No More Learning

A good specimen of the methods of the Vibhdsd: "If there is a pure prajnd outside of the sixteen dkdras" {Kosa, vii. 12, Vibhdsd, p. 529), why does the Vijnanakdya not say this. . . ? If not, why do the Prakarana and the Samgitiparyaya, and even this treatise, the Vibhdsd, say that. . . ? And how does one explain such a sutra? One should say that there is no pure prajnd outside of the sixteen dkdras. In this case, one understands the Vijndnakdya, but how does one explain the Prakarana . . . ? There are five reasons which justify this text. . . "
Among the masters of the Vibhdsd, of special note are Parsva, frequently quoted, and who, along with many anonymous commentators, comments on the Brahmajdla (Vibh. 98, p. 508, but see also Vibh. 175, p. 881, on the &uddhavasikas and 177, p. 889, on the number of the laksanas); Purnasa {Ko/a Hi. 28, Vibh. 23, p. 118b: Samadatta (? ), iii. 45, Vibh. 118c); Samghavasu {Vibh. 19, p. 97a, 106, p. 547a; 142, p. 732a) who recognizes only six indriyas in the absolute sense, the
jivita and the eight, eye, etc. , because these six are the root of being, sattvamula (Kola, ii. 5); and, with respect to this, Kusavarman, who only admits one indriya, the manas, a doctrine which leans towards the Vijnanavada.
48 a. Vasumitra.
1. Vasumitra is one of the great masters of the Vibhdsd, and one of the leaders of the Sarvastivadin school. His theory on "the existence of all" Is, Vasubandhu says, preferable to that of the three other masters, Dharmatrata, Ghosaka, and Buddhadeva {Kosa, v. 26).
One searches in vain in the two Abhidharmas (of the collection of seven) attributed to Vasumitra, the Prakaranapdda and the Dhdtukdya, for an allusion to this theory. Taranatha says, moreover, that the author of the Prakarana has nothing in common with the Vasumitra of the Vibhdsd (p. 68).
2. The Aryan Vasumitra Bodhisattva gives his name to a treatise (Taisho 1549). According to the preface, this was the Vasumitra who, after Maitreya, will be the Simhatathagata; the Vasumitra to whom the fathers refused entrance to the Council because he was not an arhat, and who later became the president of the Council {Hiuan-tsang, Watters, i. 271). Watters does not think that he is the great master of the Vibhdsd', indeed, the thirteenth chapter of Taisho 1549, entitled "Sarvdsti-akhanda," does not contain any references to the system of avasthdnya- thdtva of the Bhadanta Vasumitra. This is all that I dare say about this very complicated chapter.
Poussin 29
? 30 Introduction
The theory of the time periods is encountered in the second volume (p. 780b), where the following text is discussed: "The past and the future are impermanent, and even more so, the present. " Why does the Bhagavat say "And even more so, the present"? Six explanations follow (among which the fifth: "In former times the length of life was 80,000 years; it will again become 80,000 years"); then: "The Bhadanta says, The present appears for a short period of time; the past and the future do not remain permanently, but they come and go reciprocally. This is what conforms to the sutra. '"
The paragraph devoted to avidya (p. 722) does not formulate the opinion of the author. There is only "It is said," notably the opinion of the Mahisasakas. Is this ajndna, the five nivaranas, ayonisomanaskdra, viparydsa, etc. ? (See Kosa, iii. 28). It appears, from the silence of Kyokuga Saeki, the editor of the Kosa, that the Vibhdsd does not treat this point.
The problem of alcohol is treated on p. 786 (Kosa, iv. 34, Vibhdsd, jp. 645).
The discussion on labha and bhdvand (Kosa, vii. 63), in which Vasumitra takes part (according to the Vydkhyd,) should be referred to Taisho 1549, for Vasumitra is not named in Vibhdsd, p. 554b. The same remark applies to the erroneous opinion of Vasumitra on the falling away from the nirvedhabhdgryas, Kosa, vi. 21.
