The Bodhisatta in Theravada Buddhism by Nico Moonen (ebook reader for pc and android .TXT) 📕

Nico Moonen

The Bodhisatta in Theravāda Buddhism.

Kerkrade 2006

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Preface

1. Development of early Buddhism

2. The Bodhisattva in Mahāyāna

3. The Bodhisatta in Theravāda

§ The term Bodhisatta

§ Types of Bodhisattas

§ The Mahā Bodhisatta

§ Final Conception and Birth of the Bodhisatta

§ Three types of Mahā Bodhisattas

§ When did the Bodhisatta enter the Path of Holiness?

§ Powers and characteristics of a Bodhisatta

§ Differences and correspondences among Bodhisattas

§ Was the Bodhisatta, born in a Buddha Cycle, always a bhikkhu?

§ Austerities

§ The 32 Marks

§ The Pāramīs

§ Spheres of existence of Bodhisattas

§ The four Resolutions

§ Summary

4. The Jātakas

5. Review of the Pāramīs

   (1)  Generosity (dāna)

   (2)  Morality, virtue (sīla)

   (3)  Renunciation (nekkhamma)

   (4)  Wisdom (paññā)

   (5)  Energy (viriya)

   (6)  Patience (khanti)

   (7)  Truthfulness (sacca)

   (8)  Determination (aditthāna)

   (9)  Loving-kindness (mettā)

   (10) Equanimity (upekkhā)

Survey of Buddhas

6. Future Buddhas

   1.  The future Buddha Metteyya

   2.  The Buddha Rāma

   3.  The Buddha Dhammarājā

   4.  The Buddha Dhammassāmi

   5.  The Buddha Nārada

   6.  The Buddha Ramsimuni

   7.  The Buddha Devadeva

   8.  The Buddha Narasīha

   9.  The Buddha Tissa

   10. The Buddha Sumangala

   Review of the stories

7. Conclusion

Bibliography

    The Buddha taught that for a layman it is not a noble monk who should be the example, but a good layman.[1] The best layman who can serve as our example is the Bodhisatta. In Mahāyāna supernatural powers and some degrees of holiness are attributed to him. But according to the Theravāda tradition the Bodhisatta belongs still to the worldlings and not yet to the Ariyasangha, the community of the Buddhist saints of the first, second, third or fourth level.

    The Pāli word Bodhisatta and the Sanskrit word Bodhisattva differ only by a single letter, yet there is an essential difference between the two concepts. Several studies have been published that show direct or indirect concern with the doctrine of the Bodhisatta in Theravāda. A systematic survey of these has not yet been published, as far as I know. As I have been interested in this topic for many years, I thought it would be useful to make a compilation of my research. I was encouraged to do so by Venerable Rassagala Seewali from Opanayaka, Sri Lanka, whom I met when he was studying in Thailand. He, too, is very much interested in this topic. A first attempt was made at the beginning of 2000. However, it turned out that the information available was too limited. Fortunately, Dr. Karl Hubertus Eckert, a good acquaintance of mine, donated more than 1100 of his books about Buddhism to me – May that donation be for his welfare and happiness for a long time. I had now at my disposal a large library of invaluable material and for that reason I was able to make a fresh attempt at presenting an examination of the teachings relating to the Bodhisatta.

    In the Suttas of the Pāli Canon only a little information can be found about the Bodhisatta where the word is used there to indicate the Buddha Gotama before he attained Enlightenment. In the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda sutta (Digha Nikaya 26) the name of the next Buddha is mentioned. And in the Buddhavamsa and the Cariyapitaka there is information about other future Buddhas. Another source for this topic is the Dasabodhisattuppattikathā (about the births of the ten Bodhisattas). The value of these works will be discussed later.

    Much has been written about the Bodhisattas by Venerable Narada Thera and also by Venerable Ledi Sayadaw. It is a pity that they did not give the sources from which they derived their information. This has made assessing the value of their observations quite difficult.

    Venerable Dr. Sangharatana Thero, chief incumbent of Pitaramba Temple, Bentota, Sri Lanka, advised me – after reading of the first draft – to dwell a little more on the Mahāyāna. That good advice was accepted thankfully. It was of great profit for the study of the concept of the Bodhisatta / Bodhisattva.

    The English typescript was sent to the Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka. There it is read carefully by Mr. Dennis Candy and Prof. Handunukanda. They made many suggestions to improve this study, which suggestions are accepted thankfully.

