Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra
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The ''Abhidharma Śāstra'' () is an ancient
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
text. It is thought to have been authored around 150 CE. It is an encyclopedic work on
Abhidharma The Abhidharma are a collection of Buddhist texts dating from the 3rd century BCE onwards, which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries. It also refers t ...
—scholastic
Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy is the ancient Indian Indian philosophy, philosophical system that developed within the religio-philosophical tradition of Buddhism. It comprises all the Philosophy, philosophical investigations and Buddhist logico-episte ...
. Its composition led to the founding of a new doctrinal school, called ''
Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika () or simply Vaibhāṣika () is an ancient Buddhist tradition of Abhidharma (scholastic Buddhist philosophy), which was very influential in north India, especially Kashmir.Westerhoff 2018, pp. 60–61. In various tex ...
'' ("those pholdersof the "), which was very influential in the history of Buddhist thought and practice.


The Compendia

is a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
term—derived from the prefix ''vi'' + the verbal root ''√bhāṣ'', "speak" or "explain"—meaning "compendium", "treatise", or simply "explanation". Evidence strongly indicates that there were originally many different texts, mainly commenting on the , but also commenting on other Abhidharma texts too. The relationship between all of these texts is very complex, as there is mutual influence between them, and the texts underwent some development from initial inception to completion. The Taishō canon has three, however, which are
compendium A compendium ( compendia or compendiums) is a comprehensive collection of information and analysis pertaining to a body of knowledge. A compendium may concisely summarize a larger work. In most cases, the body of knowledge will concern a specific ...
s on the and its " six legs": the (T1545), the (T1546) and the (T1547). The tradition of the states that it was taught by the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
himself, but differs as to the circumstances; one Kātyayanīputra was credited with its later compilation. The (which actually refers to the Aṣṭaskandha) states that 100 years after the Buddha's demise, there arose doctrinal disputes among the great masters, giving rise to distinctly named schools.
Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...
maintained that it was written some three centuries after the Buddha, which would be c. 150 BCE.


, by Katyāyāniputra

Of these three, the is considered most prominent. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to five hundred
arhats In Buddhism, an ''Arhat'' () or ''Arahant'' (, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and has been liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth. The unde ...
, some 600 years after the of the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. Its compilation, however, is attributed to Katyāyāniputra. This date and authorship are based on the
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
translation, also by Xuanzang, and other historical considerations. It appears in the Taishō Tripitaka in its own volume (T27, No. 1545, 阿毘達磨大毘婆沙論, 五百大阿羅漢等造, 三藏法師玄奘奉 詔譯), due to its huge size: a massive 200 fascicles—which makes up a third of the total Abhidharma literature, and is larger than the previous (Abhidharma) texts combined. The is an older translation, translated by Buddhavarman and Daotai (T28, No. 1546, 阿毘達磨毘婆沙論, 迦旃延子造, 五百羅漢釋, 北涼天竺沙門浮陀跋摩共道泰等譯).


Contents

As such an immense text, it contains a huge array of material. This includes the discussion of basically every
doctrinal Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system. The etymolog ...
issue of the day, as put forth by: other—non-Sarvāstivādin—Buddhist schools, such as the
Vibhajyavāda Vibhajyavāda (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''Vibhajjavāda''; ) is a term applied generally to groups of early Buddhists belonging to the Sthavira Nikāya, which split from the Mahāsāṃghika (due either to the former attempting to make the Vinaya str ...
, the
Pudgalavāda The Pudgalavāda (Sanskrit; English: "Personalism"; Pali: Puggalavāda; zh, t=補特伽羅論者, p=Bǔtèjiāluō Lùnzhě; ) was a Buddhist philosophical view and also refers to a group of Nikaya Buddhist schools (mainly known as Vātsīputr ...
, the
Mahāsāṃghika The Mahāsāṃghika (Brahmi script, Brahmi: 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀲𑀸𑀁𑀖𑀺𑀓, "of the Great Sangha (Buddhism), Sangha", ) was a major division (nikāya) of the early Buddhist schools in India. They were one of the two original communities th ...
, and others; non-Buddhist systems, such as the , the , and others; and, finally, the Sarvāstivāda itself, as represented by the works of various learnèd and venerable leaders therefrom. As regards the former two, their "unorthodox" and "incorrect" doctrines are taken to task from the perspective of the Sarvāstivādins; with regard to the latter, several views are often expressed as elaborations of (presumably-) orthodox Sarvāstivāda doctrines. These are often open-ended, with no one explanation favored over another, though sometimes a particular explanation is extolled as being particularly clear and in harmony with the teachings. Due to the above two reasons, the
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
is particularly useful not only in understanding the Sarvāstivāda, but also in obtaining a relatively detailed perspective on the then-current state of both the
Buddhadharma Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth- ...
and other, non-Buddhist religions.


