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THE SECOND CHAPTER OF BHAVYA'S
MADHYAMAKAHṚDAYA*
(Taking the Vow of an Ascetic)
by
V. V. GOKHALE
Poona
It has not yet been generally recognised that the Madhyamikas, who are known to have a strong predilection for the logic of language and a metaphysics of transcendence, and who accept the traditional analysis of mind and matter current among the Vaibhāṣikas, also possess a strong streak of asceticism and a passion for ethics oriented towards the Bodhisattva idealism. Coming later in the Madhyamika tradition Santideva's Bodhicaryavatāra is an outstanding example of this ethical trend, but even before him Acārya Bhāvaviveka (or Bhavya, as we call him here), the commentator of Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka and presumably a younger rival of Buddhapalita, is seen to give prominence to this aspect of the Madhyamika view of life by placing in the forefront of his independent treatise, called the Madhyamakahṛdaya (The Heart of the Madhyamaka Philosophy) two chapters, called: I. Bodhicittäparityāga (Not surrendering the Spirit of the Highest Wisdom) and II. Munivratasamāśraya (Taking the Vow of an Ascetic) before explaining at length his own special method of forming syllogisms that should lead to the conviction regarding the absolute Reality in Chapter III, called Tattvajñānaiṣaṇā (Quest for Truth).
In an article on "The Vedanta-Philosophy described by Bhavya in his Madhyamakahṛdaya" published in the Indo-Iranian Journal, Vol. II (1958), Nr. 3, pp. 165-190 (jointly with Prof. Hajime Nakamura, Tokyo). I have already briefly indicated in footnote 1 the general nature of this work of Bhavya as gathered from a hasty handcopy of a palm-leaf manuscript made by Pandit Rāhula Samkṛtyāyana at the Zha.lu monastery in Tibet. There it will be seen, that after the third chapter, viz., Tattvajñānaiṣaṇā, Bhavya is occupied with a critical examination of non-Madhyamika schools, firstly among the Buddhists themselves, viz.,
* Paper read at the 28th International Congress of Orientalists, Canberra, on 7.1.1971, slightly enlarged and revised on 3.2.1971.
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THE SECOND CHAPTER OF BHAVYA's Madhyamakahṛdaya
the Śrāvakayānists and the Yogācāras in Chapters IV and V respectively, and then among the non-Buddhists, viz., the Samkhyas, the Vaiseṣikas, the Vedantins and the Mimāmsakas from Chapters VI to IX - all these Chapters forming as it were an amplification of the principles and methods expounded by him at great length in his crucial chapter III, Tattvajñānaiṣaṇā. The tail-end consists of two smaller chapters, viz., X. Sarvajñatasiddhinirdeśa (which is preserved barely in one and a half verse of the Sanskrit original and the Tibetan version of which refers to the Jaina doctrine of Sarvajñatā (omniscience) and XI. Stutilakṣananirdeśa, which completes this work of Bhavya, so to say his magnum
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opus.
That the first three chapters formed the nucleus of his enlarged and complete treatise as we have it before us, is borne out by the following two verses from Chapter I, Bodhicittäparityaga, which follow immediately after the preliminary salutation to the Buddha in the first three verses. They run thus:
1.4
.5
mahabodhau kṛtadhiyām parārthodayadikṣayā | tattvāmṛtāvadhārāya śaktitaḥ kimcid ucyate || Bodhicittäparityāgo Munivratasamāśrayaḥ Tattvajñānaiṣaṇā ceti caryā sarvārthasiddhaye ||
With whatever ability I possess, I venture here to say a few words to guide the comprehension (of those who hold different views) in respect of that nectarlike Truth (tattvāmṛta) - that Truth, which was revealed by those, who, having taken a vow to work for ever for the benefit of others, dedicated all their powers of understanding to the attainment of the Great Wisdom. Nonsurrender of the Spirit of the Highest Wisdom, Taking the Vow of an Ascetic, and a Quest for Truth - this threefold course of conduct (carya) leads to the fulfilment of the entire purpose of life (sarvārthasiddhi).
