SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In the first chapter a brief account of the events and doctrines of the first five or six centuries has been given, showing that a good deal of Mahayanaic doctrines was to be found in Hinayana, and that Mahayanism with the sunyata doctrine, had its real beginning about the first century B.C. In the second chapter it is shown that the Mahayanists regarded themselves as the true followers of Buddha, and asserted that Buddha had only one form of teaching, the Mahayana: but the hinayanists being intellectually weak, as the Mahanists said, could not comprehend it thoroughly. They considered themselves far superior to the Hinayanists and adduced reason therefor. The third chapter is divided into four sections. The forst section shows that according to the seddharmappundarika and other Mahayana texts, the hinayana teaching was only an expendient adopted by Buddha to suit the mental calibre of his early disciples. And that the hinayanists were taught only Pudgalasunyata and not dharmasunyata. The second section shows that the Buddha of the hinayanists was really one of his Hirmanakayas. He had two other kayas, sambhoga and dharma. A review of the speculation on Trikaya in the various texts has been given in this section. The third section trents of the interpretation of nirvana. In ti the conclusions drawn by scholars from the pitaka passages have beem reviewed and the expectitions of Buddhaghosa, Vasubandha, Nagarjuna and other have been summarised and compared. The fourth section shows that the four Truths and the causal law. Were Paramarthasatyas to the hinayanists while they were sanvrtisatyas to the Mahayanists, their Paramartha or Parinispanna satya being the dharmasunyata or Tathata. The fourth chapter contains an exposition of the Bodhi Satvabhumis, showing that the forst six bnumis correspond to the four stages of spiritual progress of the hinayanists, and the last four bhumis are meant exclusively for bodhisattvas for the comprehension of dharmasunayata or dharmasamata and the acquisition of extraordinary power of a Buddha. In the fifth chapter it has been indicated that the mahayanists depended upon the hinayanists for their disciplinary code, adding to it some rules and practices in conformity with their own ideals. In the appendix an attempt has been made to ascertain the time of composition of the Prajnaparamitas, referring specially to the pancavimsatisahasrika and its relation to the other prajnaparamitas and the Abhisamayalankarakarika.