The sloka on the eight aniyatas (Kosa, ii. 27) is not found in Taisho 1549.
For the discussion, "Does it happen that the dharma which is hetupratyaya of a dharma is not hetupratyaya of this dharma? '\ see Taisho 1549, p. 791a, and compare the Jndnaprasthdna in Kosa, ii. 52.
On living longer than a kalpa, see p. 782b; manodanda, schism, p. 785, classical doctrines.
9
3. Vasubandhu (ii. 44) quotes the Pariprcchd,* and has also written a
Pancavastuka (Vydkhyd). The Pariprcchd teaches a doctrine which is clearly
Sautrantika (that nirodhasamdpatti is accompanied by a subtle mind). Also, K'uei-
chi (Siddhi, 211) says that this Vasumitra is a divergent Sautrantika master. 50
As for the Pancavastuka, we possess a commentary, the Pancavastukavi-
bhdsa, from the hand of Dharmatrata (Taisho 1555). The five vastus are the
vastus explained in Kosa, ii. 55-56 (svabhdvavastu, dlambanavastu . . . ).
51
This work does not appear to contain Sautrantika opinions;
it is divided into
three chapters, Rupavibhdga, 'Cittavibhdga, and Caittavibhdga.
Vasubandhu adopts the demonstration of "seeing by the two eyes" through the argument of seeing the two moons (Kosa, i. 43, Pancavastukavibhdsd, p. 991c), and he probably adopts the theory (i. 38) that the five vijndnas are both of retribution and out-flowing and that the sixth is also ksanika (Pancavastuka,
p. 933c).
? The demonstration of the existence of sukha {Kosa, vi. 3) is very similar to the demonstration established in the Pancavastuka, p. 994c.
K'uei-chi, in his treatise on the sects (Sarvastivadin thesis, 28), mentions the opinion of the Pancavastuka on the nature of the svalaksana which is the object of the vijndnas (Kosa, i. 10).
b. Ghosaka and the Abhidharmdmrtasastra.
After the Council and the death of Kaniska, a Tho-gar or Tukhara was invited with Vasumitra to the country of A? maparanta--to the west of Kasmlr and close to Tukhara (TSranatha, 61)--by its ruler; he was the proponent of a theory that "all exists," and is frequently quoted in the Vibhdsd', he was also the author of the Abhidharmamamrtasdstra (Taisho 1553).
This treatise is a truly exquisite, small book, very readable (in spite of the early date of its translation, 220-265), very complete (for example, Chap, vi, on the doctrine of the laksanas and sub-faksanas, Kosa, ii. 45), but concise; however, we find some well-chosen details (for example, the enumeration of the fields of merit: father, mother, an old person, a sick person . . . ).
The list of the viprayuktas, p. 970, is related to that of the Prakarana (Kosa, ii. 35-36a): prdpti, jdti, sthiti, anityatd, asamjnisamdpatti, nirodhasamdpatti, asamjni-dyatana, ndnddesaprdpti {? ), vastuprdpti (? ), dyatanaprdpti (? ), the three kdyas, prthagjanatva.
The Ko? a (ii. 44) reproduces the essentials of a discussion between Ghosaka and the Sautrantika Vasumitra, the author of the Pariprcchd (see above p. 30), on the existence of the mind in the absorption of nirodha. The Vibhdsd, it appears, ignores the author of the Pariprcchd.
Among the opinions of Ghosaka mentioned in the Vibhdsd and mentioned again in the Kosa, the most notable is that "visibles are seen by prajnd associated with the visual consciousness," an opinion that departs from orthodoxy {Vibhdsd, p. 61c, Kosa, 142).
52
Elsewhere Ghosaka is very orthodox, or his divergences, which are minimal,
indicate a progress; for example, Kosa, vi. 19, 20, 78. The references iv. 4, 79 and \. 66 merit examination.
