventually told the king the sorcerer's plan and how to kill the sorcerer.

Vetala is portrayed as a spirit that possesses corpses, great wisdom, supernatural powers and kindness. Vetala does not possess living-bodies and not related to atman, buddha nature, Ālayavijñāna...

In their original Sanskrit the stories are known as Vetala Panchvimshati. Baital or vetala are mythological undead fiends who occupy and animate corpses. [King Vikram and The Vampire (Sage Bhavabuti, Richard Francis, Sir Burton and Isabel Burton)]

The sixth story, the Exchanged Heads, concerns human identity being the head:

the person with her husband’s head and brother’s body is the true husband [Vikram and Vetala: Origins and Some Stories (Paddy Krishnan)]
  • The Vedas says that the spirit or the mind dwells in hadaya (heart) (Part 38).
  • Here is a criticism:
[170] The cow is called the mother of the gods, and is declared by Brahma, the first person of the triad, Vishnu and Shiva being the second and the third, to be a proper object of worship. "If a European speak to the Hindu about eating the flesh of cows," says an old missionary, "they immediately raise their hands to their ears; yet milkmen, carmen, and farmers beat the cow as unmercifully as a carrier of coals beats his ass in England."The Jains or Jainas (from ji, to conquer; as subduing the passions) are one of the atheistical sects with whom the Brahmans have of old carried on the fiercest religious controversies, ending in many a sanguinary fight. Their tenets are consequently exaggerated and ridiculed, as in the text. They believe that there is no such God as the common notions on the subject point out, and they hold that the highest act of virtue is to abstain from injuring sentient creatures. Man does not possess an immortal spirit: death is the same to Brahma and to a fly. Therefore there is no heaven or hell separate from present pleasure or pain. Hindu Epicureans!--"Epicuri de grege porci." [Sage Bhavabuti et al]
  • The notion of no heaven or hell is a part of Sarvāstivādi Māyāvāda.
[33A] Defilements (kleśa) are none other than awakening (bodhi). [The Teachings of Master Wuzhu: SECTION 4. (Wendi L. Adamek, PDF page 93)]

Sutras of the outsiders:

[26] After understanding the main concepts of the sutras presented in the pervious parts, we can be convinced that they have no relationship with the Anattavadi Buddha and the Dhamma-Vinaya.

[26B] The Sarvāstivādis might or might not be the Mahāsaṅghikas. However, the two share [26A] Ishvara. Their scriptures must be the same. Thus, they were the followers of another religion. They joined the Vibhajjavadi bhikkhus because Emperor Asoka supported whoever looked like a member of the Vibhajjavadi Sangha. Only due to the Third Buddhist Council [28] [37], the emperor recognised the difference between the Vibhajjavādis and the outsiders.

[26B] Moggaliputta Tissa Thera determined that "the Vibhajjavāda alone contained the teaching of the Buddha" (Part 7).

6.6. [40] Who was Nāgārjuna?

[43] According to legend, [Nagarjuna] retrieved from the bottom of the sea [one of the Prajnaparamita sutras] that the Buddha had entrusted to the king of the nagas (water deities) for safekeeping [Nagarjuna: Buddhist philosopher (Britannica)].
  • [43] Incorrect because Prajnaparamita was delivered by Shakyamuni in four places [32]
  • [43A] A Sammasambuddha trusted the aggasavakas and mahasavakas, including the Venerable Ananda, Mahakassapa, and those who convened the First Buddhist Council.
  • [26] A Sammasambuddha established His own Sangha community as the keeper of the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana.
  • The nagas do not possess intellect level required for enlightenment. Instead, the Sakyamuni Buddha could have established the Mahayana, but He did not.
  • [26, 33A] The original authors the Maha Prajnaparamita Sastras, including Śāriputra-abhidharma (Śāriputrābhidharma), are uncertain.

Prajnaparamita vs Lankavatara

[40] Prajñā cannot replace Jñāna (Part 11) because:

[44] [Lanka Chapter 12:] Jñāna is Dhammakaya.
  • Dharmakaya is the ultimate truth of Mahayana, so Jñāna is above Prajñā.
  • Dharmakaya-svabhava: Part 26
  • [44, 26] Who was the witness to record Lankavatara?
  • [44A] Nagahvaya is a source of Lankavatara.
  • If Nāgārjuna claims Prajñā is above Jñāna, then he is wrong.
  • [44] [43, 32] If Prajnaparamita were delivered by Shakyamuni in four places, Prajnaparamita would not have such a wrong statement.
  • Inconsistency is a piece of evidence that Prajnaparamita was never delivered by the Shakyamuni. 
  • Even if Prajnaparamita were more correct and has more authority, they both are a piece of inconsistency.
  • The Sarvāstivādi monks might be empowered by secrecy. However, this empowerment did not lead to wisdom to compete with the real Buddha and His Dhamma.

Nagahvaya or Nagarjuna

[45] The construction of the Lankavatara analysed ...................... 24
'In the southern part of this country called Vedali there will be a Bhikshu of great and excellent reputation known as Nagahvaya, who will destroy the one-sided view of being and non-being. "
'He will, while in the world, make manifest the unsurpassable Mahayana, and attaining the Stage of Joy, pass to the Land of Happiness' " (163-166).
[46] In the Sanskrit text we have, instead of Nagarjuna, Nagahvaya, and of course we do not know whether they are one person, or whether there is a mistake on the part of the scribe. From these passages alone it is difficult to infer anything historical concerning the age of the Lankavatara as a whole, and also its possible relation to the doctrine of Amitabha's Land of Bliss (sukhdvatl). [Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, pages 24)]
  • [44, 41B] Lankavatara subtly rejects the assertion of Prajnaparamita by accepting both Prajñā (Noble Wisdom) and Jñāna or āryajñāna (Perfect-knowledge).
  • [45] Nagahvaya was probably one of the real individuals behind the unsurpassable Mahayana.
  • [46] That suggests the author of Lankavatara is not Nagarjuna but probably Nagahvaya.
  • [46] Nāgārjuna is an uncertain figure.
  • For Vibhajjavadi standard, both sutras do not fit the Dhamma of the Sakyamuni Buddha.
  • A Sammasambuddha does not appoint uncertain individuals to guard His Dhamma.
[47] Apart from Nāgārjuna the Mādhyamika philosopher, there was one other (or several) Nagarjunas, magician, alchemist and writer of tantra [...] Moreover, it may have been Nāgārjuna who discovered and revealed to humans the Mahāvairocanasūtra, one of the main texts of Buddhist Vajrayana and of the Shingon sect. [Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: Introduction to first volume (Étienne Lamotte/Gelongma; also found in the PDF page 9)]
  • [47, 44] Which Nāgārjuna believed Prajñā is above Jñāna, and which Nāgārjuna was who [42] showed the absurdity of the four conditions?
[48] Nagarjuna A Bodhisattva in South India, born into a Brahman family about 800 years after the Nirvana of Shakyamuni, i.e., 200 AD. He was the founder of Madhyamika (Middle Way) and Sunya (emptiness). He had plenty of writings in Buddhism. He was one of the chief philosophers of Mahayana Buddhism. [Buddhist Door Glossary L - R]
  • [48] Lankavatara is about 400 years older than this Nāgārjuna.
  • [46, 39, 39B, 5, 38] The Mahayanists and Sarvāstivādis failed to provide definitive answers on two most important issues: Who wrote the sutras? Who were the founders of Sarvāstivāda and who were the actual key figures?
  • [46] They have full faith in uncertain figures and sutras just as they have courage to reject the Vibhajjavadi arahants.
[49] The Prajñāpāramitā sutras state that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past have practiced Prajñāpāramitā. Prajñāpāramitā is also associated with Sarvajñata (all-knowledge) in the Prajñāpāramitā sutras, a quality of the mind of a Buddha which knows the nature of all dharmas [Prajnaparamita (Wikipedia)]
  • [49, 26A] Must be all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.

Bodhisattvayana

Ma-tsu's (.fHifi.) relation to the sutra ..................................... 46
[50] The reference to Ma-tsu (died 788) [who was] most prominently in Chinese Zen after Hui-neng [said,] "O monks, when you each believe that you yourself are the Buddha, your mind is no other than the Buddha-mind.
[51] The object of Bodhidharma who came from Southern India to this Middle Kingdom was to personally transmit and propagate the supreme law of One Mind by which we are all to be awakened to the truth."
[52] He further quotes from the Lankavatara, saying, '' The mental ground of all sentient beings was given the seal [of authority], because he was afraid of your being too confused in mind to believe that you yourself are the Buddha." [Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, pages 47)]
  • [50, 46] They believe they cannot become arhats because they are Buddhas. Bodhisattva stages are mere propaganda.
  • [50, 46] They believe they all share just one mind, Ālayavijñāna, the same mind in living things.
  • This belief makes them reject self-development and attainment. Yet they also teach self-development and attainment. Their belief does not require them development, as they are buddhas without enlightenment: One mind means Mantrayāna: no-Enlightenment (Part 35).
  • [51] One Mind as the only existence (reality) also means:
[51A] [Heart (Red):] all dharmas are defined by emptiness not birth or destruction, purity or defilement, completeness or deficiency [...] in emptiness there is no form, no sensation [...] no body and no mind; (Part 25)
  • [51] One mind is emptiness (dharmakaya). This fictious reality does not correspond the reality as we exist.
  • [51A] All dharmas (māyā) are defined by emptiness. And No dharma (no nose, no tongue) also means māyā.
  • [51A] No dharma means no nose, no tongue... Thus, Heart agrees with no dharma (māyā or prajñaptisat). That means Heart was written by the Sarvāstivādis.

Kātyāyanīputra vs Nāgārjuna:

[33] [Heart (Thich):] the Sarvāstivādins relinquish the view of no self and no dharma
  • [51] One mind is one same self
  • [33] There is self (dharmakaya/the original Māyāvādi Tathagata) [71]. Thich Nhat Hanh rightly rejected the notion of no self, so did the brahmins who took Buddhism as their cloaks and guided their followers to worship Śiva: [38] Kātyāyana (the founder of Sarvāstivāda), [46] Nagahvaya (one behind Lankavatara and a key figure of Mahayana) and [51] Bodhidharma (who spread the Mahayanist ideals of [49] Sarvāstivāda and [33A] Mahāsaṅghika).
  • [38, 46, 51, 52] Their mission was none other than promoting Brahmanism as Mahayana.
  • [51A] Heart and Lankavatara are saying the same thing (Māyāvāda/Mayayana). [44] Their minor disagreements make them no difference, particularly in implementing the Mahayanist ideals.
  • The Sarvāstivādis definitely authored these sutras; however, they also argued with each other [47, 44].
  • [40] The authors must be Nāgārjuna who had an intellectual battle with the little-known Kātyāyanīputra (Kātyāyana) [36], a Brahmin monk, whose work became the foundation for Sarvāstivāda. His followers understood Kātyāyanīputra would become nobody in the long term. These Sarvāstivādi monks created Nāgārjuna, a heroic figure as the author of their Mahayanist ideals. Nāgārjuna is a strong name associated with some ideals for creating the second Buddha to rival the Vibhajjavādi Buddha.
  • [43, 46] Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra and Lankavatara did not come from the nagas but the Sarvāstivādi monks behind Nāgārjuna.

[33] No Dharma (Māyā)

[51A] [Sarvāstivāda (wiki):] According to Vaibhāṣikas, svabhavas are those things that exist substantially (dravyasat) as opposed to those things which are made up of aggregations of dharmas and thus only have a nominal existence (prajñaptisat).[30]
  • [51A, 33] no dharma: Sarvāstivādi prajñaptisat is also Nāgārjuna's imagined nature (parikalpitasvabhāva/Māyā) that showed up in Lankavatara, Prajñāpāramitāsūtras, etc. as Māyāvāda/Mayayana:
[51A] Retaining the [Sarvāstivādi] Abhidharma distinction between the "real" (dravyasat) factors of existence (dharma) and the mere nominal existence (prajñaptisat) of false projections, the Yogācāras restricted the emptiness of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtras to the imagined nature (parikalpitasvabhāva) [...]
[51B] the Ratnagotravibhāga model of an ultimate tathāgatagarbha [Tathāgatagarbha Influences in the Three Nature (Trisvabhāva) Theory of the Maitreya Works (Mathes, Klaus-Dieter; Journal of Tibetology 20 (2019): 222–44.)
  • [33] Sarvāstivādi Abhidharma determines Mahayana. The differences among the Mahayanist schools are superficial.
  • [26A, 49] the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (of Ishvara the original Māyāvādi Tathagata) are made of tathāgatagarbha: the indestructible buddha nature, self.
  • Duck 1: the two truths (Part 25):
[29, 39, 78] the two truths (satyadvaya) proposed by Madhyamaka and the three natures (trisvabhāva) proposed by Yogācāra [...] are not necessarily mutually exclusive. [Madhyamaka and Yogacara Allies or Rivals? (Jay L. Garfield and Jan Westerhoff)]

[33] That is completely a different religion.


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 42

Previous Part 41 from 26 to 51A

The meanings of Nāgārjuna:

[43A] Nagarjuna [accepted the invitation and visited] the bottom of the ocean, the home of the serpent kingdom [and] “discovered” the “wisdom literature” of the Buddhist tradition, known as the Prajnaparamita Sutras, and on the credit of his great merit, returned them to the world, and thereafter was known by the name Nagarjuna, the “noble serpent.” [Nagarjuna (c. 150—c. 250) (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)]
  • [43A] [43, 32] Incorrect because Prajnaparamita was delivered by Shakyamuni in four places.
  • [43] Prajñāpāramitā must be in a written form when it was discovered. Nāgārjuna brought the book to human world.

Many names, including Nāgārjuna, in Mahayana represent Śiva. Exploring some definitions for no special purpose:

[53] The meaning of Nāgārjuna is : Lord Shiva, Best among the snakes, A white snake, Name of An ancient buddhist teacher of the rank bodhisattva, The champion among the snakes. [WHAT DOES NAGARJUNA MEAN? (found on different websites)]
  • [53] In Mahayana, Nāgārjuna means the Naga Hero; Siva; Nirvana; Mahesvara; Dharmakaya; the personification of the Noble Wisdom, a bodhisattva, the second Buddha.
[53A] siva：[adj．] sheltering； safe．（m．），the God Siva．（nt．），a safe place； the Nirvāna． (Buddhadatta Mahathera (Pāli Dictionary)
[54] "Who was Nagarjuna? No one really knows [...]
[55] According to the story, because Nagarjuna had once accidentally killed an ant while gathering grass for meditation, the one weapon that could kill him was a single blade of grass. He took one and cut off his own head. When the proper time comes, goes the story, his head and body will rejoin so he can once again serve all beings.
[56] The actual historical record, however, offers nothing so dramatic, or even anything definitive. Nagarjuna is usually spoken of as a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived between 100 and 300 CE, but it’s not even clear if he was a single person or a composite figure, a mythology molded out of multiple teachers of that place and time. He may have come from southern India [...] but it’s uncertain. He may or may not have been associated with Nalanda, the ancient monastic university, though some accounts claim he was head of the school for a term. Numerous books are attributed to him, but almost certainly, not all were his works. His name is a combination of naga, from the story, and arjuna, meaning hero.
[57] Within Buddhism, Nagarjuna is remembered as the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist philosophy, which had a deep influence on all of the Mahayana, and especially on Tibetan Buddhism. He is thought to be one of the principal developers of the two truths doctrine. In the Zen tradition, he appears on every lineage chart as the fourteenth ancestor. [Who Was Nagarjuna? (Lion’s Roar Staff); the article was deleted but found on Google Search]
  • [54, 39, 40, 43] Some insiders might know the true identity and whereabouts of the 2nd Buddha Nāgārjuna who rivels the Sakyamuni Buddha in doctrines, etc. [45] He was not from the Dhamma Vinaya Sasana—this point is absolutely certain—because [41B] the Vibhajjavadi tradition follows the Sakyamuni Dhamma on integrity.
  • [55] Only a single blade of grass was able to kill Nāgārjuna who did not believe he lived the previous lives in which all unintentionally activities took place.
  • He killed an ant unintentionally. He killed himself intentionally. He demonstrated unintentional killing is guilty and intentional killing is innocent.
  • He intentionally criticised others, too. Probably he never criticised others unintentionally, so he was absolutely free of guilt.
  • [56] Someone with a biography with some mythical events can exist, too, if these events can be explained or justified. For example, Mother Maya saw a white elephant in her dream.
  • [57] Faith overwhelmed Nāgārjuna's followers. Or there must be other reasons, especially politics. Tathagata-bodhisattva relation suits social hierarchy and political structure.
Claims about the life of Nagarjuna are often asserted as if the facts were known and secure, when they are not. Those who explore the evidence in quest of more secure facts come up with contradictory conclusions [thezensite: The problem of the historical Nagarjuna revisited (Ian Mabbett)]

The Claims

[58] Nāgārjuna (नागार्जुन), Āryadeva and Rāhulabhadra represent the first lineage of Mādhyamika scholars. Their biographies are legendary and their dates uncertain. Not content with giving us contradictory information on them, the sources confuse them with the siddhas of the same name who were present at Nalandā several centuries later.  [Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra]
  • [58] Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence—for some people, especially to disprove the Dhamma-Vinaya.
  • [33A] Claim 1: the five theses of Mahādeva
  • [33A] Claim 2: bodhisattvayana is the only way
  • [33] Claim 3: Several sutras, especially Heart, regard Venerable Sariputta as a Sarvāstivādin or a Mahayanist. They must know very well about his biography. Despite knowing very well about the Venerable Sariputta Mahathera,a the authors of Heart placed him in front of Avalokiteśvara. What was their reasons? One obvious is to promote Mahayana and bodhisattvayana.
  • [69, 26, 34, 35, 36, 40, 43, 46]
[59] Nāgārjuna saw himself as propagating the dharma taught by the Buddha, which he says is precisely based on the theory of the two truths [...]
[60] Nāgārjuna’s central argument to support his radical non-foundationalist theory of the two truths draws upon an understanding of conventional truth [saṁvṛti-satya] as tied to dependently arisen phenomena, and ultimate truth [paramārtha-satya] as tied to emptiness [śūnyatā] of the intrinsic nature [svabhāva]. Since the former and the latter are co-constitutive of each other, in that each entials the other, ultimate reality is tied to being that which is conventionally real. [The Theory of Two Truths in India: Mādhyamika Scholars (Sonam Thakchoe)]
  • [59A] The Buddha's Paramattha-Sacca are nāma, rūpa and Nibbāna.
  • [59B] Conventional truths (samuti sacca) are the constructs (names and forms) built with nāma and rūpa.
  • [59C] If one sees the nāma-rūpa complex without the veil of panatti, one sees the paramattha (reality) (Part 10).
  • [59, 28] Nāgārjuna (Sarvāstivādis) did not understand these two truths, just the way they did not know the Buddha as a Vibhajjavadi.
  • [41B] [60, 41D] Anattavada is the opposite of the two truths of Nāgārjuna, the Sarvāstivādis and Sarvāstivādi Abhidharma [33, 51A]

[58] Sarvāstivādis did not have courage for integrity because they were mere impostors presenting their dharma in the name of Buddhism [33B, 26, 28, 39, 33A, 49, 54]

[61] He argues that wherever applies emptiness as the ultimate reality, there applies the causal efficacy of conventional reality and wherever emptiness does not apply as the ultimate reality, there does not apply the causal efficacy of conventional reality (Vig.71) (Dbu ma tsa 29a) [Mādhyamika Scholars (Sonam Thakchoe)]
  • If Emptiness is eternal, it could be eternalism (sassatavada).

Application of Emptiness in Sutra: Māyā (no dharma)

[62, 51A] [Heart (Centre):] So, in emptiness, no form, No feeling, thought, or choice, Nor is there consciousness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No colour, sound, smell, taste, touch, Or what the mind takes hold of, Nor even act of sensing.
  • [62] Dharmakaya ultimate truth
  • [51A] Māyā (no dharma) is emptiness but conventional truth (prajñaptisat).

Application of Emptiness in Sutra: Nirvāna-Māyā

[63, 51A] [Heart (Centre):] Nor is there pain, or cause of pain, Or cease in pain, or noble path To lead from pain; Not even wisdom to attain! Attainment too is emptiness.
  • [63, 33A, 51A] Pain, kleśa and everything Māyā (prajñaptisat) are only saṁvṛti-satya.
  • [49] Nirvana (bodhi) is Buddhahood that releases one from suffering.
  • [62] Dharmakaya the ultimate truth (dravyasat) is paramārtha-satya
  • [60] saṁvṛti-satya and paramārtha-satya are aspects of the ultimate emptiness (dharmakaya).

Nagarjuna on Nirvana

[64] If everything is empty, there can be no arising or passing away; Therefore, by what abandonment, by what cessation can nirvana be expected?
[64A] 20. The limit of nirvana and the limit of samsara: one cannot even find the slightest difference between them.
[64B] 24. Ceasing to fancy everything and falsely to imagine it as real is good; nowhere did the Buddha ever teach any such element of reality.
[Nagarjuna on Nirvana from: Mulamadhyamakakarikah]
  • [64] Māyā is emptiness and not supposed to have arising or passing away. A Vibhajjavadi does not need to know the Mayayanist nirvana or provide an answer to that question.
  • [64, 64A] However, that question is a valid statement on Māyāvāda (Mayayana).
  • [64A, 51A] Lankavatara and Nagarjuna (Prajñāpāramitā and Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra) agree on nirvana and samsara as emptiness with no form, no feeling... [62].
  • [64A] Lankavatara particularly provides the Mahayanist system, the two truths (Māyā and Dharmakaya) and the concept of nirvana.
  • [33B, 36, 37] These sutras hint at their authors as the Sarvāstivādi monks.