    This study deals mainly with the Bodhisatta in Theravāda Buddhism. Many works have already been published about the Bodhisattvas in Mahāyāna. Therefore only a little is written here about them. First I try to explain how there arose a difference in thinking about these matters and what those main differences were between Theravāda on the one hand and Mahāyāna on the other hand. Then I describe in brief the concept of the Bodhisattvas in Mahāyāna. Next follows a discussion of the concept of the Bodhisatta in Theravāda. Then there is a chapter referring to the Jātakas and another to the Pāramīs as well. A separate chapter is devoted to the future Buddhas. Finally there is a short survey and a comparison of the concepts in Theravāda and Mahāyāna.

    To get a good understanding of the teaching of the Buddha, we must try to identify all alien and irrelevant elements that have accumulated in the course of time. This too is necessary for the doctrine of the Bodhisatta. I hope that I have succeeded in doing this to some degree.

N. Moonen

Kerkrade, November 2548/2005.

    During the time of the Buddha Gotama and several centuries later nothing was written down about the Dhamma. It was not usual at that time. Writing was used for trade and administration, but not for teaching. Teachers and their followers would put their doctrines into verses, which could more easily be learnt by heart and passed from one person to another and from one generation to another.[2] Therefore the Buddha himself has not left written texts of his teaching. Three months after his final passing away (parinibbāna) a Council of 500 Arahants, fully enlightened ones, was held at Rājagaha. The President of that Council was Venerable Mahā Kassapa. The aim of that Council was to recite and to review the Teaching (Sutta Pitaka) and the Discipline for the monks (Vinaya Pitaka) and to remove false teachings.[3]

    According to tradition Venerable Ānanda is said to have stated at the end of the Council that the Buddha told him that the minor rules could be abandoned. But he had failed to ask which were the minor rules. The matter was discussed, but there was no unity of view among the monks. Venerable Mahā Kassapa therefore decided that the Vinaya rules should not be changed and that all of them should continue to be observed.

    Venerable Gnanarama has shown that this tradition must have originated in later times. In the time of the Buddha it would have known which were the minor rules. They would have been known to Venerable Ānanda too. And there would have been no need to ask questions about them. Further, the rules for monks were known among the lay people as well. Changing them after the passing away of the Buddha would have led to disputing amongst people.[4]

    Not everyone agreed with the decisions taken at the first Council. Venerable Purāna, a wandering monk with a large retinue, claimed to remember the teaching and discipline as he had heard them from the Blessed One. And besides him there may have been other monks who didn’t agree with the proceedings of the first Council. And at distant places there perhaps would have been other monks who didn’t hear the suttas recited at the council but who remembered a number of suttas just as they were taught to them. Those suttas may have been added later, if they conformed to the Dhamma, and parts of those scriptures might have survived via translations into Chinese, Tibetan or Sanskrit.[5]

    About 100 years after the death of the Buddha Buddhism in India seems to have consisted of several regional organisations each having their own characteristics. This was the inevitable result of difficulties in communication. There was little or no contact between the groups, due to the great distances between the regions. Therefore it is not surprising that there existed differences in the teaching.[6]

    During those 100 years several rules were changed by some monasteries. Ten rules for monks were adapted to suit the new times by the Vajjiputtas. These monks lived in Vesali. That city was a commercial centre with a monetary economy. The Vajjiputtas had to accept alms in monetary form. For the inhabitants of Vesali it was quite natural at that time to give money instead of food.[7] But there arose difficulties. A monk named Yasa, belonging to the group of the Elders, travelled through Vesali. He saw that the monks there accepted monetary gifts from the laymen and he protested against it.[8] He got support in the West, in Kosambi and Mathura and also in Avanti. Monks from all over India were invited to send delegates to Vesali. Monks from Vesali sought help as well. Altogether seven hundred monks assembled and they represented Buddhism of that time. This second Council was presided over by the Venerables Yasa, Revata and Sabbakāmi. It is claimed that they all were older than 120 years and would have seen the Buddha himself.[9] The discussion went on endlessly. The orthodox monks said that nothing should be changed, while others were of the opinion that several rules could be modified. The orthodox monks claimed to act according to the true tradition of the Elders.[10]. Therefore they have become known as Sthaviravādins. They rejected the proposals of the Vajjiputtas. Therefore Venerable Revata, who was an Arahant and who was respected by both sides, was designated to convene a committee