Vibhdsd, p. 397b, is interesting: "Ghosaka says: The five skandhas which form part of one's own series, of the series of another, which belong to living beings and which do not belong to living beings, are Suffering and the Truth of Suffering. The ascetic, upon understanding (abhisamaya), sees only that the five skandhas of his own series are suffering; he does not see that the others are
Poussin 31
? 32 Introduction
suffering. Why is this? Because one understands suffering under the aspect of torment : now the skandhas of another's series . . . do not torment his own series. "
c. Buddhadeva.
S. Levi asks (JA. 1896, 2, 450, compare Barnett, JRAS. 1913, 945) if the Buddhadeva of the Vibhdsd should be identified with the Aryan Buddhadeva, a Sarvastivadin, the Lion of Mathura. The Sarvastivadin Budhila mentions this same Lion who appears to be related to the Mahasarhghikas and who is perhaps
53
the Fo-t'i-lo of Hsiian-tsang,
cayasdstra) used by the Mahasarhghikas (? ) (Levi, ibid. ; Watters, i. 82).
We will find in Konow (Kharoshtht Inscriptions, 44-49) the most recent remarks on these difficult inscriptions. There is nothing wrong with Buddhadeva being very much earlier than the Vibhdsd. The Sarvastivadins owe their name to the theory that "all exists," which Buddhadeva was probably one of the first to have explained.
In addition to his theory that "all exists" {Kosa, v. 26), Buddhadeva is unique in
maintaining that derived matter (bhautika) is only a mode (avasthd) of primary
matter (mahdbhutas) (i. 64), and that the mental states {caittas, sensation, ideas,
volition) are only modes of the mind {citta, vijndna) (ii. 23, ix; Siddhi, 395,
Vibhdsd, p. 66lc, p. 730b), a doctrine which connects Buddhadeva to Dharmatrata
54
There are at least two Dharmatratas:
1. The Bodhisattva who compiled the Uddnavarga. The Vibhdsd, followed by the Kosa, quotes it to show that a work can be the "word of the Buddha" even though edited by a master. According to the preface to Taisho 212 (A. D. 399), this Dharmatrata was the maternal uncle of Vasumitra (Chavannes, Cinq cents contes, iii. 297).
2. The master quoted in the Vibhdsd, the proponent of a theory of "all exists" {Kosa, v. 26) which appeared to the Vaibhasikas to be too close to the systems of the heterodox.
3. This master of the Vibhdsd is also the author of an Abhidharmasdra which bears his name ? (Taisho 1552), a commentary and a new edition of the Abhidharmasdra of Dharmasri (Taisho 1550). In fact, the Dharmatrata of the Vibhdsd (p. 383b) denies the rupa which forms part of the dharmdyatana, that is
and to the Darstantikas-Sautrantikas.
d. Dharmatrata.
the author of the Chi-chin-lun (Tattvasamuc-
? to say, avijnatirupa; the same negation, somewhat more involved, but clear nevertheless, appears in the Sara (chapter on action, p. 888, see below).
4. There is nothing to prevent this same Dharmatrata from being
the commentator on the Pancavastuka of Vasumitra, Taisho 1555, the 55
e. The Bhadanta Dharmatrata.
The Vibhdsd, it appears, ignores Kumaralata and Srilata, who were the heads
of the Sautrantika school (Siddhi, 221, told to us by K'uei-chi). The Sautrantika
school, or, more exactly, the school which should take the name of Sautrantika, is
represented in the Vibhdsd by the Darstantikas and by two masters: Dharmatrata,
a divergent Sarvastivadin, and the master whom the Vibhdsd simply calls
"Bhadanta," whom the Vydkhyd of the Kosa calls "the Sautrantika Bhadanta"
(Kosa, viii. 9), who is at the "head of the list of Sautrantikas" (viii. 40), and who
56
adheres to or leans toward the Sautrantika system (i. 20).