Hereafter follows an exposition of the Bodhicitta, which forms the subject-matter of the First Chapter, Bodhicittäparityāga. Thus, these two stanzas quote the titles of the first three Chapters, describing the ethical ideals and the logical method prescribed by Bhavya in his Madhyamakahṛdaya (containing nearly a thousand verses, of which well over one third part is occupied by the Third Chapter alone).
I have already pointed out (in note 1, referred to above, to my said article in the IIJ, II), that an independent treatise called Tattvajñānāmṛtāvatāra could be regarded as the earlier nucleus of the enlarged Madhyamakahṛdaya and that it contained only the three chapters, which have been mentioned in the above two stanzas by their titles. The de
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V. V. GOKHALE
scription of the Absolute Reality as tattva (among Buddhist philosophers) seems to have come in vogue at least since the days of Harivarman's Tattvasiddhi - The restoration of this title as: Satyasiddhi by Ui and other scholars is hardly justified by its Chinese translation ( )-and it continused to be favoured by positivistic thinkers like Santarakṣita in his Tattvasamgraha. Bhavya himself likes to call it the tattvajñānāmsta (the Nectar of Truth) in various contexts in his present treatise, e.g., III.136 ... nirātmatām, vidyān vibhāvya bhāvānam tattvajñānāmstam pibet // ; V. 1 Anye pracakşate dhīrāḥ svanītāv abhimāninah / tattvāmstāvatāro hi Yogācāraḥ sudešitaḥ //; VIII.94 (= Tib. 86) Buddhānāṁ lokabandhūnām tattvāmstam idam param 1). Moreover, the title Tattvajñānāmrtāvatāra is authenticated in the colophon to Chapter III, so that there should be no doubt, that we have this small tractate of three chapters here incorporated within the larger treatise called Madhyamakahrdaya.
Out of the three Chapters of this Tattvajñānāmstāvatāra, the first two, as mentioned at the outset, deal with the ethical idealism of the Madhyamikas while the third deals with the Madhyamaka philosophy, set forth in the style of the Svātantrika logic, which appears to represent Bhavya's own contribution to Indian philosophy. In the present article, I propose to edit the Sanskrit text of the Second chapter. It contains only twelve stanzas and is (after Tib. versions) the smallest among all the chapters of the Madhyamakahrdaya except the very last one, which contains only three stanzas. While in the first chapter Bhavya speaks about the “Non-relinquishment of the Bodhicitta”, in the Second chapter he speaks in positive terms about the acceptance of the vow of an ascetic.. The text, corrected in the light of the Tibetan versions, runs as follows:
Chapter II: Munivratasamāśraya (Taking the Vow of an Ascetic)
Evam drdhamahābodhisamādāno jagad-dhite/ Pratirūpām pratipadam pratipanno virājate //
Having thus gone in for a resolute acceptance of the (vow, in respect of the) Great Wisdom for the sake of the good of the world, and having established himself in the Right Path (pratirūpå pratipad), he is covered with glory.
Sa maitryāl 'pratighātinyā kārunyena prasarpiņā / Saddharmādhigamätrpto dharmadāne vimatsarah //
1 The avagraha is missing in the Mc (= manuscript copy).
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suga
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With his love (maitri), which (always protects and) never injures, and the development in him of a feeling of compassion (kārunya), he is insatiable in his greed for knowledge of the Good Law, and is far from sparing in his religious gifts.
Rjunā'hatamānena manasā tattvadarśinā /
Paradoșeksaņāndhena svadoșāpattibhīruņā // With a mind, straightforward and devoid of self-conceit, he visualises the Absolute Truth, and while turning a blind eye towards the sins of others, he is anxious about himself falling into the merest) error.