Sarvāstivāda of Kāśmīra

The Sarvāstivāda of Kāśmīra held the as authoritative, and thus were given the
moniker A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
of being —"those pholdersof the ". Some scholars believe that some of the other, now-lost texts may have represented a similar authoritative work, as held by the
Gandhāra Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending as far east as the Pothohar Platea ...
Sarvāstivāda or other centers of
orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
. It was due to the predominance of this text and its teachings at the time that
Vasubandhu Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; floruit, fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Indian bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and scholar. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary on the Abhidharma, from the perspectives of th ...
engaged in the study thereof, as a compendium that encompassed all of the essential doctrines.


Mahāyāna history

The contains a great deal of doctrinal material with a strong affinity to
Mahāyāna Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...
doctrines. According to Karl Potter, the information in the concerning the Mahāyāna is of considerable importance. The text employs a schema of Buddhist practice that consists of the Three Vehicles: #
Śrāvakayāna ''Śrāvakayāna'' (; ; ) is one of the three '' yānas'' known to Indian Buddhism. It translates literally as the "vehicle of listeners .e. disciples. Historically it was the most common term used by Mahāyāna Buddhist texts to describe one ...
#
Pratyekabuddhayāna Pratyekabuddhayāna (Sanskrit: प्रत्येकबुद्धयान; ) is a Buddhist term for the mode or vehicle of enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha or paccekabuddha (Sanskrit and Pali respectively), a term which literally means "s ...
#
Bodhisattvayāna Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...
It also describes accommodations reached between the
Hīnayāna Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit term that was at one time applied collectively to the '' Śrāvakayāna'' and '' Pratyekabuddhayāna'' paths of Buddhism. This term appeared around the first or second century. The Hīnayāna is considered as the prelim ...
and Mahāyāna traditions, as well as the means by which Mahāyāna doctrines would become accepted. The defines the Mahāyāna teachings, which are described as ''Vaipulya'' (Ch. 方廣)—a commonly used synonym for the Mahāyāna teachings—as follows: According to a number of scholars, Mahāyāna Buddhism flourished during the time of the Kuṣāṇa Empire, and this is illustrated in the form of Mahāyāna influence on the . The also records that Kaniṣka presided over the establishment of
Prajñāpāramitā A Tibetan painting with a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra at the center of the mandala Prajñāpāramitā means "the Perfection of Wisdom" or "Transcendental Knowledge" in Mahāyāna. Prajñāpāramitā refers to a perfected way of seeing the natu ...
doctrines in the northwest of India. According to Paul Williams, the similarly massive also has a clear association with the Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivādins. References to the (Mahāyāna) ideal of the Bodhisattvayāna, and to the practice of the Six
Pāramitā ''Pāramitā'' (Sanskrit, Pali: पारमिता) or ''pāramī'' (Pāli: पारमी) is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as a noble character quality generally associated with ...
s, are commonly found in Sarvāstivāda works. The Sarvāstivādins did not hold that it was impossible, or even impractical, to strive to become a fully enlightened buddha (Skt. ''{{IAST, samyaksaṃbuddha''), and therefore they admitted the path of a
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
as a valid one.Baruah, Bibhuti. ''Buddhist Sects and Sectarianism.'' 2008. p. 457


References

Early Buddhist texts Buddhism in China Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma 2nd-century Buddhism