Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

Textual analysis and comparative discussion on early Buddhist sects and scriptures.
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Ceisiwr
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Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

Post by Ceisiwr »

Although mostly lost some fragments of the Pudgalavādins Abhidharma survive, such as the Traidharmakasastra (Taisho no. 1506 pp. 15c-30a). I managed to find an English summary of what it contains, although I have no way of checking how accurate it is. Some interesting points would be that just like the Visuddhimagga it frames jhāna in terms of the Kasiṇas. There is also a cryptic passage that I can't quite work out, which I've highlighted.
Intro
It is knowledge (jñana) of the Good (kusala), of the Bad (akusala) and the Support (nisraya) (which) is the Dharma access (dharmaparyaya) leading to the Supreme Good, Nirvana.

On Merit
Three elements of merit (punya):
1. Giving (dana), with reference to the conduct of oneself and others. It consists of three factors: a. the relinquishment of possessions (dhanaparityaga); b. the will to give (cetana); c. nonintimation (avijñapti). There are three kinds of gifts: 1. The gift of the Dharma; 2. The gift of fearlessness (abhaya) 3. The gift of objects. The fruit obtained by the accomplishment of meritorious action together with
the others is greater than the fruit obtained by accomplishing it alone. Pure giving is giving accomplished in total purity of causes and conditions.233

2. (Sila) is intimation by the body and speech in a positive sense; it is defined as “leading others, not harming others and increasing the good.” The first two characteristics are aimed at eliminating wrong actions of body and speech. The continual growth of these two characteristics even during sleep, constitutes the third.

3. Cultivation (bhavana), or mental development, is compared to the action of perfuming sesame seeds with flowers or services rendered to the king who in return necessarily gives a reward. It includes:

a) The four absorptive meditations (dhyana), named after what they obtain: 1. the discarding of desire (kama); 2. the discarding of discursive thought (vicara); 3. the discarding of joy (priti); 4. the discarding of suffering and happiness (duhkhasukha). These correspond to the four stages of the world of form (rupadhatu).

b) The four immeasurables (apramana), the spheres of action on living beings, which are immeasurable: 1. Goodwill (maitri); 2. Compassion (karuna), 3. Altruistic joy (mudita) 4. Equanimity (upeksa).

c) The four formless attainments (arupyadhatusamapatti): 1. The sphere of the infinity of space (akasanantyayatana); 2. The sphere of the infinity of consciousness (vijñanantyayatana); 3. The sphere of nothingness (akimcanantyayatana); 4. The sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception (naivasamjñanasamjñayatana).

On the roots
There are three good roots (kusalamula): the absence of craving (alobha), hatred (advesa) and delusion (amoha).

On good friends
The friendship of virtuous people (kalyanamitra) is in indispensable condition of the pure life (brahmacarya).

On Patience
Ksanti is a twofold quality: it consists of patience towards oppression caused by the potency of wealth, pardon for wrong actions by the poor, and endurance of suffering provoked by inanimate phenomena such as cold, heat, hunger, etc. The analysis of things which engender anxiety according to the law of causes and conditions (hetupratyaya) reinforces endurance. Patience, in this sense, comprises knowledge or right view.

On Asceticism
The virtue of asceticism (dhutaguna), aimed at distancing oneself from inhabited places and opening oneself to serenity and simplicity, consists of twelve practices:
I - The practice of wearing rag robes;
II - That of possessing only three robes;
III - That of wearing coarse robes,
IV - That of being content with any seat;
V - Living in a tranquil place;
VI - That of sheltering under a tree;
VII - That of living in the open air;
Vlll - That of sitting correctly;
IX - The practice of alms-seeking;
X - That of eating only one meal;
XI - That of not eating broth in the afternoon;
XII - That of living in a cemetery.

On Sense restraint
Restraint of the faculties (indriyasamvara); this is control of the sense faculties, nondeterioration, protection and submission of the faculties. Furthermore. restraint of the faculties means perception accompanied by correct reflection (yonisomanaskara).

On Sila
Right speech (samyagvac): abstention from slander (paisunyavada), harsh speech (parusyavada), falsehood (mrsavada) and frivolous speech (sambhinnapralapa).