[64, 44] Nāgārjuna as the second Buddha asked many questions without answering them himself.

  • [64B] His conclusion is his best speculation on the definition of nirvana.
  • [40] His followers were happy to follow him as Nāgārjuna is second only to Amitābha. They have never followed the true Buddha Dhamma.
[40] Often referred to as “the second Buddha” by Tibetan and East Asian Mahayana (Great Vehicle) traditions of Buddhism, Nagarjuna offered sharp criticisms of Brahminical and Buddhist substantialist philosophy, theory of knowledge, and approaches to practice. [Nagarjuna (c. 150—c. 250) (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)]
  • [40, 51] Nāgārjuna promoted and propagated Mahayanist Dharma. He guided his followers who and what to believe and how to believe them.

Bhimasena Mahayana

[65] one should imitate the life of the Buddha, and in turn, attempt to become a bodhisattva, or one who is in the process of attaining enlightenment as the Buddha did during his lifetime [...]
[65A] devotion is a central tenet and practice one can use to reach Nirvana in the here and now [...]
[65B] by being an exception to the interactions between being and non-being, Nagarjuna is left to conclude that Nirvana is the all-encompassing totality of reality that all sentient beings reside within.
[Understanding Nirvana in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism: In Support of Nagarjuna's Mahayana Perspective, Rocco A. Astore]
  • [65] A copycat cannot become a real one. A copycat does not have the quality that makes him real. The Buddha highlights the difference in Bhīmasena-jātaka:
The story was related in reference to a monk who, although of low family, used to boast of that familys greatness. The truth was discovered and his pretensions exposed. He is identified with Bhimasena. J.i.355-9. [Bhimasena Jataka]
  • [65] The lesson is calling something great does not make it great spontaneously. Moreover, Adhamma (misconduct; false doctrine) is not great.
  • [65A] The Mayayanists have their own goals and their own Buddhas (Part 34) outside Anatta Sasana.
  • Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka portrays the Sakyamuni Buddha and the Buddha Amitābha as different types of Buddha (Part 22)
[65A] Nagarjuna's Dharmadhatustava [...] represents a devotional strain of Buddha worship, in which, as Ruegg argues, one can see elements of the tathagatagarbha doctrine [...] in the Srimalasutra [thezensite: The problem of the historical Nagarjuna revisited (Ian Mabbett)]
  • [65A] Devotion is not a part of arahattaphala. The Sakyamuni Buddha rules out all means but one's own effort (bodhi):
Atta hi attano nathoko hi natho paro siyaattana hi sudantenanatham labhati dullabham. 
One indeed is one's own refuge; how can others be a refuge to one? With oneself thoroughly tamed, one can attain a refuge (i.e., Arahatta Phala), which is so difficult to attain. [Dhammapada Verse 160 Kumarakassapamatuttheri Vatthu]
  • Bodhi is the goal and the path. In freeing oneself, others cannot help beyond dana (providing food, shelter, information, education...).

Savaka-Bodhi (three Savaka Nanas)

  • The majority can only afford the savaka-bodhi because of their limitations. Yet that requires several lifetimes perfecting the perfections (ten parami-s).
  • No ordinary person can know whether he/she has already perfected sufficiently. Thus, one should begin the vipassana journey right away as a savaka-bodhisatta.
  • An arahant is a Savaka-buddha; however, this term is unnecessary.
Verse 354: The gift of the Dhamma excels all gifts; the taste of the Dhamma excels all tastes; delight in the Dhamma excels all delights. The eradication of Craving (i.e., attainment of arahatship) overcomes all ills (samsara dukkha) [Dhammapada Verse 354 Sakkapanha Vatthu]
  • Magga Sacca (the Eightfold Noble Path) begins with Right-View and ends with Right-Concentration.
  • Right-View is the correct understanding of reality, theory and technique with the right mentality.
  • Right-Concentration is the entrance to vipassana pañña.
After they had thus become 'ehibhikkhus', the Buddha proceeded to expound an appropriate discourse in harmony with the intellectual level and disposition of the 250 followers of the two friends, (With the exception of the two Agga Savakas), these 250 bhikkhus attained Arahatship at that one sitting.
As regards the two Chief Disciples, they had not yet become accomplished in the three higher. Paths, because, of the three Savaka Nanas, conditions for attainment of Agga Savaka Parami Nana surpass those of the other two namely, Maha Savaka Parami Nana and Pakati Savaka Parami Nana and are more extensive
[The Great Chronicles Of Buddhas (Vol 3, the State Buddha Sasana Council's Version): The Chronicle of Buddha Gotama: Chapter Sixteen (Ven. Mingun Sayadaw, page 8)]
  • [65B, 44] Speculative conclusion (theory) is not yatha-bhuta-nana-dassana. [64B, 60, 62] Not because he knew it, but only because he touched a part of the elephant.
And those blind men, O Bhikkhus, who had felt the head of the elephant, said: "An elephant, Sir, is like a large round jar. [The Blind Men and the Elephant: Folktales of Type 1317 (D. L. Ashliman)]
  • The Mayayanists holding a round jar misunderstood the Four Noble Truths: The Nibbāna, the Nirodha Sacca, the Eightfold Noble Path...
  • They failed to understand the theras and the arahants and missed the true Buddha Dhamma.
  • They acted like they must always be the outsiders.

[66] There are reasons why a Sammasambuddha is peerless one and why the attitude of the theras towards the Dhamma is always to preserve the Dhamma:

Sammāsambuddhamatulam – sasaddhammaganuttamamAbhivādiya bhāsissam – Abhidhammatthasangaham
The Fully Enlightened Peerless One, with the Sublime Doctrine and the Noble Order, do I respectfully salute, and shall speak concisely of things contained in the Abhidhamma. [Chapter I - Different Types Of Consciousness (citta-sangaha-vibhāgo) (Narada Maha Thero, theravada.vn)]

[67] The attitude of the outsiders, according to the Dīpavaṁsa:

The Bhikkhus of the Great Council [Mahāsaṅghikas] settled a doctrine contrary (to the true Faith [the Dhamma]). Altering the original redaction they made another redaction. They transposed Suttas which belonged to one place (of the collection) to another place; they destroyed the (true) meaning and the Faith in the Vinaya and in the five Collections (of Suttas). Those Bhikkhus, who understood neither what had been taught in long expositions nor without exposition, neither the natural meaning nor the recondite meaning, settled a false meaning in connection with spurious speeches of Buddha; these Bhikkhus destroyed a great deal of (true) meaning under the colour of the letter. Rejecting single passages of the Suttas and of the profound Vinaya, they composed other Suttas and another Vinaya which had (only) the appearance (of the genuine ones). Rejecting the following texts, viz. the Parivāra which is an abstract of the contents (of the Vinaya), the six Sections of the Abhidhamma, the Paṭisambhidā, the Niddesa, and some portions of the Jātaka, they composed new ones.’ [Chronicles-of-Ceylon.pdf (ancient-buddhist-texts.net) (Bimala Churn Law, pages 11-12]
  • [26] The Mahāsaṅghikas indeed had some learned bhikkhus who did not understand the Dhamma they learned.
  • [33A] The Mahāsaṅghikas might be the majority in Vesali. However, the true Dhamma is above the majority.
  • [30, 46, 38] True Dhamma is unchangeable because changing it can only result in fake-dharma, i.e. adhamma.
  • [26B, 38] They were outsiders because they did not like the insiders.

Erakapatta (Elapatra) & a Fool

[68] Nāgārjuna received attavadi Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra from anattavadi Erakapatta who asked four questions and let his daughter sing to get the answers from a random person who had met the Sakyamuni Buddha:

[Q:] What sort of person is to be called a fool?
[A:] A person who hankers after sensual pleasures is called a fool.
Having had the correct answers to the above, the naga princess sang out questions regarding the floods (oghas) of sensual desire, of renewed existence, of false doctrine and of ignorance, and how they could be overcome. Uttara answered these questions as taught by the Buddha
[Dhammapada Verse 182 Erakapattanagaraja Vatthu]
  • [67] Mahāsaṅghikas declared the false doctrine purportedly as true doctrine.
  • [68] Uttara received the answer from the Sakyamuni Buddha.
  • [69] How and why did Uttara's brother met the Sakyamuni Buddha?
[69] [According to the Mahayanist version] the young brāhmin who communicated the solution of the enigma to Elapatra was not Uttara but his brother Nārada (Naradatta), nephew of Asita and sometimes identified with Kātyāyana [35] [who composed Jñānaprasthāna. The Mahayanist version is based on a number of sources, including] Nāgārjuna.
[69A] The legend is represented on the balustrade of the Bhārhut stūpa with two inscriptions: Erapato nāgarājā and Erapato nāgarājā bhagavato vadate; cf. Bhārhut Inscriptions [...] Prof. Waldschmidt has pointed out the complete agreement between the Bhārhut sculpture and the Pāli version of the legend. [Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: Story of the nāga-king Elapatra [Appendix 1] (Gelongma)]
  • [69A] Prof. Waldschmidt must know Nārada is not mentioned in Dhammapada 182.
[70] Uttara communicated these to Erakapatta who thus knew that a new Buddha had appeared. Joyfully, he struck the waters of the Ganges with his tail, not without causing a flood. Then the nāga went to visit the Buddha, received his teachings and, but for his animal shape, he would have attained the fruit of srotaāpanna [Gelongma]
  • [69] The nephew of Asita (Kātyāyana) answered the anattavadi questions.
  • [70] Uttara's brother is not mentioned.
  • [70] Anattavadi Erakapatta received anattavada. Yet, attavadi Nāgārjuna claims he found an attavadi sūtra during his visit to Erakapatta [68] [47].
  • [69A] Wonder how Prof. Waldschmidt would understand Erakapatta's visit to the Sakyamuni Buddha.

[70] Including the nagas, beings in agatibhumi do not have wisdom faculty vipassana-wisdom. They may be extremely intelligent and powerful; however, vipassana-wisdom does not develop in their minds. See The Way of Wisdom: The Five Spiritual Faculties (accesstoinsight.org).

  • Wisdom or understanding or comprehension (pañña) is one of the five faculties [Indriya (Encyclopedia of Buddhism)].

6.7. Nāgārjuna on Self:

Part 11 presents Nāgārjuna's concepts, including [44].

[71] The specific nature belonging to each dharma is, for example, the solidity (khakkhaṭatva) of earth (pṛthivi), the wetness (dravatva) of water (ap-), the warmth of fire (uṣṇatva) of fire (tejas), the mobility (īraṇatva) of wind (vāyu): such natures differentiate dharmas, each of which has its own nature”. [Tathata (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter XLIX)]
  • [71] Rūpa has own Svabhāva/atta (self-nature) (Part 12)
  • [71A] Svabhāva-sunya: Māyā has not its own nature” [Lankavatara, Heart...]
  • [71] disagrees with [71A]
  • [71] violates Māyāvāda (Mayayana): All buddhas and all living beings are only one mind [Cittamātra Part 34]; there is no other reality (Part 39)
  • Cittamātra represents dharmakaya/the original Māyāvādi Tathagata. Buddha-nature is Buddha-self/seed (tathāgatagarbha) [51, 51A, 33]
[72] Nāgārjuna’s criticism of substance does not just apply to the world of objects, to the phenomena around us, but equally to the world of subjects, that is our own and other persons’ self.
[73] This is very much in harmony with the Buddha’s own conception of a person that rejected a self existing with svabhāva [Nāgārjuna (Jan Christoph Westerhoff)]
  • [72] agrees with [71A]—No Dharma (Māyā) [33] has no self-nature (svabhāva-sunya). That is Māyāvāda.
  • [51A] Māyā is not empty of tathāgatagarbha.
  • [71] is inconvenient. Nāgārjuna, as a group of Sarvāstivādis monks, is an attavadi and a Māyāvādi.
  • [73] If Nāgārjuna were an anattavadi, he wouldn't reinvent the wheel (new dharma). He could simply accept the Dhamma.
  • [74] The Māyāvādis never understood anattavada [40].
[74] The Buddhist doctrine that there is no soul. The Buddha taught that nothing is permanent or unchangeable, and (as Hume later insisted) when we look inside ourselves we find only fleeting mental events, but no substance which endures through time [Anattavada (Oxford Reference)].

[75] Sabhāva (Vibhajjavada) is not svabhāva (Sarvāstivāda).

[76] Sabhāva means 'whatever it is' is it. We can understand the sabhāva/nature of Samuti and Paramattha in the same way.

Yatha-bhuta-nana-dassana [65B] means understanding sabhāva.

[76] The notion of svabhāva (Pali sabhāva) does occur in the Vibhajyavāda/Theravāda as well as Sarvāstivāda tradition, but in a different sense than there: as simply ‘own-nature’ rather than as also an implied ‘own-existence’. The Atthasālinī, the commentary on the first book of the Abhidhamma, explains dhammas thus: "They are dhammas because they uphold their own nature [sabhāva]. They are dhammas because they are upheld by conditions or they are upheld according to their own nature" [Peter Harvey (as quoted in Svabhāva)]

[76A] Paramattha Sacca (ultimate realities) does not evolve - Part 40.

[76B] Samuti-Sacca is unstable (anicca) and evolving in accord with the five niyāma-s (THE NIYAMA-DIPANI in Part 7). The sabhāva of saṅkhāra (constructs) is made of appearance and behaviour/instinct. Conventional truth (saṅkhāra) is true as different things. For example, chili is not sugarcane. Fish do not climb trees, nor moneys swim like fish.

[73A] The emerging view of the self is characterized by two main properties [...]
[73B] Not only does the self depend for its existence on the constituents [...]
[73C] the self is characterized by a mistaken self-awareness [Nāgārjuna (Westerhoff)]
  • [73A, 71, 71A] Cittamātra concerns self-awareness and tathāgatagarbha.
  • [73B] [71A] The Vibhajjavadi approach to atta and anatta concerns ownership of the five aggregates (constituents). Self or atta has the sense of ownership (my body, by mind, etc.).
  • [73C] The sense of self (I am) is Attavadupādāna, as the view is sakkayaditthi.
  • [77] The sense of self can be removed when the view is corrected.

Removing sakkayaditthi is the first goal in anattavada.

[77] 2.5.1. Attavadupādāna: Ucchedavada and Sassatavada are based on attavada or attavadupādāna (attachment to the soul or self), not in line with the Ariya Sacca (the Noble Truth). Attavadupādāna is based on sakkaya ditthi, which is instinctive; everyone is born with it - Part 4

Attavada

[73D] Our buddha-nature [the self-nature of Buddha] is awareness: to be aware and to make others aware. To realize awareness is liberation [Breakthrough (Bodhidharma)]
  • [73, 62] Self-nature: the nature of self (emptiness)
  • [73D, 73C] Bodhidharma sees self-awareness as self, based on Lankavatara.
  • [73C] Feeling is misidentified and perceived as self. This perception disappears during sleep, as if self sleeps, too. Sleep is the resting state in which the body is not active and the mind is unconscious (Cambridge Dictionary). Self is not awareness.
  • Consciousness (vinnana) disappears during sleep, and the sense of self disappears, too.
  • If self-awareness were permanent and constant, nobody could ever fall asleep.
  • If the self is not awareness but something else, it must have its own functions, which must be identified.

Anattavada

  • [77] The Sakyamuni Buddha warns us that we can mistake the five aggregates as self with the sense of ownership: I, me, mine, man, woman, cat, he, she...
  • This existence is anicca, dukkha, and anatta (not me, not mine).
  • Nobody, other than the five aggregates, causes the nature of anicca and dukkha.
  • Nobody exists and, nobody goes to Nibbāna—the reason is a construct [76B] should not be seen as someone.
  • The five aggregates experience pain (dukkha vedanā) and pleasure (sukha vedanā). Both are impermanent. Thus, fear of loss/death (pain) present constantly. (2.5.7. vedana-paccaya tanha - Part 4).
  • Nibbāna is the existence without the five aggregates, anicca and dukkha.
  • Dukkha ends with the end of saṅkhārā: rebirth or the formation of the five aggregates.
  • Nibbāna is satisukha, when dukkha arises no more.
  • nibbana [adj.] free from craving.
  • nibbāna (nt.), cooling; extinction (of a fire); emancipation; the final bliss.
  • Fire (tanha) arises on fuel (five aggregates).
  • Nibbāna is anatta, not me, not mine, not the five aggregates.

Arahattaphala is Nibbāna, freedom from all dangers and the five aggregates

upaddava : [m.] misfortune; distress; danger. uppāda : [m.] rising; coming into existence; birth. upādānakkhandha : [m.] the factors of clinging to existence. upādānakkhaya : [m.] extinction of attachment.

6.8. THICH NHAT HANH VS SARVĀSTIVĀDIS

[78] The Sautrantika thus never called themselves Sarvastivadins．The Sautrantika was not diametrically opposed to Sarvastivadin thought， nor subordinate to it， though classifiers have placed them as such because of similarities． The Sautrantika was the progressive school and did not reject what it had no reason not to employ or allow； the Sarvastivadin was closer to the Theravada and orthodox rather than progressive． These elements form the historical background of Vasubhandhu as we shall see later [A Study of the Abhidharma Buddhism（1） (Yoshinari Maeda, page 217)]
  • [78, 29, 39, 41, 41B, 65B] The Mahayanist schools keep the same concepts with their own flavours. The Mahayanas are closer to Mahayana, not different from each other.
  • [65] [41A] They were not supposed to settle by holding the speculative views of the false doctrine (adhamma).
  • [33A] They see the arhats/arahants as savakayana. They even ignore their own scriptures that say Buddhas are arhats. Thus, Mayayana (Mahāsaṅghikas/Sarvāstivāda) had no [41C].

Self in Māyā is Mayayana: the doctrine of self (dharmakaya) and no dharma (Māyā) [33, 55, 57, 58].

[33] [Heart (Thich):] The Heart Sutra was intended to help the Sarvāstivādins relinquish the view of no self and no dharma
  • Heart is designed to teach Sarvāstivādins there is self.
  • Māyā: dharma and no dharma are not different in Mayayana.

[79] Thus, Heart only presents the Māyāvādi doctrine.

  • [33, 29, 39] Thich Nhat Hanh must know the Heart Sutra was written for the Sarvāstivādis by the Sarvāstivādis using a pseudonym 'Nāgārjuna' to rival the Buddha.
  • [65A] The issue here is using the name of Venerable Sariputta Mahathera (who was not a Sarvāstivādi) and misrepresenting Theravada Buddhism.

Nāgārjuna bodhisattva (a pen name for the Sarvāstivādis) brought from the nagas the Prajnaparamita, which praises Subhuti as the learned and Venerable Sariputa Mahathera as the learner. However, Subhuti (unknown in Theravada) offers nothing:

[80] Subhuti : So it is, Sariputra [...] then, Sariputra
[80A] Sdriputra: If, Ven. Subhuti, the Bodhisattva, the great being, in his dream would give gifts, guard morality, perfect himself in patience, exert vigour, enter the trances and develop wisdom, and would turn that wholesome root over to full enlightenment, would it (actually) become turned over by him into full enlightenment? [Prajnaparamita (CONZE, Page 415)]
  • [80] Subhuti does not address the venerable respectfully using the term venerable [33A]
  • [80A] Venerable Sariputta Mahathera says venerable. Is it politeness? No, but to present how Subhuti dreamed the dream of bodhisattva—as an implementation of Mahesvāra's five theses.
  • Such implementation requires a rival Buddha, such as Nāgārjuna, Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, etc.
  • Those Mahayanist authors would not or dared not reveal themselves to challenge the Vibhajjavadi Sangha.

[80B] The biography of fictitious Nāgārjuna is so unimportant because he represents nothing other than some fiction writers, who ignored Venerable Sariputta Mahathera was not a Sarvāstivādi arhat to fall within the five theses of Mahādeva. To have an appearance of importance and to hide their acts, they stole the teachings of the Sakyamuni Buddha, who they did not follow.

  • [81, 80, 79, 26, 33B, 41B, 42B] Some political motives and contradictions

[81] Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra is designed to promote bodhisattvayana and slander the Mahatheras.

  • Thus, it created a fiction with Avalokiteśvara to [41B] replace Subhuti.
  • [80, 79, 33B] Placing Venerable Sariputta Mahathera (one of the most significant Vibhajjavādis) in front of Sarvāstivādi Avalokiteśvara is to promote Mayayana over Dhamma-Vinaya and the bodhisattvas over the Vibhajjavādi Sangha.

Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 43

6.9. Free Will:

Creationism:

all-knowing (omniscience), all-powerful (omnipotence), ever-present everywhere (omnipresence), and perfectly good and loving (omnibenevolence) [What Are The 4 Omnis Of God? (Amanda Williams)]
  • Is God the four omnis, or the one who has unlimited access to the four omnis?
  • Humans could be Gods, too if had access to the four omnis.
  • If God and the four omnis are the same, then they could not give mankind full access to them.
  • Mankind is not even omnibenevolence by nature. With benevolence alone, could mankind exist? If omnibenevolent, could human existence ever begin?
  • If mankind was created in God's own image, it must be mere physical, not mental and intellectual. That implies God is physical.
  • The physical God cannot be the four omnis themselves.
  • Mankind was given free will to choose good and bad.
  • As God can give limited free will, God can give mankind full free will for full access to the four omnis, too.

Sarvāstivāda (Mayayana):

[84A] Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra [bhairava is Śiva (Part 24)]
“the terror and joy of realizing oneness with the Soul.” [...] Claim the power Of oneness with the Self [...] There is no mind. There is no ego. There is only the incandescent reality. [The Radiance Sutras: The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra (Lorin Roche)]
  • Interpretation: oneness with the Soul the Self (Dhārmakāya)—where is no mind (Ālayavijñāna) no ego (tathāgatagarbha)—is the attainment of reality (Cittamātra).
  • no mind no ego no free will—no personalised will control—klesha/ignorance/duality
  • Sunyatisunya is Śiva - Part 26.
  • Sarvāstivāda can be compared with other dharma religions of the Vedas and their concepts of free will.
  • Sunyatisunya the Dharmakāya is the unborn the original Māyāvādi Tathagata (Ishvara).
  • Dharmakāya has millions of names, including Maheśvara Buddha and Maheśvara Mara.
  • [83, 83A] Dhārmakāya is one of the trikāya (three bodies).
  • The other two are the Buddhas the Māyā-like (physical) Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya.
  • Māyā/forms are empty and illusionary, which have no free will and self. Yet Lankavatara demands Māyā may become bodhisattvas by giving up their free will (personalised will control).
  • Dharmakāya is the true mind or reality (Cittamātra).
  • [51A] Heart (Red) and Shaivism (a cluster of religious schools) agree There is no mind of Māyā. Māyā's mind does not exist. In contrary, Lankavatara suggests Māyā has Māyā's mind (marage-like) with unidentifiable functions other than to take the blame for choosing wrong views and wrong actions, which are also māyā. Lotus Sutra presents its concept of hell (the realms 8 of the hells, animals, the world of Yama, of gods, excluding men) that is a state of mind—which mind other than Ālayavijñāna?
  • Māyā is also emptiness: [51A, 62] So, in emptiness, no form... that also defines Dharmakāya.
  • The existence of Māyā depends on the imagination of Dharmakāya/Ālayavijñāna the true mind.
  • Inside Māyā are Ālayavijñāna and buddha-nature/seed that reverts to Dharmakāya. After reverting, Māyā as a bodhisattva become a buddha. The buddhas are the embodiments of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata. These are trikāya.
  • The true mind does not take responsiblity for the consequences, as there is no responsibility in emptiness [62].
  • Nothing violates the Only mind/Cittamātra).

Vibhajjavāda (Theravada):

  • We cannot say, do whatever you want, because we know kusala kamma and akusala kamma have desirable and undesirable consequences.
  • One who thinks he/she can get away dares to commit crime.
  • It is ignorance that leads the unwise actions.
  • Ignorance is not free will. Avijja-paccaya sankhara; sankhara-paccaya-vinnanam...
  • Due to fear of painful consequences, one exercises self-constraint.
  • Since the Vibhajjavadis do not see any God, they do not think about him or his policies.
  • The Sakyamuni Buddha warns us, thus:
74. "Let both laymen and monks think that it was done by me. In every work, great and small, let them follow me" — such is the ambition of the fool; thus his desire and pride increase. [The Dhammapada: Chapter 5, The Fool (buddhanet.net)]
"In another town also we might be abused and it is not feasible to move out every time one is abused. It is better to solve a problem in the place where it arises. I am like an elephant in a battlefield; like an elephant who withstands the arrows that come from all quarters, I also will bear patiently the abuses that come from people without morality." — The Buddha

Agency vs Freedom from Nāma and Rūpa

  • Agency (Atta) in reality is misunderstanding (avijja) and the grip on the suffering nāma and rūpa. Atta is the opposite of freedom. If the agency (atta) were permanent, then the grip would be permanent. However, there is freedom from the agency (atta) because the grip only exists temporarily during conscious moments. The mistake is atta-vādupādāna, the grips on the grips (the belief in the existence of atta) [59C].
  • The Buddha points out the false of this agency, which is a mere wrong view (perception). There is escape (relief) from suffering; hence, one can escape from the agency by giving it up. Someone, who cannot give up this agency, does not let go of sufferings.
Araham Sutta [1] - An arahant is one who has really seen the arising, ending, etc., of the five grasping groups (upadanakkhandha). S.iii.161.

6.10. Two Truths Trikaya Svabhāvātmako

[82] Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra clashes with Prajnaparamita on no self vs self

[82] The question is about dharma, but the answer is about self:

[82] Question. – [...] why do you say then that they do not reject all dharmas [...]?
Answer. – [...] heretics grasp at the characteristic of emptiness (dharmaśūnyatā); they do not accept the emptiness of self (ātmaśūnyatā) [2. Falsity of the heretics’ concentrations (Gelongma)]
  • [82] Prajnaparamita: heretics must accept the emptiness of self—must not accept self
  • [33] Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra: heretics must relinquish the view of no self—i.e. must accept self
[33] [Heart (Thich):] The Heart Sutra was intended to help the Sarvāstivādins relinquish the view of no self and no dharma. [That tells the Sarvāstivādins to accept themselves.]

[82] What is the emptiness of self (ātmaśūnyatā)?

  • [82A] ātmaśūnyatā = ātma + śūnyatā
  • śūnyatā is also Dhārmakāya
  • ātma + śūnyatā = ātma + dhārmakāya
  • ātma-dhārmakāya
  • ātma is also dhārmakāya
  • ātma + ātma
  • dhārmakāya + dhārmakāya
  • Self of self
  • ātmaśūnyatā (the emptiness of self) is the Dhārmakāya of self or the Self of self.

[82] Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra does not disagree with Prajnaparamita then.

[33] The same to the emptiness of self (dharmanairātmya / dharmaśūnyatā)

[82B] (dharmaśūnyatā): dharmas are empty of self-nature (svabhāva) and also of characteristics (lakṣaṇa) and are like [māyā] [Dharmaśūnyatā (wisdomlib.org)]
  • dharma + śūnyatā
  • dharma + ātma/dhārmakāya = the self of dharma
  • dharma-śūnyatā (no dharmas) is Māyā
  • That is Sarvāstivādi no dharma and no self
  • [33] Then, Heart (Thich) is wrong. However, it cannot be wrong:
  • [82] Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra agrees with Prajnaparamita.
  • Sarvāstivāda agrees with Sarvāstivāda:
  • [82B-1] There is the Self of self (the emptiness of self)—the ultimate truth
  • [82B-1] There is the Self of dharma (the emptiness of dharma)—the ultimate truth
  • [82B-2] No self and no dharma are Māyā—the truth of Māyā.
[Heart (Thich):] The deepest teaching of Prājñāpāramitā is [82B-1;] the emptiness of self (ātmaśūnyatā) and the emptiness of dharma (dharmanairātmya) and [82B-2:] not the non-being of self and dharma.
  • [82B-1] the emptiness of self means—the Dhārmakāya of self—the self of self
  • [82B-2] the emptiness of dharma means—the Dhārmakāya of dharma—the self of dharma (Māyā)
  • [82B-1] not the non-being of self and dharma means—the being of self and dharma—the self of self and dharma exists.

That is Nāgārjuna's two truths doctrine. They are also found in Lankavatara and Lotus.

[83] [82B-1] Lankavatara

  • Ultimate reality: Lankavatara presents Dhārmakāya, the unborn, svabhāvātmako, the eternal Māyāvādi Tathagata (Maheśvara Buddha and Maheśvara Mara).

[83A] [82B-2] Lotus

  • Māyā: Lotus presents Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya, the type of buddhas who gained eternal lifespan and True Extinction (non-being); e.g. Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara. Some Buddhas may become eternal, as the others go into nirvana (true extinction).

[82B-1] The Self of self (ātmaśūnyatā) and [82B-2] Māyā (dharmanairātmya / Selflessness of phenomena)

[83B] ‘Form is empty of form’ [or] the absence of all four extremes [Everything is real and is not real, Both real and not real, Neither real nor not real.] [Selflessness of phenomena (Rigpa Wiki)]
  • [83B] ‘Form is empty of form’ (Form is emptiness, emptiness is form): that statement presents the Sarvāstivādi no dharma.
  • Rigpa Wiki claims the notion of no dharma is free of four extremes because it does not reject self (buddha-nature / self/soul / atta).

Dhārmakāya the Māyāvādi emptiness is the Self/atta which exists above all the Anuttara-samyaksambuddhas who attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Dhārmakāya does not claim it knows Nibbàna.

Evidently, Māyāvādi śūnyatā concepts are irrelevant to Vibhajjavada. (Continues at 6.14.)

Vibhajjavada Three Extremes: 1 Kama-tanha 2 bhava-tanha 3 vibhava-tanha—By abandoning these extremes, one reaches freedom from dukkha. That ends all dukkha.

  • Atta-sunna (Anatta) means no-owner/controller who can command the element particles to act according to his/her will. These particles respond to nobody's will; thus, free will cannot be practiced on these particles (rūpa) and three other realities. They do not follow the atta (assumed owners/arbiters).

[84] Svabhāvātmako (self-nature-essence)

  • Tibetan Mahayana is attavada.
oṃ śū nya tā jñā na va jra sva bhā vā tma ko 'haṃ
oṃ śūnyatā jñāna vajra svabhāvātmako 'haṃ
"oṃ emptiness knowing diamond self-nature-essence I"
Oṃ. I am the very self whose essence is the diamond knowledge of emptiness [Stephan Beyer]
Oṃ I am the vajra essential-own-being which is the knowledge of śūnyatā
[The Sunyata Mantra (Jayarava)]
  • Māyā realises oneness with the Soul/Dhārmakāya:
[84A] “the terror and joy of realizing oneness with the Soul.” [The Radiance Sutras: The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra (Lorin Roche)]
  • Dhārmakāya is svabhāvātmako (the one with own-being-self) who is embodied in Māyā as one mind (Cittamātra/tathāgatagarbha).

Svabhavatmako in Tantric Practice

  • They the attavadis (atta worshipers) simply meditate on the Self.
Om Maha Sunyata Jnana Vajra Sobhwaha Atma Ko Hang — "Oṃ emptiness knowing diamond self-nature-essence I" [LYRICS AND MANTRAS (Maz Music)]
  • svabhavatmako the essential nature of the indivisibility of such emptiness (buddha-nature)
  • [82B-2] Dhārmakāya (emptiness) and svabhavatmako must be the same thing.
[page 77—:] The minor four-branch procedure is as follows: The main body of the familiarization branch consists in generation as the causal vajra-holder; the creation of the mandala in the womb [of the main female deity] and the conferral of the initiation of compassion on sentient beings; [the two deities] melting due to the intermediate being entering [the womb mandala], and then [the deities] being urged by the songs of the four goddesses and [subsequently] arising as the resultant vajra-holders;68 and recitation of the mantra [om dharmadhatu svabhavatmako ham] with the pride of being perfect awakening
[page 91—:] [jnana vajra svabhavatmako ham]: [oneself is] the essential nature of the indivisibility of such emptiness
[page 245—:] For the first awakening, the practitioner, while uttering the mantra that means “om i have an essential nature of indivisible emptiness and pristine awareness” (oṃ śūnyatā jñāna vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ)
[page 249—:] one recites the mantra that means “om i have an essential nature of indivisible emptiness and pristine aware ness” (oṃ śūnyatā jñāna vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ) in order to stabilize understanding of that nature.
[page 264—:] oṃ vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ
[page 264—:] oṃ dharmadhātu svabhāvātmako ’haṃ
[page 265—:] oṃ sarva tathāgata citta vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ; oṃ sarva tathāgata vāk vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ; oṃ sarva tathāgata kāya vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ
[page 274—:] oṃ śūnyatā jñāna vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ
[page 325—:] 48 “i have an essential nature of indivisible emptiness and pristine awareness” (oṃ śūnyatā jñāna vajra svabhāvātmako ’haṃ).
[The Treasury of Knowledge Book Eight, Part Three: The Elements of Tantric Practice (Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé]

The Self of the self and the dharma of no dharma

[85] [Lanka Chapter 3:] By emptiness of self-nature is meant that all things in their self-nature are un-born; therefore, it is said that things are empty as to self-nature.
  • Interpretation: The Self of self means all dharmas in their self are the original Māyāvādi Tathagata; therefore, dharmas are no dharma. In brief, it means only the original Māyāvādi Tathagata exists. The emptiness/Dhārmakāya of Māyā means Sarvāstivādi no dharma. Dhārmakāya is no dharma or the state of no dharma.
  • Accordingly, at the end of bodhisattva stages or the process of removing Māyā from Dhārmakāya:
[86] [Lanka Chapter 6:] which remains is the self-nature of the Tathagatas [tathāgatagarbha]
  • [83A, 82B-2] After removing the physical Māyā, comes the concept of [88] māyā-like Tathagatas (Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya).
  • [85] all things : all dharma (all Māyā), but all Māyā and no Māyā are just no Māyā (no dharma).
  • emptiness of self-nature (ātmaśūnyatā) : the Self of self (is unborn)
  • The un-born is the original Māyāvādi Tathagata, dhārmakāya-svabhāva, tathāgatagarbha, svabhavatmako, etc. [84]
  • [85] Māyāvāda replaces ātma with the un-born, dhārmakāya-svabhāva, tathāgatagarbha, svabhavatmako, etc.
  • [83A] Thus, ātmaśūnyatā is dhārmakāya-svabhāva...
[85] The Buddha can really see sentient beings’ tathagata-garbha [All Buddhas and All Living Beings Are Just This One Mind (William H. Grosnick)]
  • The Self (Dhārmakāya) of the self (tathāgatagarbha) knows the self, which is just one.
  • The Self is the self—just one, and that is why all Buddhas are one Buddha
[Lanka LVI (Red):] 66 [...] The Buddha taught that all buddhas are one buddha

[85] Dhārmakāya is one of millions of names for Nāgārjuna's two truth doctrine. The same no self and no dharma is stated in many ways with many different words that make giant sutras.

[33] [Heart (Thich):] The Heart Sutra was intended to help the Sarvāstivādins relinquish the view of no self and no dharma. [That tells the Sarvāstivādins to accept themselves.]
  • Interpretation: The Heart Sutra was intended to present the Sarvāstivādi 'no self and no dharma' or 'the Self of self' (ātmaśūnyatā).

6.11. Māyāvāda (NO DHARMA is ALL DHARMAS)

ALL DHARMAS ARE NO DHARMA [33, 85, 86]: Ātmaśūnyatā and dharmaśūnyatā mean the same two truths: no dharma—meaning emptiness/śūnyatā/Ātma is the only existence. Two truths are just one—śūnyatā/Ātma.

[87] [Lotus Chapter 10:] The Thus Come One's throne is the emptiness of all Dharmas [...] The emptiness of all Dharmas is the Thus Come One's throne
  • The emptiness of all Dharmas—Including buddhas, all dharmas are empty—no dharma [33, 84].
  • As the only reality, Emptiness/Dhārmakāya is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent (throne is power: Part 32).
  • Nothing to love is Māyā—the uncaused:
[88, 83A] [Lanka Chapter 3:] In the teaching of no-birth, causation is out of place because, seeing that all things are like maya and a dream, one does not discriminate individual signs.
  • No dharma means Everything is not real [Rigpa Wiki], i.e. all things/dharmas are Māyā [83B]
[89, 33] [Heart (Red, page 143)] [Diamond Sutra suggests that the] 'auspicious dharmas' are spoken of by the Tathagata as 'no dharmas.
  • Lotus, Lanka and Heart are designed to present no dharmas—the doctrine of Sarvāstivāda [33].
  • Probably, all the sutras present the same no dharma or the emptiness of all Dharmas.

EMPTINESS OF ULTIMATE REALITY

[90] [Lanka Chapter 3:] By emptiness in the highest sense of the emptiness of Ultimate Reality is meant that in the attainment of inner self-realization of Noble Wisdom [realisation of non-being of Nirvana] there is no trace of habit-energy generated by erroneous conceptions; thus one speaks of the highest emptiness of Ultimate Reality.
  • Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Hinduism) agrees with Lankavatara:
[90A] Occasionally, however, Ahamkara (the Ego) tends to envelop the Buddhi [...] This is the reason why man is unable to transcend the ego and comprehend the Atma. [The Buddhi and the Atma (Sri Sathya Sai Baba)]
  • Māyā tends to envelop the Buddhi**.** The self tends to envelop the Self.

Thus, enlightenment means:

the small ego surrenders before this Great Ego.” [The Nirvana Sutra (Zen Master, Sokei-an)] [Part 36]

Gradual submission towards total submission (stages of bodhisattvas)

Total and complete submission is an everyday process for the true Christian. But if you’re a “Christian” who is submitting to your flesh, the Bible says you will die! ~For if you live according to the flesh you will die~,~but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live~. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:13) [Submission, Total and Complete (Mark)] [Part 18]

The same attavada in different religions

EMPTINESS of the Great Vehicle

[90B] the practices of Sound Hearers VS the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle

[Lotus Chapter 12:] Those who had been Sound Hearers [arhats] were in empty space expounding upon the practices of Sound Hearers. All of them were now cultivating the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle
  • [Chapter 2] the Buddha dwells in the Great Vehicle
  • [Chapter 12] Sound Hearers [arhats] were in empty space
  • [Chapter 10] The Thus Come One's throne is the emptiness of all Dharmas
  • [Chapter 12] the emptiness of the Great Vehicle
  • Honesty of the Lotus Sutra

[90C] The scene of a bodhisattva committing suicide:

He said to the merchants: “Take hold of my head (śiras), my hair (keśa), my hands (hasta) and my feet (pāda) and I will take you across.” When the merchants took hold of him, he killed himself with his knife (śastra). As a general rule, the ocean does not retain corpses (kuṇapa); a brisk wind began to blow and brought them to the shore.[1] Who would dare to deny that this was an act of great compassion (mahākāruṇika)? [Part 5 - The Bodhisattva in the Mahāyāna system (Gelongma)]
  • While his entire body was held down, he could not move his head, his hair, his hands and his feet. At that moment, he killed himself with his own knife, as if the knife was moved by the mind alone without using hands.
  • Did the mind kill that bodhisattva?
  • The mind is Dhārmakāya / paramārtha-satya. A bodhisattva is Māyā / saṁvṛti-satya. [60 Part 42]

That fictional story probably portrays the reality of the two truths.

Arhats in the Lotus Sutra:

Lotus has a mix of praising and condemning the arhats. That indicates it was written several times to include Mahādevā's five points and the later development of chapter 25 Avalokiteśvara.

Lotus became a way to lecture the arhats, such as Venerable Shariputra and Venerable Mahakashyapa. The authors of the sutra ignored the role of the contributors of Śāriputrābhidharma and early sophisticated Mahayanist scriptures.

Śāriputrābhidharma is a direct challenge on Mahādevā's five points.

Origin of Śāriputrābhidharma

Śāriputrābhidharma is not Sarvāstivādin, but expounds a doctrine very close to that of the Pāli Abhidhamma (in particular of the Vibhaṅga and the Puggalapaññati) and maintains the Vibhajyavādin theses expounded in the Vibhāṣā and the Kośa. [Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra: Appendix 4: The traditions regarding Śāriputra-abhidharma (Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)]
  • The author must be a group of monks who admired Venerable Sariputta Mahathera.
  • Their effort might be an attempt to influence the future Mahayanist scriptures.
Śāriputrābhidharma (शारिपुत्राभिधर्म) is the name of a text authored by Śāriputra, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 3). [Shariputrabhidharma (wisdomlib.org)]
  • Venerable Sariputta Mahathera passed away before the Buddha's Parinibbāna.
  • Venerable Ananda Mahathera and the First Buddhist Council would inform us if Venerable Sariputta Mahathera authored the Śāriputrābhidharma, which does not comply with the First Buddhist Council.
  • Its title complies with the early Mahayanist tradition (Mahāsāṃghikas) that used the names of the Mahatheras to present their doctrines.
I assume that members of the Mahāsāṃghikas composed new scriptures, often consisting of questions and answers and condemning the conservative thoughts on Buddhist doctrines, and called these newly-composed texts vedulla / vaitulya, in the meaning of their being “irregular” as Buddha’s scripture but “incomparable, peerless”. Later, they came to be called  in  a  more  positive  way  as  vaipulya  “full  development,  abundance,  plenty,  fullness.” Much later still, they came to be called mahāyāna-sūtras as well. Those who composed, copied, read, recited, proclaimed these “new scriptures,” did not call themselves “Mahāyanists” at the beginning. They were after all members of the Mahāsāṃghikas and therefore, it is quite natural that the name Mahāyāna does not occur in early Indian inscriptions. Much later on, when the Mahāyāna scriptures and doctrine became much more popular, members of other schools acknowledged them and absorbed them as well. [Who Composed the Mahāyāna Scriptures? (Prof. Seishi Karashima)]
  • Prof. Seishi Karashima—1957 - 2019—hightlights the fundamental approach of Mahayana towards the original Sangha: we are Maha-yana, the better group, with the “incomparable, peerless” mahāyāna-sūtras.