Hsiian-tsang, P'u-kuang, and Bhagavadvisesa recognize on occasion, in the
"Bhadanta" of the Vibhdsd, the Sthavira or Bhadanta Dharmatrata (Kosa, i. 20, iv. 4). Y as'omitra declares that Bhagavadvisesa is wrong: "Bhadanta is the philosopher that the Vibhdsd calls simply by the name of Bhadanta, a philosopher who adheres to the Sautrantika system or leans toward this system; whereas Dharmatrata, whom the Vibhdsd calls by his name, is a Sarvastivadin, the author of one of the four theories of the Sarvastivada (Kosa, i. 20). " On the other hand, "the first version of the Vibhdsd gives the name of this master [Bhadanta] in transcription and precedes this, like those of the other masters, with the title of venerable" (note of N. Peri, in Cosmologie bouddhique, 276).
Dharmatrata expresses some opinions on important points which clearly depart from the system of the Vibhdsd and from the orthodox Sarvastivadin system; the same may be said of Buddhadeva.
1. The Bhadanta does not admit that the eye sees: it is the visual consciousness that sees (i. 42); he has a particular theory on the non-contact of atoms (Wassiliew,
57
Pancavastukavibhdsd.
279), which Vasubandhu accepts and which Samghabhadra discusses (i. 43); admits three caittas (ii. 23, Add. ), a position which distinguishes him from the Darstantikas; like the Sarvastivadins, he denies that rupa is samanantarapratyaya (ii. 62); he admits the prolonged existence of antardbhava, against the Sarvasti- vadins (iii. 14); he has a particular opinion on pratityasamutpdda and samutpanna (iii. 28); he denies avijnapti, which is clearly anti-Sarvastivadin (iv. 4); on the four modes of kusala, he has a very orthodox doctrine (iv. 8); he holds to the "mortal" sin of intelligent animals (iv. 97): he gives an explanation of the word vimoksa
Poussin 33
he
? 34 Introduction
(viii. 33); he mixes the dhydnas and the suddhdvdsikas (Vibhdsd, p. 881c); he treats
the last thought of the arhat (p. 954a); on uccheda and faivata (p. 1003c); on the
meaning of alpa, sulabha, anavadya, and on the praise of his disciples by the 58
Buddha (p. 909a, and p. 900b, where he differs from Vasumitra).
59
The Bhadanta is very clear on vicdra-vitarka {Vibhdsd, p. 744b, and p. 269,
Kofa, ii. 33 and viii. 23): the author of the Jndnaprasthdna wants to refute what the Darstantika says. The latter says: "There is vitarka-vicddra from Kamadhatu up to Bhavagra. Why is this? Because the Sutra says that grossness of mind is vitarka and that subtlety of mind is vicdra: now grossness and subtlety of mind exist up to Bhavagra. " The Bhadanta says: "The masters of the Abhidharma say that vitarka- vicdra are grossness and subtlety of mind Now grossness and subtlety are relative things and exist up to Bhavagra. However, these masters only admit vitarka and vicdra in Kamadhatu and in Brahmaloka. This is poorly said, this is not well said. " The masters of the Abhidharma say, "What we say is well said, not poorly said. In fact. . . "
2. Vasubandhu {Kosa, vii. 31) attributes to the Bhadanta Dharmatrata (see the correction ad vii. 31) an opinion on the power of the Bhagavat which is an opinion of the Bhadanta according to Vibhdsd, p. 155c.
In the Vibhdsd (p. 61c) Dharmatrata says that visible matter is seen by the visual consciousness {caksurvijndna): an opinion that the Kosa attributes to a Vijnanavadin (i. 42), and which differs from that of the Bhadanta {Vibhdsd, p. 62b) who says that the eye sees by reason of light and the manas knows by reason of the act of attention.
3. Vibhdsd) p. 66lcl6: the Jndnaprasthdna wants to refute what the other masters say. In this school there are two masters, the first Buddhadeva and the second Dharmatrata.