Right action (samyakkarmanta): abstention from taking life (pranatipata). theft (adattadana) and sensual misconduct (kamamithyacara).

Right livelihood (samyagajiva): for monks, to live contented with four necessities supplied by upasakas; for upasakas, not practising the five types of livelihood which are harmful to others: trading in arms, poisons, intoxicants, flesh and living beings.

On Virya, Smrti and Samadhi:
1. Vigour (virya) is also the power (bala) which designates action conducive to the Supreme Good, it consists of: a. Faith (sraddha) which indicates purification (visuddhi) - the destruction of defilements (asrava): aspiration; desire and love for the Dharma; and determination (adhimoksa); commitment to the way. b. Diligence (apramada) which indicates beginning - beginning to do good: exercise - repetition of action: and perseverance - adhering to an undertaking. 235 c. Tenacity, which indicates not stopping, not being repulsed and not renouncing.

2. Mindfulness (smrti) is the absence of forgetfulness regarding the four applications of mindfulness (smrthyupasthana) concerning: a. Inwardness (adhyatmika) - the grasping aggregates (upadanaskandha), the elements (dhatu) and spheres of one's senses (ayatana); b. Outwardness (bahya) - others; and c. A combination of both - grasping (upadana) and non-grasping (anupadana). Moreover. the three modalities of mindfulness can be realised through the elimination of three kinds of passions (klesa), craving (kama), anger and delusion (moha), which are found inwardly, outwardly and in both.

[The Tds. lists the twelve modalities of mindfulness after adding feelings (vedana), thoughts . (citta) and dharmas, by multiplying them by the three modalities of mindfulness.]

3. Samadhi designates: a. On emptiness (sunyatasamadhi) which indicates the absence of an agent (nirahamkara) and what pertains to an agent (mamamkara) and both; b. On wishlessness (apranihitasamadhi) by means of which one understands that compounded things (samskaras) are painful and consequently one does not fix (wish for) them. c. On non-perception or signlessness, wu-hsiang, asamjña or animitta samadhi: this is the renunciation of a perception of deeds, acts and both, compounded things (samskrta).

On Prajña
The four Truths: suffering (dukkha), its origin (samudaya), its cessation (nirodha) and the path (marga). Higher knowledge (vidya), including: 1. Knowledge of the recollection of former existences. 2. Knowledge of the births and deaths of beings. 3. Knowledge of the destruction of the
defilements (asravas).

On the five lower fetters
The five lower fetters (pañcadhavarabhagiya): satkayadrsti, silavrataparamarsa, vicikitsa, kamacchanda and vyapada.

On the Eight Liberations
Liberation (vimoksa) means, the elimination of all passions (klesa) relating to the triple world. The eight liberations are:

I - Liberation in relation to the world of desire (kamadhatuvimoksa) includes three liberations: 1. Liberation accomplished through the contemplation of the repulsive (asubhabhavana), in the perception of beings endowed with internal forms; meditation on the decomposition of a corpse in a cemetery. 2. Liberation accomplished through contemplation of the repulsive, in the perception of beings devoid of form: without perceiving any form and entering the meditation in which the body of another is perceived like that described earlier. 3. Liberation accomplished through contemplation of the lovely (subhabhavana): meditation on detachment from colours.

II - Liberation in relation to the world of subtle form (rupadhatuvimoksa) includes four liberations in which the desires of the world of subtle form are already eliminated.

These are the four attainments (samapatti) related to the formless world (arupyadhatu).

III - Liberation through cessation (nirodhavimoksa) is liberation accomplished through the cessation of thoughts (citta) and concomitant mental actions (cittasamprayukta).

On Misconduct
Misconduct of body (kayaduscarita):
1. Taking life, the action of killing beings, accomplished with: a) the intention of killing which consists of: 1) mental desire: the idea of killing; 2) the desire to be killed by another: inciting others to kill; 3) joy at the action of others: feeling joy at killing by others; b) the order to kill which consists of: 1) advising; 2) ordering others to kill; and 3) approving the killing of others c) the deed of killing, the realisation of killing which consists of 1) the idea of living beings 2) the idea of relinquishing life; and 3) the destruction of life.