Evidently, there is nothing maha/great about that movement. That yana/vehicle follows nothing but the old attavada.

[90D] Arhats reach perfect liberation

[Lotus Chapter 1:] ... Bhikshus, twelve thousand in all. All were Arhats who had exhausted all outflows and had no further afflictions...

[90E] Arhats reach perfect liberation but that is not the way anymore

[Lotus Chapter 4:] Mahakashyapa [...] spoke verses, saying... The Buddha had instructed us To speak of the unsurpassed Path, Now we are all Truly Sound Hearers. And taking the sound of the Buddha's Way. We cause all to hear it. Now we are all Truly Arhats, And in all the world, With its gods, people, Maras and Brahmas, Everywhere among them We are worthy of receiving offerings.

[90F] The meaning

[Sound Hearers is defined in Lotus Chapter 4 as the ones who] take the sound of the Buddha's Way [and] cause all to hear it. [They are arhats, the messengers of the Buddha and a type of bodhisattvas who] will become Buddhas.

[90G] Lotus was originally intended for arhats

Lotus Chapter 3: for the sake of the Sound Hearers, speak this Great Vehicle Sutra by the name of The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of whom the Buddhas are protective and mindful.

[90H] In the later times, arhats were identified with Mahādevā's five points:

As they pay attention to themselves and not to others, they are incapable of genuine and equal enlightenment... [Arhat 阿羅漢; wiki]

[90I] The making of Māyāvāda/Mayayana was completed by downgrading the Buddhas to the embodiments of the [83] Dhārmakāya, the original/eternal Māyāvādi Tathagata. The Bloodstream Sermon does not even recognise the arhats, as its main theme is anyone can become a buddha:

"A Buddha is an idle person...

[90J] Bodhisattvayana means anyone can become a buddha, not just a few individuals, no matter how good or bad they are; however, in reality, that is nothing more than arrogance, Bodhisattvayana is nothing but a design to reject the Buddhavada (Dhamma-Vinaya).

[Lotus Chapter 2:] When the Buddha's disciples have walked the Path, In a future age they will become Buddhas. [...] There is only One Vehicle, not two.
  • The Sound Hearers and Bodhisattvas are the same in the Lotus Sutra in terms of the One Vehicle.
  • Lotus sanctions Buddhahood but to require nearly eternal.

Sarvāstivāda is practiced as the main Tibetan faith. Other Sarvāstivādi faiths in East Asia are nevertheless attavada (Part 4) in different Sarvāstivādi/Mahayanist traditions.


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 44

6.12. Chapter 12 DEVADATTA:

[91] [Lotus Chapter 12:] "At that time a seer came forth and spoke to the king, saying, 'I have a Great Vehicle scripture by the name of The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. If you do not disobey me, I will expound it for you.'
  • [91] Devadatta was an unenlightened seer/brahmin, who had a copy of the original Lotus Sutra.
  • We do not know how he got it, nor how it looked like, nor what written in it.
  • Lotus only informs us the original Lotus Sutra was in the possession of a seer/brahmin, and not a Buddhist monk.
  • Lotus admits its origin is Brahmanism.
  • Historically, Lotus and Heart were composed by the Sarvāstivādis to lecture the Vibhajjavadis. Heart's main message is a bodhisattva is above an arhat. Lotus' main message is a seer/brahmin was the teacher of the bodhisatta of Buddhism.
[91A] [Lotus Chapter 12:] Manjushri said, "While in the sea, I have proclaimed and taught only The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra!"
  • We may not know What was written as the original Lotus Sutra. Neither Devadatta nor Manjushri recited the text. We may assume it never existed.
[91B] [Lotus Chapter 13:] All of these Bodhisattvas were Avaivartikas [Bodhisattva without regression] who turned the irreversible Dharma wheel and who had attained all of the Dharanis [...]"If the World Honored One were to command us to maintain and speak this Sutra..."
  • As Lotus does not provide the text of the original Lotus Sutra, nor explains how it got into the hands of these Avaivartikas, we may assume it is fictional.

[91C] Origin of Lotus

The Lotus Sutra available to us is the story of the original (or fictional) Lotus Sutra presented in Chapter 12 Devadatta. If the original Lotus Sutra existed, it must come from somewhere.

Probably a Hindu deity gave the original Lotus Sutra to the seer who became Devadatta. Seers often received mantras and gifts from the Hindu deities. For example:

  • 91C-1
Gurudev, again with the help of Buddhe Baba, altered the Maha Mrityunjay and other mantras to increase their potency [...] I did get one mantra in my dream [...] Kapill ji: Well, I have heard a few people who have got mantras in their dreams. I remember a deity gave me a mantra in my dream state. In the second dream, showed me the usage of it. And in the third, gave me a gift or a boon in a loka where it had its presence. [AUDIO BIO OF THE GURU OF GURUS (Gurudev Online)]
  • 91C-2
in his dream, his worshipable deity gave him a mantra and by chanting it his heart gradually became purified. [...] The deity of Lord Mādhava, presiding over Prayāg-tīrtha, closely resembled the deity of brāhmaṇa’s mantra, but still He didn’t bring him satisfaction and the Lord Mādhava directed the brāhmaṇa farther west to Mathura. [Reflecting on the meaning of “nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya” (Sitalatma Das)]
  • 91C-3: a Mahayanist concept of Buddha:
[Rinchen:] the first time that I have heard that a deity gave a teaching through an oracle.
[Ensapa:] Dorje Shugden is not just any deity, he's a Buddha appearing in the form of a Dharma protector, and not just that, his previous incarnations are very highly attained Lamas as well. So there is no way that such high lamas can devolve and become an unenlightened spirit upon death. It does not make sense at all. As this teaching proves, Dorje Shugden has complete knowledge and attainments from his previous lives, showing that he is enlightened after all. Therefore, there is no reason to doubt him at all. [NEW ARTICLE! A Teaching by Dorje Shugden, Losar 2013 - General Discussion - dorjeshugden.com]
  • 91C-4
Shri Devchandraji (1581–1655), a seeker [...] was given a vision of Krishna during which the deity gave him the “Highest Knowledge” and initiated him with the Tartam Mantra. [Hinduism: Shri Krishna Pranami Association of U.S.A. and Canada (Encyclopedia.com)]
  • 91C-5: A seer (brahmin) who became Devadatta is significant only because of his original Lotus Sutra, which we may not know:
The seers say the matter, the deity, its use or application and its reference in the Brahamana (book) are the five aspects related to the mantra. These are to be known in case of every Mantra from the scriptures [Gayatri Mantra (Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bhuj)]
  • 91C-6 Solar and Solar dynasty (the Surya vamsha):
Over time, when the forces of nature seemed fierce but more and more comprehensible, man began to reshape his conceptions. Surya as the main deity gave way to the embodiment of aspects of the sun in every God. Personas replaced the elements and the sun though vital became an attribute. The wheel or chakra in Lord Vishnu’s hand, the trident in Lord Shiva’s hands, the mace of Kubera, the spear of Skanda and the rod of Yama were all representative of the sun. Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu is himself believed to have been born in the Surya vamsha (dynasty). [Divine light of Vedic heritage (Jyotikar Pattni, page 55)]
  • 91C-7 The Buddha was born in the Surya vamsa, too.

Dharmakāya is the origin of the Lotus Sutra:

[Lotus Chapter 14:] This Sutra is protected by the spiritual powers of all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future.
  • This Sutra is protected by the spiritual powers (Dharmakāya) of all the Buddhas (Māyā).
  • These Buddhas are the embodiments of Dharmakāya (Sunyatisunya, Śiva, Ishvara – Part 26).

Origin of Dharmakāya and Māyā

The Sakyamuni Buddha forbid Sanskrit in order to keep his Dhamma available to the local speakers. Rejection of the Sanskrit differentiates His Dhamma from the Vedic dharmas.

  • Mayayana/Māyāvāda or Mahayana was originated in India and brought to China by Bodhidharma.

According to the Sanskrit Dharma:

  • Māyāvāda, Mayayana, Mahayana, Bramanism and Hinduism are brahches of the same Vedic tree.
  • Dharmakāya/Ālayavijñāna is brahman.
  • Māyā is Māyā.
  • Both Ālayavijñāna (brahman) and Māyā are originally pure according to the nondualist faiths.
  • Dharmic nondualism comprises duality (Māyā) and nonduality (Dharmakāya/Śiva).

[92A] Hinduism: Māyā is human ignorance. The self is not the empirical ego but brahman.

[92A-1] Maya originally denoted the magic power with which a god can make human beings believe in what turns out to be an illusion. [...] For the Nondualists, maya is thus that cosmic force that presents the infinite brahman (the supreme being) as the finite phenomenal world.
[92A-2] Maya is reflected on the individual level by human ignorance (ajnana) of the real nature of the self, which is mistaken for the empirical ego but which is in reality identical with brahman. [Ishvara | Supreme Being, Creator & Preserver (Britannica)]

[92B] Tibetan Mahayana: we (Māyā) are all potential Buddhas (pure and luminous) but also a dense layer of ignorance. Purity is Buddha-nature (potential Buddhas).

[92B] we are all potential Buddhas, because we are essentially pure and luminous at the most basic level of existence.
[92B-1] That purity, called Buddha-nature, is typically clouded over by a dense layer of ignorance and negativity, which dominates us and leads to suffering.
[Intro to Tibetan Buddhism (Sakya Monastery)]
  • [86] the self is buddha-nature (potential Buddhas). The Self is Dharmakāya (Buddhas).
[1A] [92B-1] [Lanka LXXXII29 (Red):] repository consciousness of the tathagata-garbha [...] is essentially pure, [only] obscured by the dust of sensation (klesha)
  • Māyā gets human ignorance from Buddha-nature, [92B-1] which dominates us and leads to suffering:
The tathagata-garbha is the cause of whatever is good or bad and is responsible for every form of existence everywhere. [Lanka (Red Pine quoted by Kokyo Henkel)]
  • That is Lankavatara's nihilism (natthika ditthi - Part 25).
  • What put the buddha-nature inside Māyā?
  • If really pure, the tathagata-garbha should not be the cause and the source of bad things. Both brahman and buddha-nature are considered as pure, although they are the cause and the source of bad things.

Devadatta's Final Life:

Mahayana presents its prophesy of Devadatta becoming a Māyāvādi Buddha in the Lotus Sutra:

[Lotus Chapter 12:] "I announce to the Four Assemblies that, after limitless aeons have passed, Devadatta will become a Buddha...
  • Devadatta was inspirational to the author of this Lotus sutra—not the original Lotus of the seer who became Devadatta [91]:
[Lotus Chapter 12:] The Buddha told the Bhikshus, in the future if a good man or good woman hears the Devadatta chapter of The Wonderful Dharma Flower Sutra and with a pure mind believes and reveres it, having no doubts, he will not fall into the hells
  • Lotus recognises hell.
  • Lankavatara does not recognise hell but considers buddha-nature is the cause of both good and bad (klesha) [1A] [92B-1].
  • Tibetan Buddhism agrees that ignorance leads to suffering [92B-1].
  • Buddha-nature in hell might be an inappropriate concept.

The Sakyamuni's Prophesy for Devadatta has two points:

  • 1—The followers of Devadatta would slander Venerable Sariputta and their destination
There are many places of torment, to which those go whose conduct has been bad in act, word, or thought or who have been guity of someone atrocious crime, such as that of the slanderer of Sāriputta, or that of Devadatta, when he drew blood from the Buddha’s foot. [Heaven & Hell In Buddhist Perspective (B.C. LAW, Theravada)]
  • 2—The final birth of Devadatta:
"after suffering for one hundred thousand kappas, he would be reborn as a Pacceka Buddha called Atthissara [...] Devadatta uttered a stanza in which he declared that he had no refuge other than the Buddha. It is this last act of Devadatta's which the Buddha had in view when he agreed to ordain Devadatta." [Devadatta (palikanon.com)]
  • The prophesy does not mention the followers of Devadatta would be following him into Nibbàna. Their destinations are unknown.
  • The prophesy is a warning for all the followers of Devadatta, the Sarvāstivādis and all those who slander the arahants.

NOTE: The Sarvāstivādi Brahmin monks showed no respect in what they were writing, as their objective was to oppose the Vibhajjavadi Sangha and corrupt the Dhamma. So, they created a religious system based on the teachings of the Buddha Gotama, who they did not value.

They thought becoming a Buddha was easy and for everyone. That thought encouraged them to create bodhisattvayana, slander the arahants and the Buddhas and obscure the Buddha Sasana.

SARVĀSTIVĀDI MONKS, WHO READ, RECITED, COPIED AND SPOKE ABOUT NON-BUDDHIST TEXTS, GUIDED THE MAHAYANISTS TO BELIEVE WHAT, WHO AND HOW.

Emptiness of the Noble Wisdom:

the young Nagasena went to his Brahminical teacher and put to him searching questions and analyzed the answers received by him. Then he came down from the building with pinnacled roofs and, being impelled by an urge of innumerable past rebirths, repaired to a place of solitude where, all alone, he set himself to examine in retrospect the knowledge he had acquired at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. But he could find not the slightest value or pith in the knowledge he had acquired at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. In despair, he exclaimed: “Hearken ye, O fraternity! these Vedas are all empty! These Vedas are mere chaff! They are void of essence; empty are they of pith! [Milindapanha]
  • Venerable Nagasena Mahathera was seven when he had conquered the Vedas.
  • He became an expert in the Pitaka to qualify for answering the questions of King Milinda.
  • These questions and answers are very important in understanding some aspects of the Dhamma-Vinaya (Theravada). They are also very helpful for the learners how to question and how to answer.

6.13. The Buddha Dhamma is the arbiter

The Sakyamuni Buddha told the Kāmajātaka (Kāma-jātaka) regarding a brahmin's unhealthy desire. In this jataka, the bodhisatta was born as a brahmin who declared the Dhamma comprising nine stanzas:

8. Crush your desires, and little want, not greedy all to win:
He that is like the sea is not burnt by desire within,
But like a cobbler, cuts the shoe according to the skin. {4.173}
[Ja 467 The Birth Story about Desire (ancient-buddhist-texts.net)]
  • We must know the original Lotus Sutra and how it came to Devadatta.
  • Our teacher Gotama Buddha was born as a seer many a time. However, he always followed the bodhi, and never deviated from the path, and eventually became a Sammasambuddha to give us the Dhamma the most precious treasure which can send us to the other shore.
Dhamma-Vinaya was the Buddha’s own name for the religion he founded. Dhamma—the truth—is what he discovered and pointed out as advice for all who want to gain release from suffering [Dhamma-Vinaya Thanissaro Bhikkhu]
  • The Vibhajjavadi Buddha is the true teacher who shows the right path to Nibbàna.
  • A Vibhajjavadi will keep the Dhamma of the Sakyamuni Buddha because he should avoid biases [40A]
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is in bondage to attachments, clingings (sustenances), & biases [Kaccānagotta Sutta (SN 12:15) (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]
d Mohagati: practicing misguidedly, not studying or searching for what is truly good; assuming that we're already smart enough, or else that we're too stupid to learn; staying buried in our habits with no thought of extracting ourselves from our sensual pleasures. [What is the Triple Gem? (Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo)]
  • Mohagati is the worst probably, so it is essentially mentioned for someone like Bhikkhu Anālayo:
Buddhism has never been and will never be a static and solid entity existing in the abstract. Instead, it is a continuous process of responding to changing circumstances and various challenges from a Dharmic perspective. [Early Buddhism: An Article by Bhikkhu Anālayo (November 2023)]
  • A Vibhajjavadi will not change his/her teacher because he is on the Noble Eightfold Path, heading towards Savakabodhi and Nibbàna.
'To some of you, Ānanda, it may occur thus: 'The words of the Teacher have ended, there is no longer a Teacher'. But this, Ānanda, should not, be so considered. That, Ānanda, which I have taught and made known to you as the Dhamma and the Vinaya, will be your Teacher after my passing away. [Mahaparinibbana Sutta] 
  • Venerable Ananda needed the Teacher for arahattaphala.
  • The Teacher told him to follow the Dhamma, which has been kept free of corruption by the Sangha established by the Teacher.
  • That is the Sangha Sasana to keep the Dhamma by preventing corruption and teaching the Dhamma free of corruption.
  • A true monk who is a putthujanna can have his biases and misunderstandings. Before becoming an Ariya, everyone is attached to certain views and not free from delusion.
  • The Buddha warns us to follow the true Dhamma regardless of who teaches it. Likewise, we should reject adhamma whoever is teaching it.
  • A layperson, who is not an Ariya, cannot identify Dhamma and adhamma. This person can get into wrong views and following a wrong teacher anytime.

Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana

The Dhamma Vinaya is the Buddha, the teacher and the arbiter. There have been six Dhamma councils that have kept the Dhamma free of corruption. The existence of true Sangha depends on true Dhamma (the Buddha Vacana). Only truth can keep truth. Truth is kept by truth only.

There were attempts to corrupt the Dhamma by mixing the Dhamma and the adhamma (false doctrines). However, the Dhamma has remained pure just as it was collected in the Tipitaka by the First Buddhist Council. The Sangha, which was established by the Buddha, remains loyal to the Buddha.

tasmātiha, bhikkhave, 'idaṃ dukkhan'ti yogo karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·samudayo'ti yogo 'karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·nirodho'ti yogo karaṇīyo, 'ayaṃ dukkha·nirodha·gāminī paṭipadā'ti yogo karaṇīyo ti. [Siṃsapāvana Sutta—The Siṃsapā forest]
  • The Buddha said that one's duty is to investigate, identify and understand dukkha and the cessation of dukkha and to reach the cessation of dukkha
  • Changing and altering the Dhamma is not a duty but a disrespectful act.
  • A Vibhajjavadi will not treat the Buddha and the Dhamma in a disrespectful manner.

The three duties of the Sangha are Pariyatti, Patipatti and Pativedha as THE BUDDHA’S BASIC TEACHING AND THEIR CORRECT PRACTICE [Sayagyi U Ba Khin].

whenever the Buddha gave a discourse [...] those of his devoted and learned monks [...] would immediately commit his teachings word for word to memory. Thus the Buddha's words were preserved accurately and were in due course passed down orally from teacher to pupil [...] [Arahants] ‘pure ones’ free from passion, ill-will and delusion and therefore, was without doubt capable of retaining, perfectly the Buddha's words [...][Sotapannas with] powerful, retentive memories [were also] worthy custodians of the Buddha's teachings. One such monk was Ānanda [The Six Dhamma Councils (Vipassana Research Institute)]
  • Some of those inspired by the aggasavakas of the previous Sammasambuddhas aspired to become aggasavakas themselves. Those who had the capability and put effort for their aspirations met the Buddha Gotama.

According to Anagatavamsa, there are ten samma sambodhisattas among the infinite number of beings. Out of the three types of bodhi, a great majority aims for pakati-savakabodhi because they are not arrogant and can judge their capability.

A follower of Sarvāstivāda, which was established by a Brahmin monk only wants to be a copycat. A copycat to a Buddha is like a crow to a peacock, fart to thunder... because a copycat does not have the quality of the real one [65].

  • There were great men and women who aspired to become Buddhist monks and maintain the Sasana, the right path to Nibbàna.
Though Buddha Jayanti was relevant to South and Southeast Asia, it drew the attention of the whole world, especially as India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and, of course, Sri Lanka implemented extensive programs. The Chattha Sangayana (sixth synod) of Myanmar brought together the learned Sangha of these countries in a joint effort to edit, rehearse and publish the Tripitaka. Scholar-monks of Sri Lanka played a major role and the general editor with overall authority was a Sri Lankan who had settled down in Myanmar. [SRI LANKA’S ROLE IN THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM IN THE WORLD (Ananda W. P. Guruge)]

The Sammasambuddha spent 45 years never teaching contradictions and secret messages. Milinda the king challenged that. Now we have Milinda Panha.

Vibhajjavada is not for exploitation of the innocent. For that reason, the elders removed the corrupted monks who held the outsider concepts during the Third Buddhist Council. That council was a major event in the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana, which was forced to move into new strongholds in Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

6.14. Anatta-Sasana

Anatta-Sasana is for the world.

It can be observed here that in expounding this doctrine, the Buddha has not criticized other teachings. The Buddha declared that only in the sasana where the Noble Eightfold Path is found that there can exist true samanas who overcome kilesa. And this Path is the way or method of searching for truth and attainment and not religion in its strict sense. [On the Path to Freedom A Mind of Wise Discernment and Openness: BUDDHA LAYS DOWN THE DHAMMA PRINCIPLES (Sayadaw U Pandita)]
  • A common misunderstanding is the Sakyamuni Buddha attempted to reform Brahmanism and its influence. That is not true, and no evidence to support that claim.
  • The Sakyamuni Buddha shows the world the undeniable Four Noble Truths. He did not limit His teachings to fit within the societies of Brahmanism for the sake of transforming them.
  • He only established the Anatta-Sasana (the doctrine of no-self) outside the existing atta-sasana (the doctrines of self).