Buddhadeva says that rupa is only the four mahdbhutas, that the caittas are citta. Derived rupa (updddyarupa) is only mahdbhutavi? esa\ the caittas are only cittavisesa. Sutras quoted in support of this theory: 1. "What is in the eye is solid . . . " (Kola, i. 35); 2. "Sarrufc/^* is cittaikdgrya . . . " (viii. 2). How does Buddhadeva prove the existence of dhdtus, dyatanas, skandhas? . . . The Abhi- dharmacaryas say, "The quoted sutras do not have this meaning . . . "
Dharmatrata admits the existence of derived rupa apart from primary rupa, and of the caittas apart from citta. But he holds that derived tangibles and the rupa which forms part of the dharmdyatana do not exist. He thus attempts to prove the existence of the dhdtus, dyatanas, skandhas, as does the Abhidharma system. But the derived tangibles exist separately, as do the other derived rupas; but if the rupa of the dharmdyatana does not exist, avijnapti does not exist {Kosa, i. 35, iv. 3).
? 4. Vibhdsd, p. 383b: The Abhidharma says, "What is rupaskandba? Ten rupdyatanas and the rupa included in the dharmayatana (that is to say the avijnapti). " What system does it want to refute? It wants to refute the Darstantikas, for they deny any rupa in the dharmayatana. And Dharmatrata also says, "Everything that is rupa is either support or the object of vijndna. How could there be rupa which is neither one or the other? " It is in order to refute these opinions that the above-mentioned definition of rupaskandba is givea But if the rupa which is included within the dharmayatana is real, how can one explain what Dharmatrata says? It is not necessary to explain it, for this is not in the Tripitaka. Or, if one should explain it, one can say . . . that the rupa included within the dharmayatana, arising from the mahdbhiUas which are the object of touch, can be considered as the object of touch consciousness. Thus the declaration of Dharmatrata is without error.
5. Vibhdsd) p. 730b: Among the twenty-two indriyas or "organs" (Kosa, i. 48), how many are separate things, and how many are only names? The Abhi- dharmikas say that for twenty-two names there are seventeen things, for the two sexual indriyas (parts of the organ of touch) and the three pure indriyas (combinations of faith, etc. ) are not separate things (Kosa,ii. 2,9).
Dharmatrata only admits fourteen things: the first five indriyas, the jiviten-
driya, the upeksendriya, and the samddhindriya are not things. In fact the
jwitendrtya, the vital organ, is one of the viprayuktasamskdras (Kosa, ii. 45) and 60
these are not real. There are no sensations apart from the agreeable and the disagreeable: thus the sensation of indifference (upeksendriya) is not a thing. There is no samddhi, concentration, apart from the mind
Buddhadeva says that only a single indriya Is real, namely the mana-indriya, the mental organ: "The samskrtas, he says, are of two types: mahdbhutas and cittas . . . "
The index of proper names contains information, nearly complete, on the references to the Bhadanta in the Vibhdsd
61
a. Darstantikas and Sautrantikas.
The history of this school, though long, is not yet clear. The notes of K'uei-chi (Siddhi, 221-224; Masuda, "Sects," Asia Major, ii. 67; Levi, Drstdntapankti, p. 97) show that Hstian-tsang was not well informed with respect to them. Takakusu (Abhidharma Literature, 131) says that the Vibhdsd speaks of the Sautrantikas: rarely, in any case, for I have only found a single reference to the Sautrantikas; we can say that the Vibhdsd only knows the Darstantikas.
vi. Some Schools of the Vibhdsd.
Poussin 35
? 36 Introduction
We have reason to establish a relationship between this name and the book of
Kumaralata, the Drstdntapankti. We may ask if the Darstantikas are characterized
by the use of "comparisons," as the Tibetans say (Wassiliew, 274, according to
whom Sautrantika = Darstantika); however, the sense of the word drspdnta is not
proven with certainty. J. Przyluski thinks the Drspdnta is opposed to scripture.