2. Theft is the action of voluntarily raking the possessions of others, accomplished with: a) the idea of the possessions of others; b) the idea of stealing, and c) appropriation with intention.

3. Sensual misconduct is forbidden sensual relationships, practised with: a) the women of others; b) persons observing the law, and C) through forbidden paths.

Misconduct of speech (vagduscarita):237
1. Lying is discourse which dissimulates the truth, it is motivated by covetousness of a gain. a) for oneself; b) for another or c) for reasons of self-interest.

2. Speech which is too frank is speech which possesses the following three qualities: a) speech devoid of grace, harmful speech; b) speech which provokes separation, slander; c) speech which possesses both characteristics of the first two, combined harmful and slanderous speech.

3. Frivolous speech consists of: a) inopportune discourse; b) untruthful discourse and c) senseless discourse.

Misconduct of thought (manoduscarita):
1. Covetousness (abhidya) is desire for other peoples' goods, a wish to seize others' possessions; it is differentiated from intention which is the desire to act, because it is desire limited to itself.

2. Ill-will (vyapada) is malevolent thought which is disposed to oppress others.

3. False view (mithyadrsti) is heresy, of which there are three kinds: a) opinions denying actions (karman); b) opinions denying results (vipaka) and c) nihilism (nastidrsti).

On Attachment
Three types: Attachment to sense desire (kamaraga): five kinds of attachment corresponding to five sense-objects. Attachment to existence (bhavaraga) which corresponds to the triple world. Attachment to the pure life (brahmacaryaraga).

On Conceit
Three forms of conceit (mana): Conceit of inferiority (unamana), arising from the idea: 'I am not like others'; Conceit of equality (samamana), arising from the idea: 'I am equal to others; Conceit of superiority (adhimana), arising from the idea: 'I am superior to others'.

On Upadana
Appropriation (upadana) - of the aggregates (skandha), elements (dhatu) and spheres (ayatana) of oneself and others, that is, attachment to the self (atman) and attachment to what pertains to the self (atmiya).

On two kinds of Nirvana
Nirvana with a remainder (sopadhisesa) and Nirvana without a remainder (nirupadhisesa).

On Erroneous Knowledge
Erroneous knowledge (mithyajñana) designates:

1. Belief in individuality (satkayadrsti): 238 a. belief in the reality of the self (atman), b. belief in the reality of what pertains to the self (atmiya), and c. belief in the reality of freedom (aisvarya): “Belief in the unreality of freedom is the illusion regarding the five sense-objects which are similar to the trunk of a banana tree, to balls of foam on water, they are considered as freedom whereas they are like heavenly cities.”


2. Extreme views (antagrahadrsti): a. belief in annihilation (ucchedadrsti), b. belief in eternity (sasvatadrsti), and c. belief in a combination of both.

3. Attachment to views (drstiparamarsa): a. attachment to rules (sila): b. attachment to views (drsti); c attachment based on the two preceding ones.

On Samadhi
Samadhi consists of:

a. Samadhi in relation to the world of subtle form (rupyadhyana), the absorptions (dhyana) immeasurables (apramana), spheres of mastery (abhibhvayatana), three deliverances (vimoksa), and samadhi based on the first eight of the ten spheres of totalisation of the object (krtsnayatana): Earth, water, fire, wind, blue, yellow, red, and white.

b. Attainment in relation to the formless world (arupyasamapatti), the four attainments in relation to the formless world, the last two of the ten spheres of totalisation of the object (i.e. space and consciousness).

c. Undefiled samadhi (anasravasamadhi): this is samadhi leading to the exhaustion of the defilements. It consists of the emptiness samadhi (sunyatasamadhi), the wishlessness samadhi (apranihitasamadhi) and non-perception (or signlessness) samadhi.

On the Aggregates (skandha)
● Form (rupa): the four great elements (mahabhuta): earth: solidity; water: liquidity; fire: heat; wind: mobility. These are the separate and mixed elements.

● Formation (samskara)

● Feeling (vedana): a. pleasant feeling, arising from sense-pleasures non-ill will and nonattachment. b. unpleasant feeling, arising from birth, old age and death; c. Neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling (aduhkhasukhavedanti), contrasted to the two preceding ones.

● Perception (samjña): implies the receptivity of images.