Vibhajjavādi Sunnata Is Nibbàna (the extinction of kilesa)

60. Sunnata—Devoid of lust, hatred, and ignorance, or of all conditioned things. Void here does not mean that Nibbàna is ‘nothingness’. [A Manual of Abhidhamma (Nàrada Mahà Thera, page358)]
  • Nothingness means being completely free of kilesa [1A] [92B-1]
  • Kilesa-sunna or Anupādāna

The Buddha said that one, who gives up dark, evil ways, is on the way to Sunnata (Nibbàna).

The man of wisdom, leaving the home of craving and having Nibbana as his goal, should give up dark, evil ways and cultivate pure, good ones. He should seek great delight in solitude, detachment and Nibbana, which an ordinary man finds so difficult to enjoy. He should also give up sensual pleasures, and clinging to nothing, should cleanse himself of all impurities of the mind. [Dhammapada Verses 87 & 88 Agantukabhikkhu Vatthu]
  • In clinging to nothing, nothing does not mean voidness or to cling to emptiness (Dharmakāya) and a belief in it.
  • It only means not to cling to anything.
  • Original Buddhism opposes kleśa (kilesa) and corruptions - Part 28

Sunatta is freedom from pain

At the Jetavana monastery, Thera Mahakappina while resting during the night or during the day would often say, "Oh, what happiness!" (Aho Sukham). The bhikkhus, hearing him saying this so many times a day told the Buddha about it. To them the Buddha replied, "My son Kappina having had the taste of the Dhamma lives happily with a serene mind; he is saying these words of exultation repeatedly with reference to Nibbana." [Dhammapada Verse 79: Mahakappinatthera Vatthu]

Nirodha Sacca is Nibbāna

(6) Mahali Sutta (A discourse to the Licchavis' king): the Four Noble Fruitions

Sotapatti Fruition, Sakadagami Fruition, Anagami Fruition and Arahatta Fruition. The attainment of Arahatta Fruition means, becoming an arahat with the realization, by himself, the emancipation of mind (Cetovimutti) and emancipation by Insight (Arahatta Panna) through extinction of asavas. These dhammas are realized by the Practice of the Path of Eight Constituents viz., Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. [A TRANSLATION OF — SILAKKHANDAVAGGA PAL Division Concerning Morality (U HTIN FATT, page xx-xxi)]
  • Saṅkhāra (form) is not someone or something.
  • Saṅkhāra does not form as, but is perceived as, you, me, he, she, dog, cat, human, deva... Part 5.
  • This perceived view is speculative and based on self/essence.
  • This perceived view is sakkayaditthi—perceiving different forms (Saṅkhāra) as if each of them has the essence/self, which in reality is non-existent.
  • One gives up the speculative view (sakkayaditthi).
  • One does not give up the five aggregates, which do not form as someone or something.
  • Thus, there is no one.
  • As there is no one, one does not give up oneself or others.
  • Once cannot give up what one never is or has never had.
  • Just as they formed naturally, they dissolve naturally.
  • The perception of a putthujanna is paññatti (names and terms, as conventional truth) Part 10.
  • Thus, the perception (Sañña) is always a lie to a putthujanna (ignorant being).
  • An Ariya does not perceive but sees things just as they are as anicca, dukkha, anatta—yatha bhuta nana dassana.
  • One perceives oneself as I am. That is the speculative view of I, mine.
  • The way to overcome sakkayaditthi is explained by Mahasi Insight Meditation (vipassana.com, page 86)

Observable Progress

All bhikkhus and yogis [...] can overcome the transgressive defilements (vitikkama kilesa) through the observance of morality (sila), and with one more step, that is with the application of viriya, sati and samadhi (concentration group) they will overcome obsessive defilements (pariyutthana kilesa). The immediate effect is evident. With further application of Samma sankappa (insight group) they will attain panna, thus cutting off the latent defilements (anusaya kilesa). Such yogis are ready to become samanas and attain various stages of maggas. [On the Path to Freedom A Mind of Wise Discernment and Openness: BUDDHA LAYS DOWN THE DHAMMA PRINCIPLES (Sayadaw U Pandita)]
  • Here are the quotes from the Mahatheras.
The goal of Buddhism is Nibbana which is also known as Santi sukha, the supreme peace. Of course there are other synonyms for this incomparable bliss such as Kheman (free from from danger), sivam (freedom from disturbance) dipa (island of refuge), Visuddhi (freedom from mental defilement), asankhata dhatu (the element which is the opposite of sankhata nama and rupa), dukkha nirodha (the cessation of suffering), etc. There are descriptions of the same asankhata Nibbana which can be known and realized by means of the practice of the eightfold noble path. This path consists of sila (moral discipline), Samadhi (concentration of mind), and panna(wisdom). Anyone, who practises this eightfold noble path, can taste the truth of Nibbana for a short moment, a long moment or a final duration moment accordingly. The best way is, of course, the practice of Satipatthana (the way of mindfulness) because it contains all the elements of morality and wisdom. it brings purity of conduct (sila Visuddhi), purity of mind (Citta Visuddhi) as soon as mindfulness on the mind and matter occurs. [NIBBANA FOR ALL (The Light of the Dhamma Vol. 1, No. 2, 1981) (U HAN HTAY)]
  • Nirodha Sacca is attained at the moment a trainer reaches arahattaphala (Arahatta Fruition).
  • Arahattaphala (Arahatta Fruition) is Nirodha Sacca, Nibbàna.
  • A samatha-yanika, who becomes an anagami or an arahant, may dwell in Nirodha Samāpatti (Sannāvedāyita Nirodha) to let the body and mind rest.

The Sangha, as the keeper of the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana, teaches us only one Nibbāna.

One who is dependent has wavering. One who is independent has no wavering. There being no wavering, there is calm. There being calm, there is no yearning. There being no yearning, there is no coming or going. There being no coming or going, there is no passing away or arising. There being no passing away or arising, there is neither a here nor a there nor a between-the-two. This, just this, is the end of stress. [Nibbāna Sutta: Unbinding (Thanissaro Bhikkhu)]
  • Nibbanna is comfort as the relief from the burdens of nama and rupa. It should be understood with Paticcasamuppada rather than the concepts of eternal or non-eternal. Nibbana is the ends of rebinding of nama and rupa. Nibbana is the extinction of the cause.
  • Nibbana is real. Nibbana is relief from the pain and burden of having bhava.
  • Nibbana is not about happiness but relief from the burden of the conditioned existence.
  • Part 32: 5.4.15. Micchaditthi nibbana—the Buddha let us know the panca dittha dhamma nibbana vada.

The Sakyamuni Buddha's definition of arahant:

Him I call a brahmana, who knows past existences, who sees the celestial as well as the lower worlds, who has reached the end of rebirths, who, with Magga Insight, has become an arahat and has accomplished all that is to be accomplished for the eradication of moral defilements. [Dhammapada Verse 423 (Devahitabrahmana Vatthu)]

The lay followers are not in vain either: For example,

[Nandamātā chanted Atanatiya Sutta at every dawn. Her voice was heard by King Vessavana of the Yakkha-s, who was travelling in the sky] from north to south [BUDDHIST WOMEN (ntu.edu.tw)]. [He] stopped at her window to praise it and to reveal his identity. She greeted him cordially, and in return for her greeting he announced to her that Sariputta and Moggallana were on their way to Velukantaki. She, delighted with the news, made all preparations and sent word to the monastery, inviting the monks to the house. After the meal, she informed the Elders that Vessavana had told her of their arrival. When they expressed their amazement, she told them of several other virtues possessed by her. [Velukantaki, Velukandaki, Velukantakiya, Velukantakī: 1 definition (wisdomlib.org); Veḷukaṇṭakī (aimwell.org)]

Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 45

Lay Buddhists have three essential tasks: dāna, sila and bhavana. Dāna and sila are parami (perfections) towards the goal. Bhavana is the path towards the goal. Bhavana is also the Buddha Sasana. Dāna parami and sila parami of the lay followers of the Buddha Sasana support the path (bhavana) and the Sangha Sasana., which is tasked with Pariyatti, Pattipatti and Pativeda.

Giving is said to benefit both the giver and the receiver – the giver practices sharing and letting go, and the recipient practices acceptance of what is presented. Offering a small favor, a kind thought, a meal, or funds to help sustain a meditation teacher or center is a sincere form of spiritual practice. [Insight Meditation Society]

Pāramī supports the survivability of the Sasana. That should be our reason for perfecting perfections (pārami: dāna and sila). Dāna practice reduces clinging to possessions and selfishness and inability to practice sila and bhavana. Dāna is not a burden, must not be practiced as a burden, but must be sustainable as a collective effort.

The tradition of dana in Buddhism is an acknowledgement of our interconnectedness and interdependence. In Asia, monasteries are generously supported by the lay community, and in turn they offer a place of refuge and teaching as well as a whole range of projects dedicated to peace and the relief of anguish. [Gaia House]

Dāna means to give and share respectfully and wholeheartedly. One should have only a wholesome expectation for reward, i.e. attaining Nibbàna, the relief from the samsara. Young people are often unable to grasp the meaning of Nibbàna, although they can understand dāna and sila.

In the story of Velukantaki Nandamātā (A.N., III, 336-337.), the Sakyamuni Buddha explains:

"A giver must be pleased before he gives dana; his mind must be pleased while giving dana and after giving dana. The receiver of the offering must be free from passion, hatred and delusion. The consequence of such a gift is immeasurable" [BUDDHIST WOMEN (ntu.edu.tw)].

The Sakyamuni Buddha appreciates the gifts to the true Sangha, the community of the enlightened and the ones in training.

Verse 10: He who has discarded all moral defilements (kilesas), who is established in moral precepts, is endowed with restraint and (speaks the) truth is, indeed, worthy of the yellow robe. [Dhammapada Verses 9 and 10: Devadatta Vatthu (Daw Mya Tin)]

Giving gifts to the true Sangha is said to be the highest. The donors may give a gift to a monk or monks with the intent for the true Sangha.

The Sangha offers spiritual advice, support, guidance and encourage us to practice the Dhamma (teachings of the Buddha or Buddhism). They give us the training opportunities and correct our wrong views, leading us from the dark to the light. [THE BUDDHIST LIBRARY]

The traditional teaching suggests that the donor should give the gifts to the Sangha when giving to a monk or a nun. At the same time, the donor should contemplate on the true nature of the body or the five aggregates as anicca, dukkha and anatta. Traditionally, the donors ask for the attainment of Nibbàna as the reward for giving—May I attain the wisdom of the arahants, for example. A Sangha member may eat the food and use the donated items in accord with the Vinaya rules. Greatly fortunate is the one who gets a chance to meet and give alms or suitable items to a Sammasambuddha, a Paccekabuddha or an arahant.

Venerable Ananda Mahathera explains:

Here, sister, reflecting carefully, a bhikkhu consumes food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for the sake of physical beauty and attractiveness, but only for the support and maintenance of this body, for avoiding harm, and for assisting the spiritual life, considering: 'Thus I shall terminate the old feeling and not arouse a new feeling, and I shall be healthy and blameless and dwell at ease. Some time later, in dependence upon nutriment, he abandons nutriment. When it was said: 'This body, sister, has originated from nutriment; in dependence on nutriment, nutriment is to be abandoned it is because of this that this was said. " [Fourth Fifty (Suttas.com)]

Dāna is the first of the Ten Perfections towards the four levels of freedom (the Four Noble Fruitions).

Sila is the moral precepts that are steppingstones towards bhavana training and a part of the training towards the goal. One who is incapable of sila is incapable of staying on the path. Sila is higher than dāna. However, laypeople practice both sila and dāna so that we all can stay on the path.

A very vital key to the success of any wholesome meditation is the cultivation of joy (pāmoj ja) in meditation, as stated in the Vimuttâyatana Sutta (A 5.26).3 The cultivation of joy in meditation is often an effective way of overcoming most distractions, even the mental hindrances (nīvaraṇa).4 A good way of cultivating joy is the recollecting of charity [Dāna Mahapphala Sutta (Piya Tan, themindingcentre.org)]

In reaching the final goal, arahattaphala, adhi-sila is practiced. Although very helpful, adhi-sila is not essential for the earlier stages of enlightenment.

Sila for laypeople comprises avoiding killing, theft, deception, sexual misconduct and intoxication. We can practice moral precepts with strong selflessness, which one can develop gradually. By selflessness, it means one gives up the immoral selfish desires, not the moral selfish desires. By the moral selfish desires, it means being on the Noble Eightfold Path, as one tries to escape from the existence of suffering. One may selfishly practice dāna, sila and bhavana. One should reject or ignore others who demand, pressure or encourage the immoral activities. For example, a party indulges in drinking.

Atta hi attano nathoko hi natho paro siyaattana hi sudantenanatham labhati dullabham.  One indeed is one's own refuge; how can others be a refuge to one? With oneself thoroughly tamed, one can attain a refuge (i.e., Arahatta Phala), which is so difficult to attain. [Dhammapada Verse 160 Kumarakassapamatuttheri Vatthu]

One is strong only when one has the power to give up what should be given up, especially additions and cravings. One is strong when one can endure the inevitable pain and the uncomfortable reality of existence, which we become aware of during meditation (bhavana). By giving up small, one perfects it gradually to give up the biggest challenges: lobha, dosa and moha.

Sumedha was a youth who came to realise the vanity of wealth and gave it up for asceticism before he met Dipankara Buddha. His maturity suited him for Sammasambodhi. The Dipankara Buddha saw in him a future Sammasambuddha.

“If people knew as I know the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given nor would the stain of miserliness persist in overpowering their minds. Even if they were down to their last bit of food, they would not eat without having shared it, if those to receive it were present.”- Itivuttaka [Dāna - the paradigm of Ethic, Ritual & Liberation in Theravada Buddhism]

The Sakyamuni Buddha explains how one should give a gift.

Nor thinking: When I give this gift, it makes my mind calm.  Satisfaction and joy arise.
But, he gives a gift thinking: This is an adornment for the mind, a support for the mind. Then, with the breaking up of the body, after death, he reappears among the retinue of the Brahmā’s. Then, when that deed, that power, that fame, that sovereignty, is exhausted, he is a non-returner. He does not come back to this world. [Dana mahapphala sutta: discourse on great fruits of giving (By Dr. Ari Ubeysekara)]

Another translation for Dāna Mahapphala Sutta:

nor thinking, ‘When this gift of mine is given, it makes the mind serene. Satisfaction and joy arise,’ 10 —but, he makes a gift, thinking, ‘This is an adornment for the mind, the benefit of a support for the mind’—with the body’s breaking up, after death, he reappears in the company of Brahma’s retinue.
10.2 Then, [63] having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, he is a non returner.25 He does not come back to this world.26 [Dāna Mahapphala Sutta (Piya Tan, themindingcentre.org)]

The Buddhists have to walk all walks of life moral and immoral for survivals, the survival of oneself, one's family, one's community, one's society, one's religion... The Sakyamuni Buddha did not abandon them. Examples can be found in the Dhammapada.

The Buddha realized that, by this time, the minds of the hunter and his son; had softened and so he willed that they should be able to move and to put away their bows and arrows. After putting away their bows and arrows, they paid obeisance to the Buddha and the Buddha expounded the Dhamma to them. In the end, the hunter, his seven sons and seven daughters-in-law, all fifteen of them, attained Sotapatti Fruition. [Dhammapada Verse 124: Kukkutamittanesada Vatthu (Daw Mya Tin)]

Dhammapada Verse 146: Visakhaya Sahayikanam Vatthu

By that time, the women were getting intoxicated and felt like singing and dancing. Mara, taking this opportunity made them bold and shameless, and soon they were boisterously singing, dancing, clapping and jumping about in the monastery. [...] At the end of the discourse those five hundred women attained Sotapatti Fruition.

Dhammapada Verse 142: Santati Mahamatta Vatthu

On the way, he met the Buddha going on an alms-round, and being drunk, he just bowed casually, as a sign of respect to the Buddha. The Buddha smiled, and Ananda asked the Buddha why he smiled. So, the Buddha said to Ananda, "Ananda, this minister will come to see me this very day and after I have given him a short discourse will become an arahat.

Dhammapada Verse 128: Suppabuddhasakya Vatthu

knowing that the Buddha would be coming for alms-food, he got himself drunk and blocked the way [...] Finding the road blocked, the Buddha and the bhikkhus turned back. [Suppabuddha sent a spy who heard the Buddha saying,] "Ananda, because King Suppabuddha had refused to give way to me, on the seventh day from now he would be swallowed up by the earth

Dhammapada Verses 104 and 105: Anatthapucchakabrahmana Vatthu

[To Anatthapucchaka brahmin], the Buddha answered that he also knew the practices which were unbeneficial and harmful. Then the Buddha enumerated six practices which cause dissipation of wealth; they are: (1) sleeping until the sun has risen, (2) habitual idleness, (3) cruelty, (4) indulgence in intoxicants which causes drunkenness and negligence, (5) sauntering alone in streets at unearthly hours, and (6) sexual misconduct.

Impossible is being completely free from immoral livelihood in every life in the samsara. Even the bodhisatta was born as a lion... However, the bodhisatta was always truthful and avoided telling deliberate lie.

“Rahula, do you see how this little drop of left-over water is thrown away?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Rahula, if someone has any of the qualities of monk or meditator in him, if he feels no shame in telling a deliberate lie, whatever there is left in him of that quality of monk or meditator is turned upside down just like that.”
[MN 61 | Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone (Hermitage Meditation Centre)]

Intentional lie is the opposite of bodhi.

Dhammapada Verse 42: Nandagopalaka Vatthu

After some time, while travelling with his followers, the Buddha went off his route to visit Nanda, knowing that the time was ripe for Nanda to receive his teaching properly. Nanda respectfully received the Buddha and his followers; he served them milk and milk products and other choice food for seven days. On the last day, after hearing the discourse given by the Buddha, Nanda attained Sotapatti Fruition. As the Buddha was leaving that day, Nanda carrying the bowl of the Buddha, followed him for some distance, paid obeisance and turned back to go home. At that instant, a hunter who was an old enemy of Nanda, shot him down

Making a living is hard for the sotapanna-s.

Through the samsara, everyone committed moral and immoral acts for selfish reasons and endured in pain and pleasure. We must stop that one day.

Verse 165: By oneself indeed is evil done and by oneself is one defiled; by oneself is evil not done and by oneself is one purified. Purity and impurity depend entirely on oneself; no one can purify another.

Sirisamghabodhi and the Ideals of Buddhist Kingship by Mahanama Thera

By the (magic) power of his piety the yakkha came to him. To the king’s question: “Who art thou?” he answered: “It is I, (the yakkha).” “Why dost thou devour my subjects? Swallow them not!” “Give up to me then only the people of one region,” said the other. And being answered: “That is impossible,” he came gradually (demanding ever less and less) to one (man) only. The (king) spoke: “No other can I give up to thee; take thou me and devour me.” With the words: “That is impossible,” the other prayed him (at last) to give him an offering in every village. “It is well,” said the king, and over the whole island he decreed that offerings be brought to the entrance of the villages, and these he gave up to him. Thus by the great man [mahasattva], compassionate [karuna] to all beings, by the torch of the island was the fear pestilence brought to an end [...] The king’s treasurer, the minister Gothakabhaya, who had become a rebel, marched from the north against the capital. Taking his water strainer with him the king fled alone by the south gate, since he would not bring harm to others. A man who came, bearing his food in a basket, along that road entreated the king again and again to eat of his food. When he, rich in compassion, had strained the water and had eaten, he spoke these words, to show kindness to the other: “I am the king Sirisamghabodhi; take thou my head and show it to Gothakabhaya, he will give thee much gold.” This he would not do, and the king to render him service gave up the ghost even as he sat. And the other took the head and showed it to Gothakabhaya and he, in amazement of spirit, gave him gold and carried out the funeral rites of the king with due care. [The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics (Robin Kirk and Orin Starn; The World Readers) [Illustrated] 0822349671, 9780822349679]

Dhammapada Verses 334, 335, 336 and 337 Kapilamaccha Vatthu

"O king! During the time of Kassapa Buddha there was a very learned bhikkhu who taught the Dhamma to others. Because of that good deed, when he was reborn in another existence, even as a fish, he was endowed with a golden body. But that bhikkhu was very greedy, proud and very contemptuous of others; he also disregarded the Disciplines and abused other bhikkhus. For these evil deeds, he was reborn in niraya, and now, he has become a beautiful fish with a mouth that stinks." The Buddha then turned to the fish and asked whether it knew where it would be going in its next existence. The fish answered that it would have to go again to niraya and it was filled with great despair. As predicted, on its death the fish was reborn in niraya, to undergo another term of continuous torment.

Verse 47 is about the destruction of the Sakyans and the Buddha's homeland.

Verse 163 explains the first schism.

Verse 5, Verse 270 and Verse 183 are must-read, too.

Other Dhammapada translations:


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 46

7. FINAL COMPARISON and ANALYTICAL CONCLUSION

Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda: Analysing the Heart Sutra from Theravadin Perspective

The research showed the obvious contrast between Vibhajjavada and Sarvāstivāda. It clarified the origins of Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda and how they differ by analysing the Heart Sutra and other main Mahayanist sutras and exploring the Vedic religions. It collected some essential information to present its main objectives.