Vivādalokasamsargalokāyataparārmukhaḥ /
Nirgune 'pi guņādhānapratatya’sramsitādaraḥ // He turns his back on (all kinds of) disputations, on social contagion and on (those confounding sophists belonging to) the Lokāyata cult, and his faith in the continuous generation (pratati) of virtue in (the minds of) even those who are devoid of all virtue, is unswerving (asramsita). 5 . Krpodbhūtena dānena sarvajñatvagataspshah" /
Sarvasya janakāyasya sarvaduḥkhopaśāntaye // While practising charity out of (sheer) commiseration (krpā), he creates in himself a desire for omniscience (only) for the sake of pacifying all the miseries of the entire world of living beings. 6 . Šīlāmalajalasnāyī kşamāsitapavitrakaḥ /
Viryabaddhajațābhāro dhyāna'jñānaparāyaṇaḥ || He takes his (holy) bath as it were in the pure waters of Morality (sila); Patience (kşamā) is as it were the white ring of hemp on his finger (pavitraka); he has tied up his matted hair, representing as it were his Fortitude (virya); and he has dedicated himself to contemplation (dhyāna) and knowledge.
Samunmīşitadhinetrah śāstra lokajñatāpatuh /
Hrira'patrāpyavasanaḥ sauratya$tanubandhanaḥ // · Mc. reads ajñānā-, but Tib. dran = upright, honest, straightforward (explained in the Commentary (i.e. Tarkajvälä) as 'without deceit'). 8 Mc. reads -pratatā-, which may be corrected as above following the Tib. ...yon. tan.gyil rgyun.rnams.skye.bar.rtag.tu.gus//. 4 The Tarkajvālā here discusses the question: "If charity is given with a desire for omniscience, how could the donor be disinterested (phalāśārahitah)?". 5 Mc. shows a gap of three syllables as: -na, which is filled in as above after Tibetan readings. 6 The Tarkajvālā explains the word śāstra in the same way as the famous stanza: Yac chāsti vaḥ klesaripūn aśeşān, santrāyate durgatito bhavāc cal etc. variously attributed to Arya Deva or Vasubandhu (see my article on the "Pancaskandhaka by Vasubandhu and its commentary by Sthiramati", ABORI, Vol. XVIII, pt. iii (1937), p. 283, note 1). ? Mc, reads hripatrāpya-. (Cf. Śikṣāsamuccaya (Bendall), p. XVII, quoting Whitney, 1250f., cf. Pan. VI. iii. 25 for the retention of the nominative form in the compound word). 8 For sauratya see Mhvy. 1115, 6597 (Sakaki); Śikṣāsamuccaya, p. 183 etc.
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V. V. GOKHALE With his eye of intelligence wide opened and his skill in theoretical as well as practical matters, he puts on his garments of modesty and bashfulness as it were, and he wears a girdle as it were of dignified softness (sauratya) around his waist.
Krpākssņājinadharaḥ śraddhā 'malakamandaluh /
Smstiguptendriyadvāro dhștivetrāsanāsanaḥ // Wearing the dark deerskin as a symbol of) Commiseration (krpā) and having a spotlessly clean water-jug (kamandalu) in the form of Faith (śraddhā), and with the gates of his senses guarded as it were by constant awareness (smrti), he has his seat on the reed-mat of Endurance (dhrti).
Mahāyānalomahāramyatapovanasamāśrayaḥ / .
Dhyānaprītiphalāhāraḥ smộtyupasthānagocaraḥ // He has his dwelling in the luxurious forest-hermitage of Mahāyāna (Superior Career), where he nourishes himself upon the fruits of happiness, born of Meditation; and the sphere of his actions is represented by the location of (the four kinds of) Mindfulness (smộtyupasthāna).
Gambhirodārasütrāntallsvādhyāyahatakilbiṣaḥ /
Pratītyotpādasāvitrīml2 japan satyadvayāśrayām13 || He has destroyed all his sins by giving oral instruction (svādhyāya) in the Sutrānta-texts, which are profound and extensive, while chanting to himself as it were the Hymn to the Sun (Sāvitrī) in the form of the Chain of Causation (Pratityasamutpäda), founded upon the twofold aspect of Truth.