● Consciousness (vijñana) is knowledge of different things. It consists of: a. what is born; it is at the moment of conception, by entering the mother's womb, that the different kinds of formation (samskara) together produce consciousness; b. what forms the sense 239 spheres (ayatana); it is consciousness, continually increasing even in the mother's womb, which gradually forms the sense spheres of four kinds: (1) disturbed spheres, (2) undisturbed spheres, (3) fixed spheres, and (4) unfixed spheres; and, c. what is not formed by the sense spheres; this is consciousness, after birth, which is conditioned by the faculties and objects of the faculties (indriya). Consciousness, according to the Tds is the point of support (asraya) of wisdom (prajña), what is supported.
http://obo.genaud.net/resources/pdf/jav ... chings.pdf
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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Ceisiwr wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:04 pm On Erroneous Knowledge
Erroneous knowledge (mithyajñana) designates:

1. Belief in individuality (satkayadrsti): 238 a. belief in the reality of the self (atman), b. belief in the reality of what pertains to the self (atmiya), and c. belief in the reality of freedom (aisvarya): “Belief in the unreality of freedom is the illusion regarding the five sense-objects which are similar to the trunk of a banana tree, to balls of foam on water, they are considered as freedom whereas they are like heavenly cities.”


2. Extreme views (antagrahadrsti): a. belief in annihilation (ucchedadrsti), b. belief in eternity (sasvatadrsti), and c. belief in a combination of both.
It sounds like the Pudgalavada is acknowledging anatta, in their own way. I have always had an interest in the early buddhist schools, but when I heard that Pudgalavada accepts a person as existing, I assumed that meant they believe in a self or soul, so rejected it outright. It was not until recently that I heard that they do accept the doctrine of anatta and then I started reading what I could about them and now I don't find their teachings so far, as being that un-buddhist.
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

Post by Coëmgenu »

They are mostly attested through heresiologists, like many early schools.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:55 pm They are mostly attested through heresiologists, like many early schools.
That's true, almost all of the information we have about them is from the writings in Kathāvatthu and other writings placing them in a negative light, from heresiologists, as you say, thus, the real quality (if any) might be much better if there were an objective accounting.
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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DNS wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:48 pm
Ceisiwr wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:04 pm On Erroneous Knowledge
Erroneous knowledge (mithyajñana) designates:

1. Belief in individuality (satkayadrsti): 238 a. belief in the reality of the self (atman), b. belief in the reality of what pertains to the self (atmiya), and c. belief in the reality of freedom (aisvarya): “Belief in the unreality of freedom is the illusion regarding the five sense-objects which are similar to the trunk of a banana tree, to balls of foam on water, they are considered as freedom whereas they are like heavenly cities.”


2. Extreme views (antagrahadrsti): a. belief in annihilation (ucchedadrsti), b. belief in eternity (sasvatadrsti), and c. belief in a combination of both.
It sounds like the Pudgalavada is acknowledging anatta, in their own way. I have always had an interest in the early buddhist schools, but when I heard that Pudgalavada accepts a person as existing, I assumed that meant they believe in a self or soul, so rejected it outright. It was not until recently that I heard that they do accept the doctrine of anatta and then I started reading what I could about them and now I don't find their teachings so far, as being that un-buddhist.
Their “person” was a real concept (paññatti) that wasn’t an atta, thus not self. The other schools disagreed with this as they considered it to be a subtle form of atta. Some speculate that the reason why Sarvāstivāda and Theravāda stress the unreality of concepts and the reality of sabhāva dhammas was in part a response to the Pudgalavādins. Personally whilst there is some possible grain of truth in that I think it was already there before. I also think a lot of these schisms were sometimes based on misunderstandings, where one Elder gave more emphasis to a teaching than another which eventually developed into stronger divisive doctrines later on. An exception might be the block time theory of the Sarvāstivādins, although that merely grew out of an attempt to answer how kamma works.

