Buddha-nature (as Depicted in the Lankavatara-sutra)
by Nguyen Dac Sy | 2012 | 70,344 words
This page relates ‘Traces of the Buddha-nature in Early Buddhism (Introduction)’ of the study on (the thought of) Buddha-nature as it is presented in the Lankavatara-sutra (in English). The text represents an ancient Mahayana teaching from the 3rd century CE in the form of a dialogue between the Buddha and Bodhisattva Mahamati, while discussing topics such as Yogacara, Buddha-nature, Alayavijnana (the primacy of consciousness) and the Atman (Self).
1. Traces of the Buddha-nature in Early Buddhism (Introduction)
There are many ways to classify the history of Indian Buddhism. Some scholars divided Indian Buddhism into five periods: Early Buddhism, Sectarian Buddhism (often called Hīnayāna), Early Mahāyāna, Later Mahāyāna and Esoteric Buddhism.[1] However, the term “Early Buddhism” in this thesis refers to the Sectarian Buddhism because the Buddhist literature was only available from this period. This is the period into which, the Buddhist monastic community was firstly schismatic, originally caused by differences in rules, and later also due to doctrinal differences and geographical separation of groups of monks.[2]
During the period of about 200 years after the Buddha’s Mahāparinirvāṇa,[3] Buddhism began to be divided into two main schools,
- Sthaviravāda (Pāli: Theravāda, Doctrine of the Elders) and
- Mahāsāṅghika (Great Community).
The former was then split up to 11 sects and remains nowadays as Theravāda, while the latter was divided into 9 sects:
Sthaviravāda was split into 11 sects:
- Sarvāstivādin,
- Haimavata,
- Vatsīputrīya,
- Dharmottara,
- Bhadrayānīya,
- Sammitīya,
- Channagirika,
- Mahisasaka,
- Dharmaguptaka,
- Kāśyapīya,
- Sautrāntika.
Mahāsaṅghika was split into 9 sects:
- [? Mahāsaṅghika ?]
- Ekavyahārika,
- Bahuśrutīya,
- Uttaraśaila,
- Aparaśaila,
- Lokottaravādin,
- Gokulika,
- Prajñaptivāda, and
- Caitika.[4]
It is believed that both the Sthaviravādins and the Mahāsāṅghikas hold some ideas which were akin to the Buddha-nature thought due to their conception of the world and the Buddha.[5]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Hirakawa Akira, Aṅguttaranikāya History of Indian Buddhism: From Śākyamuni to Early Mahāyāna, p. 7.
[2]:
Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practice, p.74.
[3]:
The date of the Buddha’s Mahāparinirvāṇa is varied by scholars, from 543 to 477 BCE. (cf. P. Mittal, Geeta Dua, Origin and Development of Buddhism in India, p. 4)
[4]:
P.V. Bapat, 2500 Years of Buddhism, p. 85.
[5]:
Alka Barua, Kathāvatthu: Aṅguttaranikāya Critical and Philosophical Study, p.37.