The Heart Sutra is said to capture the essence of Mahayanist doctrine, which it presents as the doctrine of Avalokiteśvara that rejects nirvana.

1.8 [...] in emptiness [there are no five aggregates.]
1.­11 There is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no nonattainment [Heart (wiki)].

Mahayana rejects nirvana.

Nāgārjuna argues that even emptiness is empty of svabhava/self-nature [Who is Nāgārjuna? (Jay L. Garfield)]:

  • Self-nature stands for the self/ego: the small ego surrenders before this Great Ego – Part 43
  • If we accept even emptiness is empty of self-nature, we reject Dharmakaya-svabhava (the self-nature of emptiness) – Part 26.

Emptiness is both the Paramartha Satya and the Samvrti Satya

  • The Samvrti Satya is Māyā
  • Māyā is the imaginations (beings) of Dharmakaya.
  • All the imaginations revert to their nature, according to Diamond. After reverting, they are Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya – Part 36, Part 34, Part 12

The relationship between the two truths is the small ego surrenders before this Great Ego (Part 43) by chanting mantras. E.g. Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha. "Swaha" is believed to signify surrender of one’s self to the divine – Part 35.

Bodhi in Bodhi Svaha is a common word, which is defined differently. For example, Vibhajjavāda (Dhamma-Vinaya) has three types of bodhi.

Sammasambodhi (perfect enlightenment) and Annuttarasamyaksambodhi (unexcelled perfect enlightenment) share nothing in common. The Sammasambuddha did not use the unnecessary term anuttara in front of Sammasambodhi which is attainable by reaching the highest level of the ten perfections (parami).

The sutras share the common faith known as Mahayana, Bodhisattvayana, Mantrayana, Mayayana (Māyāvāda), etc. However, their scriptures do not provide the common concepts because they were authored by different schools, including Mahāsāṃghika, Madhyamaka, Sarvāstivāda, Yogachara. Their most prominent figures (their second buddhas) provided different ideas.

In speaking of the dharmadhātujakāya Buddha, we say that it is enough to hear his name to find salvation; in speaking of the nirmāṇakāya Buddha who is adapted to beings, we say that in accordance with their karmic cause and conditions, some beings, even though they are dwelling with this Buddha, fall into hell. [Buddha, Buḍḍha, Buddhā: 41 definitions] – Part 18

The Māyāvādi Nirvana is not the Vibhajjavādi Nibbana, which is Santisukha:

Santisukha, the bliss of Nibbána, is not a single unique dhatu, which belongs to all beings. Each and every being can have his own Nibbána. [Part 6 - What Is Nibbána? (Ashin Janakabhivamsa)]
  • The Māyāvādi Nirvana is oneness with the Dharmakaya.
  • The Māyāvādi buddhas are the embodiments of the Unborn (the original Māyāvādi Buddha) who exists in three times (past, present, future) right now.

Vibhajjavāda of the Sammasambuddha

A Vibhajjavādi is a true follower of the Tisarana (Tiratana).

(Dhamma paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa) Being endowed with Analytical Knowledge of dhamma (phenomena), the Buddha knew discriminately and comprehensively about every dhamma and was able to expound them to others. [The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)]

The Sakyamuni Buddha was the first Vibhajjavādi who discovered the analytical knowledge (patisambhida-magga-nana) – Part 37.

  • Due to this knowledge, a Sammasambuddha is free of belief or clinging to opinion (dittthuppadana) and clinging to self (attavadupadana).
  • He does not perceive but knows all things (sabba dhamma) just as they are (the knowledge and vision according to reality—yatha-bhuta-nana-dassana).
  • He can see them all dhammas without the distortion of perception.

The Dhamma-Vinaya of the Vibhajjavādi Buddha was renamed as Vibhajjavāda during the Third Buddhist Council by the Theras (the elders). The name emphasises the analytical knowledge (paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa), which signifies the fact that a logical thought must be based on the knowledge and vision according to reality (yatha-bhuta-nana-dassana).

The Vibhajjavādi Sangha has stayed on the Noble Eightfold Path discovered and revealed by the Vibhajjavādi Buddha. With the respect for their teacher, the Sakyamuni Buddha, the Vibhajjavādi Sangha members have maintained the Dhamma, by means of the three-fold Sasana (Pariyatti, Patipatti and Pariveda). As the path is clear, many reached arahattaphala and paṭisambhidā-ñāṇa (Analytical Knowledge).

On the Noble Eightfold Path, everyone begins with the wrong views and ideas, which are replaced with Right-View to reach final liberation.

Vibhajjavāda or Theravada is the doctrine of the Vibhajjavādi Sangha, the community of the detail analysers who teach analytically. Theravada is the Sangha Sasana, the teachings of the Vibhajjavādi Sangha.

A Vibhajjavādi approaches the dhamma-s analytically, as a reasoner who abandons all the one-sided (faith-based) views, theories and beliefs.

Buddhavacana

The Buddhavacana is Pali, a dialect of the Magadhi language, also known as Suddha-Magadhi [The Home of Pali (U Razinda)]

The linguistic history of Theravada Buddhism is held in the Pali language, and the Pali Tipitaka represents the words of the Buddha Magadhi [...] Rhys Davis (1877) wrote a book and confirmed that the internal evidence of the Pali Canon proved its antiquity and Buddha’s historical authenticity. [A Critical Evaluation of the Origins of Pali Language in Sri Lanka and India -The Evolution of Buddhism, the Sinhala Language and Geographical Origins Part 2 -2023 (Neranjala Weerakoon, pp2 & 29)]

Sarvāstivāda in Sanskrit is Sabbatthivada in Pali, the language of the Sakyamuni. He spoke Pali, a dialect/language of Magadha and Kosala.

all the verses were originally spoken by the Buddha in the language the Buddha spoke. They were then translated into Pali, Sanskrit [Nirvana is our daily business (Parallax Press)] – Part 32

The Pali Pitakas are designed for oral tradition:

Ye brāhmaṇā vedagū sabbadhamme – Te me namo te ca maṁ pālayantu
Namatthu Buddhānaṁ namatthu bodhiyā – Namo vimuttānaṁ namo vimuttiyā.
Those Arahants who are knowers of all truths, I pay homage to them. May they keep watch over me. Homage to the Enlightened Ones. Homage to the Four-fold Enlightenment. Homage to the Liberated Ones. Homage to their Liberation. [Ja 159 Mora Paritta, The Bodhisatta-Peacock’s Prayer for Protection]

Mahayana - Māyāvāda - Mayayana

The Mahayanist doctrines were developed in the Sanskrit. They present Emptiness (Dharmakaya) and the external world (Māyā) as the two-truth doctrine. That is presented as the three natures by adding the progress of Māyā towards Dharmakaya.

[Note: Māyāvāda and Mayayana/Mahayana are based on the Vedas. The terms Māyāvāda and Māyāvādi are synonymous. Māyāvāda and Māyāvādi are Mayayana and Mayayanist.]

The early Mahayanist movement began with the rejection of the ten Vinaya Rules. The second sangayana/synod was held to preserve the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana. The rejection of observing the highest standard in the Vinaya became the Mahāsāṃghika movement, which probably produced some monks who claimed to be arhats (fake arahants).

About a hundred years later, Mahādeva proposed five theses concerning the arhats he observed. A schism emerged in the Mahāsāṃghika and the event marked the second Mahayanist movement. After the third sangayana sponsored by King Asoka, Sarvāstivāda entered the Mahayanist movement, and the Mahayanist doctrine took a new turn to aggressively attack the Buddha's Sangha.

In rivaling Vibhajjavāda/Theravada, the Mahayanists failed to pay enough attention to avoid contradiction in their sutras. As they borrowed different concepts from the outside, they even failed the keep their goal consistent. Each sutra provides its own concepts that are not meant for comparing with other sutras. For example, Mahaprajna and Lankavatara present two distinctive sets of emptiness that are not meant for comprehension.

The Mahayanists utilised the Pali scripture and the names of the prominent arahants to cover their non-Buddhist Mahayana. No matter how inconsistent, the Mahayanist sutras are dedicated to the Māyāvādi Tathagata like all rivers enter the ocean, with emphases on clinging to self (attavadupadana). The sutras have logical structures, as enormous amount of time taken to compose them. Their stories were well designed for promoting bodhisattva concepts and downgrading the arhats, based on opinions (dittthuppadana). The Sarvastivādis invented Mahayana in the centuries-long process of developing new ideas in the name of the Sakyamuni, only to worship Amitābha, etc.

Mahayana insists everyone of becoming a bodhisattva.

  • Contradicting to the main Mahayanist sutras, which require the bodhisattvas becoming the Māyāvādi buddhas (Sambhogakayas) for emancipation missions, the Mahayanists promote bodhisattva-ideal of postponing enlightenment until all other beings become enlightened.
  • These sutras condemn the bodhisattvas who postpone Māyāvādi tathagatahood and cut-off the lineage of the Māyāvādi buddha.
  • Mahayana also developed new sutras, such as Heart, with the god-like bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteśvara, who visits the worldlings for emancipation, which has yet to occur.
  • The concepts of gods contradict the two truths of Nagarjuna, the three natures of Vasubandhu. and Mahayanist ideal of everyone must become a Māyāvādi buddha.

Mahayanists are not required to become bodhisattvas if they accept Amitābha as their saviour.

  • Lankavatara and Lotus present buddhalands.
  • In Lankavatara, the original Māyāvādi Tathagata (Dharmakaya) gives buddha lands to the ten-stage bodhisattva.
  • Amitābha does not give buddhalands. Avalokiteśvara is the next in line without his own buddhaland.
  • Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara are comparable to Maheśvara-Buddha and Maheśvara-Mara in Lankavatara.
  • Lotus Chapter 25, which seems to be a later addition, recognises Avalokiteśvara but not as a female.
  • The Mahayanists did not seem to understand the sutras, probably due to large sizes.

The Sanskrit sutras were not composed for oral tradition.

Choose what you like

  • Eternalism (sassatavada): Lankavatara-Sutra (400 A.D.) offers the eternal Nirvana in Citta-gocara (Maheśvara), to exist as the Māyāvādi buddhas (Sambhogakayas and Nirmanakaya) that are the embodiments of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
  • Annihilationism (uccedavada) and Eternalism: Lotus-Sutra (100 B.C. - 200 A.D.) offers the nihilist Nirvana. One may choose the true extinction (nihilist Nirvana), which in the end returns to Emptiness—Nirvana is to reunite with the Emptiness, the one mind (citta-mātratā) (eternalism)
  • Ahistorical: Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra claims it was given by the Sakyamuni Buddha to the Naga, a type of animal that do not have the faculty for enlightenment. The sutra does not explain how the Naga kept it until they found someone to name him Nāgārjuna. However, the sutra must be a book, as it was not written to be memorised. Then we must get to see that book. No evidence shows it ever existed. It was possibly composed by many authors through many centuries. The content is the evidence—the two truths from the Vedas are not from the Sakyamuni Buddha.
  • Where is the original Lotus Sutra? The Lotus Sutra we can read is the story of the missing Lotus Sutra, which the seer (a previous life of Devadatta) received from probably a deity – Part 44.
  • Mahayanist origin: the Lotus Chapter 12 indicates Mahayanist origin is Devadatta and his followers the Vajjian monks who established Mahasanghika – Part 8.
  • The First rival Council: Mahasanghika claimed it held ahistorical First rival Council outside the cave – Part 41.
  • Devadatta was unable to attain the analytical knowledge only because he was busy rivaling the Buddha.
  • Devadatta's followers walked the rival path and rejected the true Buddha, the true Dhamma and the true Sangha; and thus, the new generations of the Mahayanists never had a chance to hear the Dhamma-Vinaya. Their resolve was reinforced by their attavada (attavadupadana).
  • The nature of attavada does not change.
  • The two truths presented as the Mahayanist doctrine are Paramartha Satya (emptiness, Dharmakaya, the original Māyāvādi Tathagata, or God the imaginator) and Smirti Satya (Māyā: the imagined external world). Nāgārjuna presented the two truths directly, but Vasubandhu presented them as the three natures in Lankavatara.

[Continues to Part 47]


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 47

7. FINAL COMPARISON and ANALYTICAL CONCLUSION

A list of some inconsistencies

1— — — —Two-truth, three natures

  1. Dharmakaya – dravyasat (substantial existence) – pariniṣpannasvabhāva (the perfect nature)
  2. Māyā – prajñaptisat (nominal existence) – parikalpitasvabhāva (the imagined nature) – Part 41

Māyā can be known as the imagined (imaginaries)—

dream-works when viewed from the standpoint of his True Mind [Heart (Hua)] – Part 17
what is seen of the Mind-only [Introduction to the Lankavatara Sutra (D.T. Suzuki)] – Part 21

Thus, the Mahayanist doctrine of two truths can be stated in one sentence, E.g.,

  • Māyā, without true existence (self-nature), exists as being imagined by the mind (reality) in the mind-only existence.

They are different from the Four-Noble-Truths doctrine—

Verse 183. Every evil never doing and in wholesomeness increasing and one’s heart well-purifying: this is the Buddha’s Teaching. [Ven. Weagoda Sarada Maha Thero]
  • That verse emphasises the Noble Eightfold Path (Magga Sacca), which leads to Nibbana (Nirodha Sacca) from dukkha (Dukkha Sacca).
  • Evil doing means Samudaya Sacca that leads to Dukkha Sacca.
  • The four Noble Truths are the nature of the four paramattha-s (realities): citta, cetasika, rupa (Dukkha-Samudaya) and Nibbana (Nirodha-Magga).

2— — — —Māyā*'s nature* is buddha-nature above nirvana—

Our nature is ultimately pure and subject to neither rebirth nor nirvana. Thus, there are no beings to be liberated, and there is no nirvana to be attained. It is simply that all beings revert to their own nature [Diamond (Red Pine)] 
  • Our nature is buddha-nature (svabhava/innate nature/our truth of being)
  • No liberation, no emancipation
  • all beings revert to our nature (buddha-nature)

The Bhagavad Gita:

our Swabhava, our own real nature; that is our truth of being which is finding now only a constant partial expression in our various becoming in the world [Swabhava and Swadharma]

3— — — —Three natures

Vasubandhu's three-nature doctrine in the Bhagavad Gita:

BG 7.14: My divine energy Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me cross over it easily. [Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 7, Verse 14 (Swami Mukundananda)]

Māyā:

The Bhagavad-gita (07.14) refers to Maya as an agency [which] executes the supreme energetic person’s will [Maya is not just illusion – it is also the agency that brings about illusion (Chaitanya Charan Das)]

The meaning of the mantra at the end of the Heart Sutra 

"You Brahmin priests with your fancy fire sacrifices aren't the only ones who get people to heaven. [Richard Hayes]

Māyāvāda/Mayayana is a Sanskritised religion—Sanskritization

It was purely following or can be seen as copying other rituals, norms, beliefs to improve their status in the society [sociology group]

4— — — —Empty

the svabhava of all dharmas are empty [Mahaprajna]
  • Our [svabhava] is ultimately pure and empty [Diamond + Mahaprajna]
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form [Heart].
  • The svabhava of we emptiness is ultimately pure and empty [Diamond + Mahaprajna + Heart]
even emptiness is empty [of our nature] [Nāgārjuna]
  • The svabhava of we empty emptiness is ultimately pure, empty and empty emptiness [Diamond + Mahaprajna + Heart + Nāgārjuna]
Emptiness is not form, form is not emptiness. "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" is a skillful means created temporarily by the Buddhas of the three times [Thich Nhat Hanh]
9: [...] Emptiness is Fullness, Fullness is Emptiness. Bodhi svaha! [Arthur Kilmurray]
  • The svabhava of we empty emptiness is ultimately pure, empty and empty emptiness that is full, Bodhi svaha! [Diamond + Mahaprajna + Heart + Nāgārjuna + Thich-Kilmurray]
  • That is the result of building a sentence with different svabhava concepts.

Dharmakaya-svabhava is both the essence and the emptiness of Māyā (the body, the external world)

  • That is the svabhava concept vased on Diamond + Mahaprajna + Heart + Nāgārjuna + Thich-Kilmurrayy.
  • Emptiness is non-duality—Dharmakaya.
  • Fullness, being the opposite of emptiness, must be duality—Māyā.
  • Emptiness Dharmakaya (Paramartha Satya) is our svabhava (self-nature) of Māyā (Smirti Satya).
  • Māyā is arikalpita-svabhāva, one of the three natures of Vasubhandu.

Nāgārjuna must be the arbiter—even emptiness is empty [of our nature], which seems to reject two things: the existence of our nature and his two-truth doctrine.

Absolute emptiness (sunyatisunya) is Dharmakaya as the only reality. It is our nature or Māyā's self-nature. Dharmakaya (emptiness) cannot be fullness. That is probably how Māyā has svabhava (buddha-nature) and is (not) empty.

5— — — —Emptiness

svabhavatmako (the essential nature of the indivisibility of such emptiness) is buddha-nature – Part 43

  • Māyā has buddha-nature that is emptiness/self, so empty Māyā is full of emptiness/self.
all beings revert to their own nature [Diamond] 
  • all beings revert to buddha-nature/emptiness (the tathagata-garbha)

Form is emptiness... [Heart] vs. form is not emptiness [Thich]:

  • The sutras present emptiness/reality as a male God who imagines Māyā (imaginaries).
  • Emptiness/reality exists as a living thing (the original Māyāvādi Tathagata) who imagines three natures: 1) buddha-nature must always be inside his imaginaries (Māyā), 2) Māyā are required to revert to their own nature, and 3) become oneness with emptiness/reality.

Māyā is eternal because:

  • the imaginator is not going to stop imagining.
  • the imaginator is imagining forever and ever because he must be bored for eternity.
  • Why does reality imagine? Reality/Brahma (male) was bored and for entertainment he created Māyā (female) – Part 30. Māyā is self-aware, responsive and sentient as an individual in her own right. She is all the imaginaries.

6— — — —Mind only

Svacitta-drsya-mātram—we are only the mind—emptiness is form

A) 'Mind only' means the imaginaries (Māyā) are the beings who do not exist at all. That is explained with the lack of innate nature (svabhava)—the svabhava of all dharmas are empty:

Our nature is ultimately pure and subject to neither rebirth nor nirvana. Thus, there are no beings to be liberated [Diamond (Red Pine)] 

B) Nevertheless, we can become Māyāvādi Tathagatas because our nature is buddha-nature which let all beings revert to buddha-nature (the tathagata-garbha) with its own consciousness (Alayavijnana).

[Alayavijnana] repository consciousness of the tathagata-garbha [...] is essentially pure, [only] obscured by the dust of sensation (klesha) [1A] [92B-1] [Lanka LXXXII29 (Red)] 
  • The repository consciousness of our nature is covered by our klesha (Māyā).
  • Dharmakaya imagines us and our klesha (Māyā).
  • Being the imagined, we do not have our own will-effort. However, we must give up our will-effort and become Māyāvādi Tathagatas.
  • As long as the imagined have not reverted to buddha-nature, they suffer, although in theory they cannot suffer:
“There is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering [Heart (wiki)].
  • All of these are emptiness or 'mind only'—Svacitta-drsya-mātram, i.e. no physical world exists—form is emptiness. Thus, Māyā cannot experience pain physically, as the physical form is empty.

How do these statements make sense?

  • A) does not make sense to us because we know we exist with physical body, not 'mind only'.
  • B) does not make sense either because the imaginaries cannot contain reality (our nature). Moreover, we experience physical and mental pain. And nobody can deny that.
  • The statement A says we do not have our nature while the statement B says we have our nature. Both statements make no sense.
  • The notion of 'mind only' stands for 'nothing exists outside the mind' or 'only the mind and imagination in the mind exist'. Imagination is form, which exists as unreal imaginary. Mind is real and imagining.
  • Yet the imagined must become Māyāvādi Tathagatas (Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya). In the Trikaya concept, Dharmakaya (reality) cannot do certain tasks (e.g. emancipation) that require forms as Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya that are Māyā (us, duality and our sensation-klesha).
  • Reality needs unreality in Mahayana –Part 40.

7— — — —Revert to buddha-nature

there is no nirvana or Parinirvana [...] all beings revert to their [buddha-nature] [Diamond]

Why does Mahayana define nirvana that does not exist?

[Lanka Chapter 6:] Nirvana, emptiness, unbornness, unqualifiedness, devoid of will-effort
  • These are what Mahayanists may attain by:
Mahayana Buddhists believe Nirvana lies in imitating the life of the Buddha [Understanding Nirvana [...] In Support of Nagarjuna's Mahayana Perspective (Rocco A. Astore, Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia)] – Part 42

Māyā are imitating the life of the Buddha to revert to buddha-nature [Diamond]. Mahayanists do not imitate the bodhisatta's 550 lives in the Jataka.

“There is [...] no attainment, and no nonattainment [Heart (wiki)].
  • Is reverting to buddha-nature neither attainment nor nonattainment?