Getting back to the Pudgalavādins, according to the Kathāvatthu they believed this “person” also existed in nibbāna.
Last edited by Ceisiwr on Sun Jun 27, 2021 11:02 pm, edited 5 times in total.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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DNS wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:00 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:55 pm They are mostly attested through heresiologists, like many early schools.
That's true, almost all of the information we have about them is from the writings in Kathāvatthu and other writings placing them in a negative light, from heresiologists, as you say, thus, the real quality (if any) might be much better if there were an objective accounting.
The text I mentioned above comes from them. Sadly there is no English translation of it yet.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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From what I’ve read their “person” theory developed from a critique of how the Abhidhamma completely deconstructed individuals and, once again, from a need to explain kamma. To them kamma didn’t make sense unless there was a “person” to whom it related to.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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That's quite an extensive work, 567 pages, written / compiled by Javier J. Fernandez-Viña. Do you know who that is? Is he a Buddhist Studies professor?
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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Two highly regarded academic studies...

Bhikshu Thich Thien Chau, The Literature of the Personalists of Early Buddhism

https://archive.org/details/literatureo ... P/mode/2up

Leonard Priestley, Pudgalavada Buddhism - The Reality of the Indeterminate Self.
https://archive.org/details/pudgalavada ... 2003_503_u
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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Dhammanando wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 4:22 am Two highly regarded academic studies...

Bhikshu Thich Thien Chau, The Literature of the Personalists of Early Buddhism

https://archive.org/details/literatureo ... P/mode/2up

Leonard Priestley, Pudgalavada Buddhism - The Reality of the Indeterminate Self.
https://archive.org/details/pudgalavada ... 2003_503_u
That’s great. Thank you Bhante.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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DNS wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:48 pm
Ceisiwr wrote: Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:04 pm On Erroneous Knowledge
Erroneous knowledge (mithyajñana) designates:

1. Belief in individuality (satkayadrsti): 238 a. belief in the reality of the self (atman), b. belief in the reality of what pertains to the self (atmiya), and c. belief in the reality of freedom (aisvarya): “Belief in the unreality of freedom is the illusion regarding the five sense-objects which are similar to the trunk of a banana tree, to balls of foam on water, they are considered as freedom whereas they are like heavenly cities.”


2. Extreme views (antagrahadrsti): a. belief in annihilation (ucchedadrsti), b. belief in eternity (sasvatadrsti), and c. belief in a combination of both.
It sounds like the Pudgalavada is acknowledging anatta, in their own way. I have always had an interest in the early buddhist schools, but when I heard that Pudgalavada accepts a person as existing, I assumed that meant they believe in a self or soul, so rejected it outright. It was not until recently that I heard that they do accept the doctrine of anatta and then I started reading what I could about them and now I don't find their teachings so far, as being that un-buddhist.
There is a famous line from Yaśomitra's commentary on the Abhidharmakośa (Sphuṭārthā Abhidharmakośavyākhyā):

/ na hi vātsīputrīyāṇāṁ mokṣo neṣyate bauddhatvāt /

"for liberation is not denied for the Vatsiputriyas since they are Buddhists." (Vatsiputriyas being pudgalavādins)

The reason has always fascinated me, it says literally: bauddhatvāt -- it is an Ablative of cause from bauddhatva, which is an abstract noun made from buddha with an affix -tva, "Buddhist-ness", "because of Buddhist-ness".

Which means that "being Buddhist" was more important than having a pudgala-vāda view.

It seems they had never taught that the pudgala is anything like ātman, but something which is anitya, anātmaṇ, duḥkha, nevertheless it exists somehow.

The absence of "the belief in reality of sovereignity" (aiśvarya) that is discussed in the quote is nothing other than an equivalent of a view of emptiness of phenomena, śūnyatā of Mahāyāna: the sense-data don't have any sovereignity or autonomy, they are dependently and causally produced and as such have no essence. This is a common trope in the later Buddhist literature, in both Śrāvaka- and Mahā-yānas.

Dr. Dragomir Dimitrov

http://www.dragomir-dimitrov.net/

recently found a full intact Sanskrit manuscript of the Dīrgha-āgama of Sāṃmitīyas (=pudgala-vādins) in Tibet, and in the coming years we will be able to read their canonical texts. But I wouldn't expect it any soon -- probably in five years or so the first parts will be edited.

He discusses some of its contents in his new book:

The Buddhist Indus Script and Scriptures. On the so-called Bhaikṣukī or Saindhavī Script of the Sāṃmitīyas and their Canon. [By] Dragomir Dimitrov. Wiesbaden 2020.