This way of looking at it is confirmed, I believe, by the Vibhdsd (p. 782bl8). It is 61
said in traditional Drspdnta: "He who gives alms to a person who has left nirodhasamapdtti is endowed with an action which bears a result in this life. Why is this? There is no reason to explain this text. Why is this? Because this is neither in the Sutra, the Vinaya, nor the Abhidharma, but only in the traditional Drspdnta. That which is said in the traditional Drspdnta may be true or not true. If, however, one desires an explanation of this, one should say that this alms-giver obtains a result in this life or obtains great results. The text mentions only the first
62 alternative, because it is pleasing to people of the world. "
We can speak of a Darstantika-Sautrantika school: in looking at it more closely, the Vibhdsd assigns to its Darstantikas almost all of the theses that the Kosa assigns to the Sautrantikas.
Here are the more important disagreements between the Sarvastivadins and the Darstantikas-Sautrantikas.
1. The Abhidharmas of the Sarvastivadins are not authoritative {Kosa, i. 2, ii. l, villi).
2. The asamskrtas do not have any real existence (ii. 55).
3. The viprayuktas (ii. 35-36) do not have any real existence: negation of the prdptis, of the pvitendriya, etc.
4. The past and the future do not have any real existence (v. 25-26).
5. The existence of the past permits the Sarvastivadins to explain the play of causality; the prdptis serve the same function. Negating the past, the prdptis, etc. , the Darstantika-Sautrantika school admits a subtle mind, either of the btjas or of vdsand (perfuming), and thus takes into account the changes of the series (ii. 36, 50, iv. 79, ix ).
6. Extinction does not have a cause; things do not have any duration (sthiti): the ksana or moment, is of a size that tends to zero (iv. 2-3) (See Rocznik, vol. viii).
7. Notable divergence with respect to action: negation of the avijnapti (iv. 3), of bodily action (iv. 3), of the necessary character of retribution of an anantarya transgression (Vibhdsd, p. 359b20).
8. On the caittas and the bhautikas: opinions which depart from the Sarvastivadin system (ii. 23).
? 9. Explanation of the three rdsis (Kosa, iii. 44), which exist from hell to Bhavagra; beings having the dharmas of Nirvana; beings not having them; indeterminate beings {Vibhdsd, p. 930bl5; compare the Siddhi and its gotras).
10. The body of the Arhats is pure, being produced through "wisdom" (i. 4, Samghabhadra, p. 331b).
11. Simultaneity of the Buddha (iii. 95-96).
The references which follow, complete in the index of proper names (Darstantika-Sautrantika), are classified according to the material in the Kosa.
1. The Darstantika rejects certain sutras: how does he pretend to the name of Sautrantika? (Samghabhadra, p. 332a).
The vijndnas, including the manovijndna, have a special object {Kosa, ix, Vibhdsd, p. 449al6).
If the eye sees the visible {Kosa, i. 42, Vibhdsd, p. 6lbl9).
2. The Sthavira (=Snlata) and all the other Darstantika masters deny akasa (Samghabhadra, p. 347b).
Negation of prdpti, of apratisamkhyanirodha {Vibhdsd, p. 479al9, p. 796b6, p. 931b23).
The laksanas of "conditioned things"--Darstantikas, Vibhajyavadins, Sam- tanasabhagikas {Vibhdsd, p. 198al5 and foil. ).
Pratyayata is not real {Vibhdsd, p. 680b27).
There is no vipakahetu outside of the cetand, no vipdkaphala outside of the vedana (Vibhdsd, p. 96a26).
Rupa is not "a similar cause" of rupa--the opinion of the Darstantika according to the gloss of Kyokuga Saeki {Kosa, ii. 52), but, according to the Vibhdsd (p. 87c20), the opinion of the Bahirdesakas.
"Among the Sautrantikas, the Bhadanta Darstantika holds to the separate existence of vedana-sarhjnd-cetand', Buddhadeva adds sparsa and manasikdra: the other caittas are only citta\ the master Srllata holds that the asamskrtas and the viprayuktas have nominal existence" (Wassiliew, 281, 309, corrected).
Subtle mind in nirodhasamapatti and in asamjnisamdpatti (so too the Vibhajyavadins) {Kosa, ii. 44, viii.