Svacitta-drsya-mātram [Lankavatara]—Both Dharmakaya and Māyā are mind only. The Tathagata's Nirvana is 'mind only'—

[Lanka Chapter 13:] The Tathagata's Nirvana is where it is recognised that there is nothing but what is seen of the mind itself [i.e. this visible world including that which is generally known as mind (D.T. Suzuki)]
  • seen of the mind itself means everything is only mind: Svacitta-drsya-mātram – Part 24 (Part 17, Part 25)

8— — — —Is there Nirvana or not?

Lankavatara could not decide whether there is nirvana or not.

[Lanka Chapter 2:] there is no Nirvana except where is Samsara

Lankavatara Chapter 13 presents two contradicting statements on nirvana:

[Lanka Chapter 13:] Nirvana is the realm of the Dharmata-Buddha; it is where the manifestation of Noble Wisdom that is Buddhahood expresses itself in Perfect Love for all – Part 11
[Lanka Chapter 13:] In this perfect self-realization of Noble Wisdom the Bodhisattva realizes that for the Buddhas there is no Nirvana. – Part 24
  • Nirvana is where Noble Wisdom is—No nirvana, no Noble Wisdom, only delusion.
Our nature [with no Noble Wisdom] is ultimately pure and subject to neither rebirth nor nirvana [Diamond].
  • Delusion and kleśa are wisdom:
[SECTION 4. (PDF page 93):] Defilements (kleśa) are none other than awakening (bodhi). [The Teachings of Master Wuzhu]

Lankavatara defines Nirvana another way:

[Lanka Chapter 6:] Nirvana, emptiness, unbornness, unqualifiedness, devoid of will-effort

Only when they become Oneness with the original Māyāvādi Tathagata, they will be devoid of will-effort, the selfless state.

There we can live in oneness with God and our true self and all beings and, perfected, become a faultless instrument of divine action in the freedom of the immortal Dharma. [Swabhava and Swadharma (The Bhagavad Gita)]
  • a faultless instrument of divine action is Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya.
  • 5.5.4. Oneness of the Ultimate Essence – Part 35

No wisdom is confirmed:

1.­11 There is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no nonattainment [Heart (wiki)].

9— — — —Nonduality Language

Because complex ideas cannot be exchanged by a movement of the eyes...by the clearing of the throat, or by trembling, The intelligent Mahayanists speak the duality languages here on Earth*.* In the other buddha-lands, they would use the nonduality language:

[Lanka Chapter 2:] there are Buddha-lands where there are no words [...] ideas are indicated by looking steadily, in other gestures, in still others by a frown, by a movement of the eyes, by laughing, by yawning, by the clearing of the throat, or by trembling – Part 24; Part 31

10— — — —True Extinction and Fake Extinction

[Lotus Chapter 8:] Now the Buddha has awakened us, Saying this is not really extinction. Gaining the Buddha’s supreme wisdom, That is true extinction.

Lotus presents the event of the Buddha rejecting everything He taught to the Sangha. This is the typical approach in Mahayana.

  • Mahayana began with rejecting the ten Vinaya rules
  • That is followed by rejecting the arhats and Arahattphala.
  • And the departure from the Dhamma was completed with Lotus rejecting the entirety of the Dhamma.
  • Yet Mahaya utilises the Dhamma to decorate the true Mahayanist doctrine.

11— — — —Arhats' Extinction

Lotus denies arhats could attain true extinction. However, Lakavatara assures arhats attain true extinction:

[Lanka Chapter 11:] Arhats have ascended thus far, but [...] they pass to their Nirvana [which is extinction, not eternal life offered to the Māyāvādi Tathagatas].
  • Arhats pass to their Nirvana (true extinction) without taking the eternal life. They decide what they want [Mahayana considers this is selfish].
  • On the other hand, the bodhisattvas choose the existence devoid of will-effort or selflessness.

Lankavatara offers an option: by rejecting the arhats and giving up will-effort, the Mahayanists may prove they are selfless while they praise the Self (Emptiness).

  • When they become devoid of will-effort, these Mahayanists, including Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, only exist as Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya with the will-effort (will-control) of the Self, the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
all buddhas are one buddha [Lanka LVI (Red Pine)]
  • Arhats are considered as selfish, but the Māyāvādi bodhisattvas and Tathagatas are selfless.
  • All things (Māyā), except the arhats, are egoless:
[Lanka Chapter 3:] the self-nature of all things are non-existent ... When it is said that all things are egoless, it means that all things are devoid of self-hood. Each thing may have its own individuality-the being of a horse is not of cow nature-it is such as it is of its own nature and is thus discriminated by the ignorant, but, nevertheless, its own nature is of the nature of a dream or vision [mirage seen as water]
  • Mahayana is based on duality to discriminate Māyā as arhats, bodhisattvas, buddhas, etc.

12— — — —Mind Realm

To reside in Citta-gocara (mind realm), the Māyāvādi bodhisattvas and Tathagatas became two forms of Māyā: Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya.

[Lanka Chapter 2:] Nirvana and Samsara's world of life and death are aspects of the same thing, for there is no Nirvana except where is Samsara, and Samsara except where is Nirvana – Part 27.
  • Māyā becomes Māyā after Māyā reverts to buddha-nature.
  • That is how Māyā goes to the other shore, as both shores are Māyā:
Avalokiteshvara while practicing deeply with the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore [Heart (Thich)]
  • Both Nirvana and Klesha are Māyā:
[SECTION 4. (PDF page 93):] Defilements (kleśa) are none other than awakening (bodhi). [The Teachings of Master Wuzhu] – Part 28, Part 38.

13— — — —Other shore of eternal kleśa in Samsara

[Lanka Chapter 2:] there is no Nirvana except where is Samsara
  • Nirvana and samsara are not separate [Lanka]
  • Nirvana and samsara are separate [Heart]:
[Heart (Red page 134)]: Our fear begins with our separation from emptiness. And it ends with our reunion.
  • But there is no reunion:
no attainment, and no reunion [Prajnaparamita (CONZE page 61)] 
  • Māyā reverts to buddha-nature to become Māyā.

14— — — —the Imaginator

[Lanka Chapter 12:] Though they all honor, praise and esteem me, they do not fully understand the meaning and significance of the words they use [...] and fail to see that the name they are using is only one of the many names of the Tathagata.

That means the original Māyāvādi Tathagata is what the people call him; thus, he is everything to do with duality and Māyā.

15— — — —the Landowner

All phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness [Heart (Thich)]

Kleśa and duality bear the nature of Emptiness (Dharmakaya / Ākāśa), as the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas reside in their own buddhalands [Lankavatara].

  • Bodhisattva means a future landowner.
  • Buddha means a landowner.

In fact, there is only one landowner—all buddhas are one buddha [Lanka LVI (Red Pine)].

  • Avalokiteśvara is not a landowner. He lives in Amitābha's land, the Ultimate Bliss, as the second in line, waiting for the throne:
After Amitābha’s passing, he will be the Buddha Saman­taraśmya­bhyudgataśrīkūṭa­rāja in that realm [Karuṇā­puṇḍarīka Sūtra]
  • Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara will live almost eternity, and Amitābha will pass, and Avalokiteśvara will enthrone as a new Māyāvādi Buddha.
  • Another tenth-staged bodhisattva (among hundred thousands of niyutas of kotis) in the Ultimate Bliss will get his turn to become Māyāvādi Buddhas after waiting almost eternity.

16— — — —the Emancipator

The protagonists in the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra is Subhuti,. Avalokiteśvara appears once in a list of bodhisattva names – page 38:

Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Manjusri, Vajramati, Ratnamudrahasta, Nityokshiptahasta and Maitreya the Bodhisattva, the great being, at the head of many hundred thousands of niyutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas

Avalokiteśvara appears in Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra (the Heart Sutra) as the protagonist. Heart is a different version, not a shorter version of Mahaprajna.

Unclear is how Avalokiteśvara became significant. According to the Pure Land, Avalokiteśvara is the next Buddha. According to some, Avalokiteśvara is Amitābha. In the Purana and Itihasa, Prajña (प्रज्ञ) is one of the twenty Amitābha gods who serve Maheśvara (Siva).

Lankavatara does not allow bodhisattva to teach or emancipate. Emancipation is the task of the fully enlightened Māyāvādi Buddhas – Part 18.

[Lanka Chapter 12:] as Citta-gocara, it is the world of spiritual experience and the abode of the Tathagatas on their outgoing mission of emancipation – Part 16

Subhuti, Avalokiteśvara, Kshitigarbha or any bodhisattva breaks that rule and their vow if they tried to emancipate someone or postpone the natural progress towards Māyāvādi Buddhahood.

The bodhisattva ideal of emancipation violates the bodhisattva vows.

[Lanka Chapter 11:] [4] [bodhisattva vow #8:] to attain perfect self-realization of the oneness of all the Buddhas and Tathagatas in self-nature, purpose and resources – Part 13

Lankavatara (strongly) rejects the rejection or postponement of Māyāvādi Buddhahood.

[Lotus Chapter 2: Those] who do not further resolve to seek Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, are people of overweening pride – Part 27

17— — — —the Unborn Oneness

Lankavatara presents major Mahayanist concepts, including—

  • Citta-gocara / Maheśvara,
  • Māyā,
  • emptiness,
  • Trikaya,
  • Boddhisattva vows,
  • Bodhisattva nirvana/stages,
  • The unborn, oneness, etc.

Oneness means the innumerable Buddhas of three times (past, present and future) are the same original Māyāvādi Tathagata—citta-mātratā / the unborn, which embodies its imaginaries (Māyā: beings, bodhisattvas and buddhas).

Amitābha, Subhuti, Avalokiteśvara, Kshitigarbha, etc. are only the embodiment of the unborn / Māyāvādi Tathagata.

If the bodhisattvas (the embodiments of the unborn) break the bodhisattva vows, who breaks these vows?

Māyā do not practice free will – Part 43

18— — — —the Teacher of the other worlds

The Dalai Lamas are believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama) – Part 13.

Avalokiteśvara is a tenth-stage bodhisattva. Although the tenth stage is Māyāvādi Buddhahood, Avalokiteśvara has not been inaugurated. Then why is he allowed to participate in emancipation?

Lankavatara: Lank + avatar + a—An avatar descended to Lanka. A Māyāvādi avatar does not have a human body (Dalai Lamas for example) but Sambhogakāya or nirmāṇakāya.

Lankavatara: Dharmakāya only takes the bodies of Māyāvādi Buddhas.

[Continues to Part 48]


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 48

7. FINAL COMPARISON and ANALYTICAL CONCLUSION

19— — — —unqualifiedness

[Lanka Chapter 6:] my Womb of Tathágata-hood is not the same as the Divine Atman [...] What I teach is Tathagatahood in the sense of Dharmakaya, Ultimate Oneness, Nirvana, emptiness, unbornness, unqualifiedness, devoid of will-effort [...]
  • Tathagatahood is unqualifiedness...
  • The Māyāvādi Tathagatas are teaching the doctrine of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
[Amitābha Sūtra (Kumarajiva 2)] "West of here, past a hundred billion Buddha-lands, there exists a world called "Ultimate Bliss". In this land there exists a Buddha called Amitābha, who is expounding the Dharma right now – Part 29.
  • The Māyāvādis would be enlightened when they understand the doctrine of the original Māyāvādi Tathagata.
they do not worry about their own awakening [The bodhisattva in the Mahayana Buddhism (Dojo Zen de Genève)] – Part 24
  • The teaching and learning might occur in the nonduality language.
[Lanka Chapter 12:] Words are an artificial creation; there are Buddha-lands where there are no words.
  • Amitābha does not teach them here. According to the believers, Amitābha visits here to collect their souls.
[Lanka Chapter 13:] There are Bodhisattvas here and in other Buddha-lands, who are sincerely devoted to the Bodhisattva's mission

20— — — —Pleasure in the Great Truth Cloud (Dharmamegha)

In Lankavatara, Vasubandhu presents Three Natures (Nāgārjuna's two truths)

  • The imaginaries with no self-nature (arikalpita-svabhāva)—Māyā—created by the Brahma out of boredom.
  • The progress nature (paratantra-svabhāva)—potential Buddhas—10 stages of bodhisattva nirvana
  • At the tenth stage, Māyā is removed and
[Lanka Chapter 6:] which remains is the self-nature of the Tathagatas.
  • Buddha-nature (pariniṣpanna-svabhāva)—Dharmakaya-svabhava (absolute emptiness)

Buddha-nature is the original Māyāvādi Tathagata embodied in every being. It is also considered as small ego to the great ego and self to the Self. However, Lankavatara rejects buddha-naure is atta (atman), which makes buddha-nature (self/ego) to contradict itself.

There are different approaches to buddha-nature.

  • Bodhidharma (bloodstream sermon) claims that buddha-nature is the mind, and if one knows it, one is a buddha.
  • The second concept is buddha-nature has mind (ālayavijñāna).
  • Heart and some sutras present the third concept: in emptiness (biddha-nature/dharmakaya), there is no mind (ālayavijñāna).
  • Citta-matra/matrata is mind only exists and it is the only reality.
  • Due to these differences, Mahayana is hard to understand, despite it claims the original source of the sutras is the Sakyamuni.

The original Māyāvādi Tathagata is unborn, mind-only—buddha-nature inside Māyā (every being). According to Vasubandhu's second nature, Buddha-nature needs to escape Kleśa (Māyā) to get to Citta-Gocara or Maheśvara (mind-only realm) which is full of physical pleasure (Māyā):

[Lanka Chapter 11:] The tenth stage is called the Great Truth Cloud (Dharmamegha), inconceivable, inscrutable [...] It is Maheśvara, the Radiant Land, the Pure Land, the Land of Far-distances; surrounding and surpassing the lesser worlds of form and desire (karmadathu) [...] Its rays of Noble Wisdom which is the self-nature of the Tathagatas, many-colored, entrancing, auspicious, are transforming the triple world as other worlds have been transformed in the past, and still other worlds will be transformed in the future. [...] It is the ineffable potency of the Dharmakaya; it has no bounds nor limits; it surpasses all the Buddha-lands, and pervades the Akanistha and the heavenly mansions of the Tushita – Part 34.
  • By opposing each individual, the teaching of Nirvana opposes the samadhi mental pleasure:
[Lanka Chapter 13:] There are Bodhisattvas [...] who cannot wholly forget the bliss of the Samadhis and the peace of Nirvana-for themselves. The teaching of Nirvana [...] is revealed [...] for the sake of these disciples who still cling to thoughts of Nirvana for themselves Part 18
  • If the buddhas and bodhisattvas
[Lanka Chapter 3:] By setting up names and forms greed is multiplied and thus the mind goes on mutually conditioning and being conditioned [...] and the way to emancipation is blocked
  • Mahayana rejects names, although it created multiple names for the same thing.
  • The original Māyāvādi Tathagata has countless names, including oneness, unqualifiedness, buddha-nature, emptiness, etc., for example.
The Buddha-Dhamma alone, of all religions, positively affirms that life is suffering—life wherever it exists from the highest Brahma world to the uttermost hell is suffering. Life in the immeasurable past was suffering and life yet to come will also entail suffering. This is saṃsāric suffering (bhava-dukkha). [Wh126 — The Way of the Noble (bps.lk) (T. H. Perera)]
  • Mahayanist sutras do not address passion/lust/craving.
  • Mahayana applies the Sakyamuni's Dhamma to deal with lust, without betraying Amitabha
  • How to Deal with Lust [Namo Amitabhaya]
  • The Shurangama Sutra: One Must Cut Off Lust

Extinguishing cravings (lust, passion)

[Verse 202] There’s no fire like lust, no evil like aversion, no dukkha like the aggregates, no higher bliss than Peace. [17] – Part 25
  • Passion is samudaya that leads to bhava-dukkha (saṃsāric suffering)
“Upali, the qualities of which you may know, ‘These qualities do not lead to utter disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, nor to Unbinding’: You may definitely hold, ‘This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this is not the Teacher’s instruction.’ [Satthu Sasana Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya VII. 80)] [WHICH IS THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA (VIHARA KUSALAYANI)]
  • Nibbana described with a fire analogy:
“The Blessed One has passed away and nothing remains to form another individual. He cannot be pointed out as being here or there just as the flame of a fire that has gone out cannot be pointed out as being here or there. Yet his historical existence45 can be known by pointing out the body of the doctrine46 preached by him.” [The Debate of King Milinda (Bhikkhu Pesala, Page 61)]

21— — — —Ākāśarūpa the supreme ether

[Ākāśarūpa:] one whose form is like the (supreme) ether [the Yogabīja (verse 76cd-78ab; Cf verse 51-53)] – Part 16 and Part 33.
  • Ākāśarūpa is eternality, reality (Paramartha/Paramattha), space, emptiness (form is emptiness), and true extinction/nirvana.
  • Ākāśarūpa is Oneness with the Dharmakaya (the original Māyāvādi Tathagata).
  • Before becoming a Māyāvādi buddha (Sambhogakāya or nirmāṇakāya), the ultimate nirvana is attainable (although that does not fit/sit well with Lotus, Mahaprajna and Lankavatara):
The transcendental nature of Bodhisattvas
Thus transcending the world, he eludes our apprehensions.
‘He goes to Nirvana,’ but no one can say where he went to.
A fire’s extinguished*, but where, do we ask, has it gone to?*
Likewise, how can we find him who has found the Rest of the Blessed?
The Bodhisattva’s past, his future and his present must elude us,
Time’s three dimensions nowhere touch him.
Quite pure is he, free form conditions, unimpeded.
That is his practice of wisdom, highest perfection.
[Aṣtasāhasrikā and Ratnaguna] – Part 32
  • A Māyāvādi bodhisattva can enter nirvana before awakening. Such a Māyāvādi bodhisattva is described as an extinguished fire and becomes oneness with ether, emptiness, Dharmakaya or nirvana.
  • Nirvana (oneness with emptiness) is not Nibbana (relief from dukkha) – Part 17, Part 29.
  • A fire’s extinguished – a fire here is a bodhisattva, not passion/lust.

22— — — —Types of Māyāvādi nirvana

  • Diamond asserts that all beings revert to their own nature (buddha nature), which might result in becoming Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya. Probably, they could not become arhats.
  • Lotus presents the still nirvana of arhats and bodhisattvas. Its ultimate Nirvana "is constantly still and extinct and which in the end returns to emptiness":
[Lotus Chapter 22:] Parinirvana has arrived. The time for my passing into stillness has arrived – Part 32
  • Lotus asserts all beings must become buddhas, and they only have one vehicle. Thus, it declares:
[Lotus Chapter 2: Those] who do not further resolve to seek Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, are people of overweening pride.
  • Anuttarasamyaksambodhi is not always required – Part 19.

Comparing the Nirvanas:

  • Lotus' ultimate nirvana (perfect extinction) is Lankavatara's arhats' nirvana (extinction).
  • Lotus' still nirvana (not true extinction) is Lankavatara's Citta-gocara (mind realm) or Maheśvara, the Radiant Land, the Pure Land [...].
  • Anuttarasamyaksambodhi in Heart & Lotus vs. Noble Wisdom Lankavatara

23— — — —Perfect Nirvana

'Form is emptiness, emptiness is form'—because form is imaginary, empty of its own-svabhāva (self-nature), and does not exist in reality. According to Heart, when Avalokiteśvara realised that fact, he/she attained perfect Nirvana.

As form does not exist, beings do not exist. The mind is the existence—only the mind.

In Mahayana (Māyāvāda / Mayayana), rupa is form (illusion), and nama is name (designation). Rupa and nama are Māyā the external world of illusions and their names, existing as the nonstop imagination (simulation) of the mind.

Mahayana deals with svabhāva, but not with atta.

Vibhajjavāda, as Anattavāda, deals with sabhāva (svabhāva/nature) which is unrelated to self/atta and atta (self / I am / mine).

The Lotus Sutra's chapter 25 is dedicated to Avalokiteśvara, but it does not confirm his perfect Nirvana, which is complete extinction in Lotus and Aṣtasāhasrikā.

[Heart (Thich):] Avalokiteśvara [...] realize Perfect Nirvana [here and now] – Part 32

24— — — —Imperfect Nirvana?

The Heart Sutra's main theme is Avalokiteśvara teaching an arhat to accept the emptiness of self-nature (sabhāva). Māyā (imaginary) is self-aware, and that awareness is the Māyāvādi buddha (buddha nature / buddha self-nature).

  • When Avalokiteśvara (Māyā) teaching an arhat (Māyā), the mind (reality) is learning.
  • The original Māyāvādi Tathagata (reality) is teaching and talking to himself.
"This nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha." [The Zen teaching of Bodhidharma: Bloodstream Sermon, p29 (Bodhidharma)] – Part 8
  • Because the Māyāvādi Tathagata must teach himself (or his imaginations) infinite times, the nirvana (dharmakaya) must be imperfect.
[Lanka Chapter 13:] There are Bodhisattvas [...] who cannot wholly forget the bliss of the Samadhis and the peace of Nirvana-for themselves. The teaching of Nirvana [...] is revealed according to a hidden meaning for the sake of these disciples who still cling to thoughts of Nirvana for themselves, that they may be inspired to exert themselves in the Bodhisattva's mission of emancipation for all beings. Part 18

25— — — —Nirvana here and now

[Heart (Shippensburg Uni):] The Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom ... and have Nirvana here and now. All the Buddhas ... rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, and live in full enlightenment.