Varņāļhyaiḥ pratipat14 puşpaiḥ sarvadiggandhavāhibhiḥ /
Upāsīnas tv aharahaḥ samyaksambuddhabhāskaram15 // And day after day he worships the Sun, who is the Perfectly Enlightened One (Samyaksambuddha), with flowers in the form of his achievements (pratipatpuspa), which waft their fragrance in all directions and are rich with (colorful) praise (varna). 12
Hutākušalasankalpah pratisamkhyānapävake Munivratam cared evam anuttarapadäptaye //
Munivratasamāśrayaparicchedaḥ dvitīyaḥ // Having sacrificed all undesirable notions in the fire of reflexion (pratisamkhyāna), one has to live an ascetic life of this type for reaching the summit, where there is nothing beyond. End of Chapter Two on Taking the Vow of an Ascetic.
11
. Mc. reads śuddha-, but Tibetan has dad. pal. 10 Mc. reads naștānga- for Mahāyāna-. 11 Tarkajvälà explains Sūtrānta as texts like the Prajñāpāramitā. 12 Tarkajväla: Sāvitri, because the Buddha is called the Sun (Savita). (See verse 11 below: sambuddhabhāskaraḥ; also Suttanipāta 457, 568; Vinaya I, 246 etc.). 13 Mc. reads -śrayat/. 14 Pratipat = Tibetan bsgrub.pa; Cf. LVP's L'Abhidharmakośa, VII, p. 32 n. etc. 15 Mc. reads-bhāskaraḥ //.
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________________ THE SECOND CHAPTER OF BHAVYA's Madhyamakahrdaya 45 In the above, Bhavya has before him the picture of a fully accoutred Muni of the Brahmanical tradition - a Muni with his matted hair, deerskin, water-jug, girdle, reed-mat, sacrificial fire, Sun-worship and whatnot, all of which he seems to admire, if not envy. In poetical flourishes these are described as symbolic of the Mahayanic virtues, like those of the Paramitas (sila, ksama, virya, dhyana), learning and practical wisdom combined with modesty, mercifulness, faith, alertness, endurance and divine service. The central conception of his Madhyamika philosophy is represented by the Pratityasamutpada formula of 'Dependent Origination' in both its aspects, viz., that of samvrti (phenomenal reality) and paramartha (the Absolute Reality) - a formula, regarded by him as a substitute for the Savitri (or Gayatri) mantra of the Brahmanic Muni. Actually, the Buddhist Muni described here is not exactly an ascetic, but a sage or holy man in a wider sense, reminding us of the simple and straightforward description of him in the Munisutta of the Pali Suttanipata 12, or even that of the Sthitaprajna-yogin of the Bhagavadgita II. It is perhaps not altogether without reason that the Prasangika Madhyamikas, whose traditions coming through Buddhapalita and Candrakirti still dominate the ruling Tibetan Buddhism today, regard the Svatantrika Bhavya as a sort of misfit. His general acceptance of the principles of formal logic, as established by the founders of Nyaya, his sympathies with the Jaina view of omniscience and to a certain extent with the monistic illusionism of the early Vedantins, and his systematic study of the contemporary philosophical doctrines, Buddhist and non-Buddhist, with a view to examine them critically and refute them from the point of view of the Nagarjunian Madhyamaka as understood by him mark him out as a learned man of compromise as well as a keen and resourceful proselytiser. Bhavya's real contribution to Buddhist philosophy, however, is his initiation of the Svatantrika method, which he has illustrated at length in the third chapter of his Madhyamakahrdaya, viz., Tattvajnanaisana, as noted above, and which came to be appreciated by later Buddhist philosophers, like Santaraksita. Special attention has already been drawn to this third chapter in Sanskrit by Prof. Shotaro lida (Vancouver), who in his Dissertation, submitted to the Wisconsin University (U.S.A.) on "An Introduction to the Svatantrika Madhyamika" (1968) has utilized a part of it for drawing his own conclusions.