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Chapter Ten Development ofMahayana While on the one hand, scholasticism gradually grew up and matured, giving rise to the three major philosophical schools mentioned above, on the other hand, certain aspects of popular religion developed and found expression in the basic teachings ofMahayana, bringing about radical changes in the religious life and aspirations ofthe followers. It was pointed out in chapter 8 that Mahayana is the culmination ofthe speculation concerning the nature ofthe Buddha. This speculation was prevalent even during the Buddha's lifetime. In the Anguttara-nikiiya, in answer to the question Who is a Buddha? the Buddha declared himself to be neither a god nor a gandhabba nor a yakkha nor a man. 1 It is possible to interpret this statement as implying that his is a transcendental existence, completely different from any form of existence known to man. But the real implication of the statement seems to be that, since the Buddha has eradicated craving for and grasping after the things ofthe world, he cannot be described in terms of those who are in possession of them. Hence the Buddha is represented as saying: As a result of which there would be birth as a god, or a gandhabba traversing the air, that by which one would attain the state of a yakkha or of a man, such defiling tendencies (iisavii) of mine are exhausted, destroyed, and rendered useless. Like the beautiful lotus which is unsmeared by water, even so am I untainted by the world. Hence, 0 Brahman, I am a Buddha.2 This is the status of a person who has completely eradicated craving of any sort. Such a person, as pointed out in chapter 7, is one who, even though he experiences pleasurable and painful sensations when coming into contact with the world, is able to remain unmoved by them. It is a state to be attained by utmost human endeavor and 112 stnvmg, understanding and renunCIatIon. This was Buddhahood attained by a human being-Siddhattha Gotama. There is no doubt that the information found in the Pali Nikayas and the Chinese Agamas is the earliest available with regard to any doctrine in Buddhism. The material pertaining to the conception of the Buddha found in the Nikayas and the Agamas may, there~ore, be contrasted with the legends in the Pali commentaries and the available Buddhist Sanskrit literature. The gradual development of the conception of the Buddha from a historical personality to the status ofa cosmic principle can be clearly seen in these texts. But there cannot be any denial that even in the Pali Nikayas and the Chinese Agamas this conception has far outgrown its original form. The earliest conception of the nature of the Buddha was that of a human being. He was born to a well-to-do k$atriya family and was nurtured with all the comforts such a family could provide. As a youth he left his weeping parents, renouncing all the wealth associated with his family, and adopted the life of asceticism, a movement which seems to have been in its ascendency at this time. After associating with some of the leading ascetics of his day and gaining mastery of the techniques of yoga, he attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five. Having attained enlightenment and having founded an order, he spent the rest ofhis life traveling and preaching in the lands of Magadha and Kosala. Finally, he passed away at the age of eighty, having spent the last few days in sore affiication due to an illness, which he endured with super human courage. His message had a profound effect on every aspect oflife. To the ordinary religious-minded man who was dissatisfied with the existing religion, which advocated piety founded on animal sacrifices, his teachings on morality based on broad ethical principles intended to promote the happiness and well-being of every human being and animal, came as a welcome shower after a long drought. His social philosophy based on equality of men brought solace to those who were harassed by the social stratification justified by belief in divine creation. To the ascetics who had stopped halfway (antariivosiinam iipanna), his teachings on spiritual matters offered meaning and significance to the life of asceticism. Finally, to the philosopher engaged in endless diatribes, speculating on the nature of Ultimate Reality while engrossed in his own likes and dislikes, the Buddha's antimetaphysical attitude paved the way for the attainment of right understanding. DEVELOPMENT OF MAHAYANA I 13...

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