The Sakyamuni Buddha clarifies the notions of Nirvana here and now are nothing more than

93 (3.19) There are, bhikshus, some recluses and brahmins who hold the doctrine of the supreme nirvana here and now. They proclaim the supreme nirvana here and now for existing beings, on 5 grounds [—sense-pleasures and the four jhanas], or on any one of them. There is none beyond this.
[Brahma,jala Sutta: Doctrines of Nirvana Here and Now (dittha,dhamma,nibbāna,vāda): grounds 58-62 (Piya Tan)] – Part 32

26— — — —The common words

In those days, the leaders such as Purana Kassapa, etc., used to make bold claims of Buddhahood to the common people, but when examined by King Pasenadi Kosala, they faltered in their claims. "When even elderly leaders of religious sects hesitate to claim Buddhahood, you, Oh, Gotama, who is much younger in age and less experienced in religious life, do you really admit that you have become a Buddha?" [The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma: PART 8 (Mahasi)]

Bodhi, Buddha (Tathagata) and arhat (arahant) are some common terms used by the South Asian religions. E.g. the Sakyamuni and Amitābha are two different types of Buddha by their definitions.

  • The Sakyamuni passed to anupàdisesa-Nibbànadhàtu (see it without sakkayaditthi).
  • Amitābha is eternal; yet he will pass to true extinction [Ākāśarūpa]

27— — — —The original Māyāvādi Buddha

"This nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha." [Bloodstream Sermon]
  • This nature (existence) is mind only—Form is emptiness.
  • The mind is all that exists—Emptiness is form.

Vasubandhu's the three modes of nature from the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 14:

  1. Māyā
  2. The progress of Māyā towards reality/Ākāśarūpa
  3. Māyā becoming the embodiment of reality as Sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya: the Māyāvādi Buddhas:
we are all potential Buddhas, because we are essentially pure and luminous at the most basic level of existence. That purity, called Buddha-nature, is typically clouded over by a dense layer of ignorance and negativity, which dominates us and leads to suffering. [Intro to Tibetan Buddhism (Sakya Monastery)] – Part 44
  • We are all potential Buddhas, but why have not yet if we are essentially pure?
  • The mind the Buddha is inside everyone (Māyā) and responsible for becoming Buddha.
"This nature is the mind. And the mind is the buddha." [Bloodstream Sermon]
  • That purity, called Buddha-nature, is potential Buddha, not the Buddha.
Our nature is ultimately pure [Diamond]
  • Both buddha-nature and the mind of buddha-nature (Alayavijnana) are pure.
  • However, it commits wholesome and unwholesome thoughts, although that does not matter because
all dharmas are defined by emptiness not [...] purity or defilement [Heart (Red)]– Part 41
  • Purity and defilement are only Māyā that prevents us from becoming Buddhas:
[Alayavijnana] repository consciousness of the tathagata-garbha [...] is essentially pure, [only] obscured by the dust of sensation (klesha) [1A] [92B-1] [Lanka LXXXII29 (Red)]
  • Māyā (imaginaries) exist due to the imagining mind (alayavijnana) that discriminates and is sentient (sensation/kleshas).
  • Māyā is the other side of emptiness/dharmakaya.

28— — — —Kleśa is Bodhi

[Alayavijnana] is essentially pure [but] obscured by the dust of sensation (klesha) [Lanka LXXXII29 (Red)] 

Pure alayavijnana is obscured by awakening (bodhi)

Defilements (kleśa) are none other than awakening (bodhi). [The Teachings of Master Wuzhu: SECTION 4. (PDF page 93)] Part 28
  • When they remove kleśa, they remove bodhi.

That is not the escape but the samsara. A bodhisattva progresses closer to the material pleasure in Maheśvara.

  • Pure tathagata-garbha is the samsara:
[bodhisattvas] should not become attached to any view of a self […] The tathagata-garbha is the cause of whatever is good or bad and is responsible for every form of existence everywhere. [Lanka (Red Pine quoted by Kokyo Henkel)] – Part 39, Part 47
  • view of a self means being independent from the Māyāvādi Tathagata
the small ego surrenders before this Great Ego.” [The Nirvana Sutra (Zen Master, Sokei-an)] [Part 36]
  • [Lanka:] To become bodhisattvas need to give up one's individualised will-control – Part 11.

The concept of self (buddha-nature) and another definition of Kleśa:

[Lanka Chapter 3:] inner self-realization of Noble Wisdom there is no trace of habit-energy generated by erroneous conceptions Part 10

29— — — —Imaginaries (Māyā) do not suffer or attain

“There is no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no nonattainment [Heart (wiki)].
  • The Pure alayavijnana is the potential Buddhas who are dealing with bodhi.
[Lanka Chapter 3:] the fundamental fact that the external world is nothing but a manifestation of mind [...] emptiness, no-birth, and no self-nature.
  • The mind cannot create physical matters.
  • The real Māyā cannot suffer; the real people can, however.

Māyāvāda is a creationism that struggles to prove the plausibility of its mind-only doctrine.

30— — — —No mark of Emptiness

The Sakyamuni Buddha describes the entire existence as the six senses—

[Sabba Sutta:] The Blessed One said, "What is the All? Simply the eye & forms, ear & sounds, nose & aromas, tongue & flavors, body & tactile sensations, intellect & ideas. This, monks, is called the All. [1] Anyone who would say [...] – Part 20

The emptiness (mind-only) doctrine rejects the six senses as Māyā—

[Heart (Red):] in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no memory and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind – Part 21
  • in emptiness – Emptiness/space alone is reality. Nothing exists inside and outside emptiness. However, there are phenomena:
All phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness [Heart (Thich)]

The Sabba Sutta rejects the mark of Emptiness—

[Sabba Sutta:] [...] Anyone who would say, 'Repudiating this All, I will describe another,' if questioned on what exactly might be the grounds for his statement, would be unable to explain, and furthermore, would be put to grief. Why? Because it lies beyond range."
  • Whoever rejects the Sabba Sutta and accepts the mark of Emptiness may slap his own face and declare to the world that...
in emptiness, no form, no feeling, thought, or choice, nor is there consciousness [Heart (Centre)] – Part 42

For not having the six senses and upadanakkhandha (Part 7, Part 43) as reality, Māyā are not sentient and have no self-control.

For having the six senses, we are sentient and are responsible for self-control based on the Sakyamuni Buddha's teachings—

four types of precepts can be applied by both monks and laity to cultivate wisdom and control of sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind [A Study of Buddhist Disciplines For Life Development to a Happiness 2011] – Part 39

31— — — —Emptiness of the Great Vehicle

The Lotus Sutra promotes the importance of bodhisattvas "to purify the Buddhalands".

[Lotus Chapter 4:] in their purification of Buddhalands
[Lotus Chapter 8:] In order to purify the Buddhalands, – Part 24

Lotus does not mention Maheśvara, where regression is impossible and samadhi is banned. Impurity (Māyā) in Buddhalands indicates the evil presence.

[Lotus Chapter 12:] Those who had been Sound Hearers were in empty space expounding upon the practices of Sound Hearers. All of them were now cultivating the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle – Part 34

The Great Vehicle is empty of the passengers (Māyā) who reached nirvana (dharmakaya), which is banned in Maheśvara.

32— — — —Arhat is not Arahant

[Arhat (HandWiki):] The Sarvāstivāda, Kāśyapīya, Mahāsāṃghika, Ekavyāvahārika, Lokottaravāda, Bahuśrutīya, Prajñaptivāda and Caitika schools all regarded arhats as being imperfect in their attainments compared to buddhas.

Lanka presents Sugata Buddha as an Arhat fully enlightened.

[Lanka Chapter 1:] O blessed One, Sugata, Arhat and Fully-Enlightened One, pray tell us about the realization of Noble Wisdom

According to Lotus chapter 12, Devadatta became a bodhisattva, and an eight-year-old Dragon King's daughter arrived at Bodhi mind and irreversibility.

Who is an arhat in Mahayana?

As they pay attention to themselves and not to others, they are incapable of genuine and equal enlightenment... [Arhat 阿羅漢; wiki]

Mahayana does not know the arahants.

Who is an arahant in Vibhajjavāda?

Araham Sutta [1] - An arahant is one who has really seen the arising, ending, etc., of the five grasping groups (upadanakkhandha). S.iii.161 – Part 9

Sometimes, Lotus praises the Sound Hearers, sometimes the opposite. Likely, new chapters were added by different authors – Part 43


Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda—Part 49

7. FINAL COMPARISON and ANALYTICAL CONCLUSION

33— — — —Enlightened by a single verse

  • Upatiṣya (Upatissa) became a sotapanna by hearing Ye dhamma hetuppa bhava... [Verse 392 Sariputtatthera Vatthu]
  • Avalokiteśvara heard the same verse:
When Upatiṣya asks Aśvajit to summarize the very essence of the Buddha’s teaching, Aśvajit answers him by reciting this verse [...] these same lines are taught to Avalokiteśvara by the Buddha himself.3 [...] in order to generate the merit of Brahmā, [...]4 [Pratītya­samutpāda­sūtra: Introduction (84000)] – Part 23
  • Avalokiteśvara probably became a brahma:
Brahmic merit or pure merit refers to an extraordinary type of merit which leads to rebirth in the realm of Brahmā.

Pratītya­samutpāda­sūtra suggests sotapanna-phala is below the merit of Brahmā.

  • A brahma is higher than an arhat in Mahayana.

Araham is arahattaphala of Sammasambodhi, Paccekabodhi and Savakabodhi.

  • The arahants or araham in the Buddha Gotama's Sasana were not properly known to Mahādeva. Unaware of the true Sangha and true arahants he probably believed the fake arhats were real ones, who influenced his five that divided the Mahasanghika.

8 of the Ten kilesā-s relevant to Mahayana/Sarvāstivāda: Part 4

  1. False views (sakayaditthi)
  2. Doubt (vicikiccha)
  3. Belief in the effectiveness of rituals
  4. Sensuous pleasure (raga)
  5. Aversion (dosa)
  6. Passion towards rupa jhanas (pertaining to the sphere of forms)
  7. Passion towards arupa jhanas (pertaining to the formless sphere)
  8. Self pride (mana)

34— — — —the brahmas

A certain Brahmā thought that no recluse or brahmin could come to his world. To refute his views, the [Sakyamuni] Buddha went there and sat in the air above the Brahmā, flames radiating from his body. The Buddha was followed by Moggallāna, Mahākassapa, Mahākappina and Anuruddha. [S.i.144-6. See also Bakabrahma Sutta. [Aparáditthi Sutta (vipassana.info)] – Part 29

Probably, the sutras suggest that Avalokiteśvara became a brahma due to his Brahmic merit. Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara could be Māyāvādi brahmas in the Māyāvādi brahma world (Maheśvara). Vedic religionsalso aim for the brahma world.

[Heart (Thich):] [Avalokiteśvara] destroy all wrong perceptions and realize Perfect Nirvana.

As Heart links a brahma to perfect nirvana, which must be a brahma world – Part 33, rather not attainment of bodhi.

[Heart (wiki):] no path, no wisdom, no attainment

Heart portrays the perfect nirvana of Avalokiteśvara being higher than the arhats. Then, Brahmas are seen as Buddhas. Heart presents a scene in which Avalokiteśvara met an arhat, but no other earthly beings.

35— — — —mantra for success

PARAGATE means gone to the further shore and is a stock Sanskrit expression used by Jains and Buddhists to refer to arahants. More loosely translated, it means this: "You Brahmin priests with your fancy fire sacrifices aren't the only ones who get people to heaven. We can do it without killing animals and wasting trees. So there." [The mantra at the end of the Heart Sutra (Richard Hayes)]

The intentional downgrading of the arhat is a theme of many sutras, including Heart, which is recited for good luck and success. Bodhi Svaha of the Heart Sutra mantra means the worship of the higher power. Mahayana is for the worship of the Great Lord for success and material gain without fire sacrifice. Hert is a practical application of Mahādeva's five theses (points) to offend the savakas when chanting as a mantra.

There are many places of torment, to which those go whose conduct has been bad in act, word, or thought or who have been guity of someone atrocious crime, such as that of the slanderer of Sāriputta, or that of Devadatta, when he drew blood from the Buddha’s foot. [Heaven & Hell In Buddhist Perspective (B.C. LAW, Theravada)] – Part 44

36— — — —The rejected bodhisattva ideal

Mahayana brought the bodhisattva ideal to the centre stage. The sutras promoted the bodhisattva's role by replacing the arhats and the Buddha (the Heart Sutra) with bodhisattvas. The Lankavatara Sutra suggests there is the Nirvana of the arhats. The Lotus Sutra rejects it.

[Lotus:] "There is only the One Buddha Vehicle by which extinction can be attained."

The Lankavatara Sutra does not appreciate the bodhisattva ideal for emancipation of all beings:

[Lanka Chapter 13:] There are Bodhisattvas [...] who cannot wholly forget the bliss of the Samadhis and the peace of Nirvana-for themselves. The teaching of Nirvana [...] is revealed according to a hidden meaning for the sake of these disciples who still cling to thoughts of Nirvana for themselves, that they may be inspired to exert themselves in the Bodhisattva's mission of emancipation for all beings. Part 18
  • Lanka assigns emancipation to the Māyāvādi Tathagata only:
[Lanka Chapter 7:] some think of me as the doctrine of Buddha-causation, or of Emancipation, or of the Noble Path [meaning Tathagata is not these but Reality or Dharmakaya] In the Ultimate Essence which is Dharmakaya, all the Buddhas of the past, present and future, are of one sameness.

37— — — —Origin of the doctrine

the two truths (satyadvaya) proposed by Madhyamaka and the three natures (trisvabhāva) proposed by Yogācāra [...] are not necessarily mutually exclusive. [Madhyamaka and Yogacara Allies or Rivals? (Jay L. Garfield and Jan Westerhoff)] – Part 25
  • Mahaprajna claims it was kept in the hands of the naga (serpents). Nāgārjuna got his two dharmas and his name from the naga – Part 41.
  • Nāgārjuna means the hero of the nagas – Part 42.
  • Vasubandhu's three natures from the Gita:
by a liberating development of the soul out of this lower nature of the triple gunas into the supreme divine nature beyond the three gunas that we can best arrive at spiritual perfection and freedom [Swabhava and Swadharma (The Bhagavad Gita)]
  • And from the Sankhya Theory of Evolution
The theory of triple guna— sattva, rajas and tamas— is supposed to account for attraction and repulsion and self-sustenance of all that exists in the material plane. Consciousness stands alone and supreme in its own sphere [The Nava-nalanda-mahavihara Research Publication Vol-2 (1960) (Mookerjee, Satkari; page 53)] – Part 17
  • They became Lankavatara:
[The Lankavatara Sutra] was a development of the Yogacara (“Mind-only”) school of Buddhism established by the great masters Asanga and Vasubandhu, and Bodhidharma is described as a “master of the Lankavatara Sutra”. [Bodhidharma – the founder of Gongfu (Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline)] – Part 8

38— — — —the reality body

Ākāśa (Part 13) is emptiness (Dharmakaya), which is not separate from samsara (life and death).

[Dharmakāya:] "the reality body", the [Māyāvādi] Buddha as the ultimate reality of emptiness – Part 21

Trikaya concept brings reality and imaginary together.

Physicality is Māyā (imaginary—seen of the mind-only/citta-matra/Vijñaptimātra/Dharmakāya. Māyā does not exist but is physicality. Reality does not exist as physicality. We humans exist with physicality as the imaginartion of emptiness (Ākāśa).

[Akasa] is immortal, indivisible, infinite and indestructible. [Akasa, Ether or The Sky and The Fifth Element (hinduwebsite.com)] – Part 21, Part 29

39— — — —A Sarvāstivādi is not a Vibhajjavādi.

the māyā is right when it conforms to, underline the three-lettered word again, Ṛta. It is the Ṛta that makes māyā real [...] Vedānta, [Mahayana], and Jainism [...] view Māyā as a hindrance [and] the world is dark, as a burden, a distraction [Vedā: Māyā (Kiron Krishnan)] – Part 13

Sarvāstivāda's concept is all dharmas (phenomena) exist in all three times, and the past and the future are not just memory but reality. What are these dharmas?

  • The only reality is Dharmakaya—citta-mātratā (mind-only)—all dharmas in all three times—eternal.
  • The imaginaries (Māyā) are not dharma. Māyā cannot become real in Mahayana.

The Mahayanist scriptures are dedicated to these two truths: reality and Māyā.

Although the Mahayanist scriptures are identical to the Vedas, which the young Siddhatta left behind when he searched for the deathless (amata), the Mahayanist schools claim their scriptures are authentic teachings of the historical Buddha.

40— — — —Sanskritisation and incomparable māyāvāda 

It was purely following or can be seen as copying other rituals, norms, beliefs to improve their status in the society [Sanskritization]

After the Dhamma-Vinaya disappeared, Sanskrit literatures only available to them. They did not know the Sakyamuni Buddha and His Dhamma. They were keener to follow and pursue Sanskritisation.

[Part 43] In Who Composed the Mahāyāna Scriptures?, Prof. Seishi Karashima explains how the anonymous authors, who could be the members of the Mahāsāṃghikas, persistantly condemned the conservative thoughts on Buddhist doctrines in the new scriptures in progress, which they called:

vedulla / vaitulya, in the meaning of their being “irregular” as Buddha’s scripture but “incomparable, peerless”. Later, they came to be called  in  a  more  positive  way  as vaipulya  “full  development,  abundance,  plenty,  fullness.” Much later still, they came to be called mahāyāna-sūtras as well.
  • A primary theme of the Mahayanist/Sarvastivadi scripture is self-importance.
  • Mahayana uses the Dhamma like a cloak to vile its dharmas.
  • Vibhajjavāda and Sarvāstivāda sound similar where sharing Buddhist terms and names. Otherwise, they are two separate doctrines.

41— — — —Reality and Perception—Paramattha & Sanna & Pannati

Sarvāstivāda who called themselves Buddhists were also māyāvādīs.

[Yogachara argues that] reality, as perceived by humans, does not exist [Yogapedia] – Part 25
  • Then whenever humans perceive reality, including dharmakaya, it must become nonexistent.
  • That concept is self-defeating...
There are differences between the māyāvādīs and the Buddhists so far as the external rules of social conduct go, yet as far as their philosophies are concerned there is absolutely no difference between these two schools. [The Self-Defeating Philosophy of Māyāvāda (Gaura Gopāla Dāsa)] Part 13
  • Perception is how reality is perceived and understood.
  • Reality, perception, understanding and misunderstanding exist in perceiving.
  • Reality cannot be changed, nor created, nor erased by perception (misunderstanding).
  • One should know the possible consequences of reciting the Mahayanist sutras and mantras, which denounce the true Buddha, the true Dhamma and the true Sangha.
  • One who has not taken refuge in the Tisara is not a Buddhist.
  • One holding a wrong view on the Sangha is not a Buddhist in the Sakyamuni's Sasana.
  • Right View (yatha bhuta nana dassana) is not eternalism, nihilism/annihilationism and a belief in self (attavāda).

42— — — —Understanding

Wisdom (understanding) knows reality as it is—yatha-bhuta-nana-dassana. Understanding reality (Paramattha Sacca) is panna (wisdom/insight) that is the goal of the Dhamma followers.

  • As the true words of the Buddha, the Vibhajjavādi texts critically explain the Noble Truths, the causal relations and the instructions to attain Nibbana.
61. [The Buddha said, only] the Noble Eightfold Path [can lead to] a true ascetic of the first, second, third, or fourth degree of saintliness. [Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha (Sister Vajira & Francis Story)] – Part 31
  • The Vibhajjavādis do not claim the ownership of the Dhamma-Vinaya. We belong to the Tisarana.

43— — — —Anattavāda

There are only two doctrines:

  • Anattavāda is the Buddha's Anatta Sasana, the doctrine of non-self/non-owner, the Dhamma-Vinaya Sasana, Vibhajjavāda, Theravada.
  • Attavāda is the usual 4 kinds of clinging: sensuous clinging (kāmupādāna), clinging to views (diṭṭhupādāna), clinging to mere rules and ritual (sīlabbatupādāna), clinging to the personaljty-belief (atta-vādupādāna).

Towards the final goal, the Nibbana, Vibhajjavādis are advised to develop right-view to see sakkayaditthi and to abandon it.

(stream-winner) -- one who has entered the stream that leads to Nibbana. As he has not eradicated all fetters he is reborn seven times at the most [The Path to Nibbana (Narada Thera)].

— — — —Useful Resources— — — —

  1. Be a lamp upon yourself
  2. The 4 analytic insights Page 39
  3. Brahmavihara Dhamma by Mahasi Sayadaw
  4. Heaven & Hell In Buddhist Perspective
  5. Lanka Chapter
  6. Lanka Chapter
  7. Lanka Chapter
  8. Lanka Chapter XIII. Nirvana
  9. Lanka LXXV (Red Pine)
  10. Lankavatara_sutra.pdf
  11. Heart (Thich)
  12. Heart (Red Pine)
  13. Heart (Wiki);
  14. Lotus Chapter
  15. Lotus with Commentary
  16. Ratnaguna-samcayagatha

The series ends here.




No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

Powered By Blogger

Search This Blog
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...