Robin Beck

Some Commonalities of Theravada & Mahayana?

Words Mean Things
Theravada & Mahayana

There is a common misconception that concepts like Bonno soku Bodai [Klesha = Bodhi], the Enlightenment of Women, the universality of the Buddha Nature, and the Eternity of the Buddha's life span are unique to Mahayana Sutras; and as for the latter three, the Lotus and Nirvana Sutras.

Klesha refers to various negative or troublesome thoughts and emotions {see On Bonno suku Bodai Again}. The Kleshas be can reduced to three unwholesome or unskilful roots. In one of the Suttas, the Buddha talks about the "Three Unwholesome Roots" and the "Three Wholesome Roots." In that Sutta, the three Wholesome roots are defined negatively as not-hatred; not-greed, and not-delusion. This can infer getting rid of emotions and conceptions, a total emptiness or voidness of mind.

However, Bikkhu Bodhi wrote, "The three wholesome roots are their opposites, expressed negatively in the old Indian fashion as non-greed (alobha), non-aversion (adosa), and non-delusion (amoha). Though these are negatively designated, they signify not merely the absence of defilements but the corresponding virtues. Non-greed implies renunciation, detachment, and generosity; non-aversion implies loving-kindness, sympathy, and gentleness; and non-delusion implies wisdom. Any action originating from these roots is a wholesome kamma."

That sounds like Bonno soku Bodai to me. Moreover, The unborn and deathless nature of Awakening can be inferred from the Nikayas/ Agamas: "Luminous, monks, is citta. And it is freed from incoming defilements."

This implies that citta {kokoro/shin/mind} is innately pure; so one can extrapolate a Buddha Nature. Also: "There is an unborn,an un-become, an un-fabricated, an unconditioned. If there were not, there could be no escape from what is born, become, fabricated, and conditioned. But since there is an unborn [eternity], an un-become [joy], an un-fabricated [true self], an unconditioned [purity], therefore is there release from what is born [impermanent], become [unsatisfactory], fabricated [not self], and conditioned [impure]."

From that passage, one can extrapolate the 4 attributes of Nirvana found in the Nirvana Sutra and symbolized by the Four Leaders of the Bodhisattvas from the Underground; who appear in the Lotus Sutra. We can also infer purified consciousness, sensation, body, perception / emotion, and motives / habits.

Even this, from the Heart Sutra of Mahayana, infers complete dissolution of the Skandhas: "In emptiness no form [body], no feelings [sensations], no perceptions [conception / emotions], no impulses [motives / habits], no consciousness."

But it can also be taken to infer Purity, Bliss, Infiniteness / Timelessness,
Selflessness, and Amala Consciousness.

This passage might infer complete dissolutions of the 6 faculties and, therefore, vanishing of their objects: "No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind."

But it can also be taken to imply purification of the faculties and, therefore,
clear observation of that-ness. [taht, nyo]. Stopping or cessation of knotted perception; awakening of clear insight.

The Heart Sutra is rather radical in that a Bodhisattva, who can be taken as female, lectures the male Arhat Shariputra. However, there is something similar in the Suttas. Dhammadinna instructs Visakha, as follows "The noble eightfold path is fabricated. ... The Threefold Trainings are not included under the noble eightfold path, friend Visakha, but the noble eightfold path is included under the the Three-Fold Training."

Here we have a female Arhat monastic instructing a high ranking male lay person. She also refutes the 8-fold path as a provisional or transient fabrication, and asserts the 3 fold training as fundamental. From the Three-fold Training we can derive the Three Mysteries as well as The Three Great Secret Dharmas.

Visakha asks "What lies on the other side of Unbinding?"

Dhammadinna tells him to ask the Buddha ["the true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas"], if he is fortunate enough to see him. From that, we can also infer un-fabricated consciousness, sensation, body, perception / emotion, and motives / habits.

Also, the late Shin Yatomi wrote, "After Shakyamuni's death, the early Buddhists strove to achieve the state of arhat or "worthy one" by following his teachings. Arhat was originally synonymous with Buddha or "awakened one." Later, however, it became distinguished from Buddha. While the practitioners of the ascetic traditions sought the state of arhat as their highest attainment, the state of Buddhahood was reserved exclusively for Shakyamuni."

Expanding on that, we can say that Dhammadinna was a little b 'buddha' as she was, she did not have to reborn as male. This brings to mind the Dragon Girl of the Lotus Sutra. However, the Dragon Girl transforms herself to male before manifesting her Buddha Nature.

I think the teachings of the Nikayas/agamas gradually became distorted; they became elitist & sexist. Thus the Mahayana arose as a response; creating more distortions. The latter are resolved in the Lotus Sutra.

There is also a Sutta which concludes, "Therefore, with the total ending, fading away, cessation, letting go, relinquishment of craving, the Tathagata has totally awakened to the un-excelled right self-awakening, I tell you. ... That is what the Blessed One said. Displeased, the monks did not delight in the Blessed One's words."

It seems to me that "un-excelled right self-awakening" 'sounds' like the One Vehicle. The Sutta also seems to parallel an event in the Lotus Sutra, -- "the Buddha has fully realized the Law that is limitless, boundless, never attained before."

Posted by rbeck at July 20, 2007 10:20 AM