I've read it, it's excellent. He mentions there as well the *Traidharmakaśāstra (San fa du lun). He mentions a recent article on the literature of the Pudgalavādins:

Peter Skilling. "Rehabilitating the Pudgalavādins: Monastic Culture of the Vātsīputria-Sāṃmitīya School". Journal of Buddhist Studies. Volume XIII. 2016. Hong Kong 2017. pp. 1-53.
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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sphairos wrote: Tue Jun 29, 2021 3:12 pm [Dr. Dragomir Dimitrov

http://www.dragomir-dimitrov.net/

recently found a full intact Sanskrit manuscript of the Dīrgha-āgama of Sāṃmitīyas (=pudgala-vādins) in Tibet, and in the coming years we will be able to read their canonical texts. But I wouldn't expect it any soon -- probably in five years or so the first parts will be edited.
:woohoo:

:reading:
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

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Interestingly I learnt today that the Vātsīputriya, which i believe was the original Pudgalavāda tradition, also accepted dhammas existing in the 3 times:
Honjö's view is that Vasubandhu belongs to the Sarvästiväda, but does not 23 recognize the authority of the Sarvästiväda Abhidhanna sästra-s} But it seems to me that Yasomitra's definition provides the necessary, but not the sufficient condition for the qualification of being a Sarvästivädin. The fundamentally different doctrinal standpoint of Sarvästiväda versus Vibhajyaväda cannot be completely ignored in this judgment, in as much as the argument that a Sauträntika is one who rejects the authority of the Abhidharma sästra-s itself entails a doctrinal element of consideration: the central Sarvästivädin tenet that cannot dispense with the stamp of authority of the Abhidharma sästra-s is sarvästitva. The distinction between the Sarvästiväda and the Sauträntika is not merely one pertaining to the attitude with regard to the Abhidharma sästra. Otherwise, a sect like the Vatsîputrïya with its five-fold Categories that include past, present and future dharma-s, and is said by the compilers of the MVS to differ only with respect to a few doctrinal points from the Sarvästiväda and moreover respects certain Abhidharma texts of the Sthaviraväda lineage, would be better qualified as Sarvastivada. Although such a consideration still cannot ascertain beyond the fact the Sautrantika is a distinct school of thought, it may be noted that the Vibhajyavädins and Vatsïputrîyas are indeed also distinct Buddhist sects.
Abhidhamma Doctrines and controversies on Perception - Ven. Dhammajoti
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Pudgalavādin Abhidharma

Post by Ceisiwr »

In Ny, Samghabhadra bluntly excludes the Vâtsïputrïya and others from the name of Sarvastivada:

“Only [those who] believe in the existence of the tri-ternporal [dharma-s] and the three types of truly existent asamskrta can claim to be Sarvastivada. For it is only on account of their holding the existence of these dharma-s that they are acknowledged as Sarvastivada. The others are not; because they either superimpose/add on, or subtract from, [the dharma-s recognized by the Sarvastivada]. The Superimposers assert that there exist the Pudgala and the previous dharma-s. [On the other hand], the Vibhajyavädins assert the existence of only the present and those past karma-s which have not yet given fruit. The Ksanikavädins assert the existence of only the 12 äyatana-s in the single moment of the present. The Prajnaptivädins assert that the dharma-s of the present too are mere prajnapti-s. The Vainäsika-s assert that all dharma-s are completely without any svabhäva like äkäsa-puspa-s. All of them are not Sarvastivada.

In this context, the Sütrakära vilifies thus: If one says that the past and the future truly exist, it is not a good proposition with regard to the Noble Teaching… You people assert that among the present 12 äyatana-s, some exist truly, some do not; like the tenet of Sthavira [Sriläta] concerning rüpa, sabda, sprastavya and dharma-s — how can you be Sarvastivada? There are others who, owing to the force of defilements assert that all dharma-s exist as mere prajnapti-s — can they too be Sarvastivada? There are yet others who, owing to the force of false views, assert that all dharma-s are completely without any svabhäva:, they too say that the present exists as an illusion — can such an assertion of existence in such a manner be also named Sarvästiväda?”
Interesting stuff.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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