Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

Author(s): Suzuko Ohira
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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Part 2
Tirtharkaras
548
Jaina cosmography was completed in the fifth canonical stage and Jaina mythology was then rapidly developing, which prompted the canonical authors to establish the roles of arhats on the cosmic level, in both time and space, from the Jaina-centred wrid view. In this final part, we would like to discuss the problems relevant to (1) Socca-asocca kevalis, (2) 24 tirthnkaras and (3) Great personages of the Jainas.
(1) Socca-asocca kevalis
549
The topic of socca-asocca kevalis is taken up in X.31.364-69, which we placed in the fifth canonical stage (cf. E-2 for the outline). According to sutra 364, one is called socca (srutva) or having heard religious lore from any one of the following ten types of persons: (A) a kevali, his 'sravakas, 'sravikas, upasakas and upasikas, (B) a kevali's paksika (the same kevali's succeeding disciple/s, i.e., ganadhara/s in succession), his 'sravakas, sravikas, upasakas and upasikas. Sutra 367 states that an asocca kevali, who attains kevalihood without hearing any discourse from these persons, may answer some questions when asked, but would not preach himself, and he may recommend others to be initiated into a monastic order, but he would not initiate them himself. A socca kevali, who attains kevalihood by hearing the discourses delivered by them, is said in sutra 369 to participate in preaching activities and initiate his disciples. The residing places of both types of kevalis in the three worlds and the number of relevant kevalis attaining moksa in one minute are recorded in sutras 368-69.
550 This text thus distinguishes socca kevalis who are the active members of a mo
nastic order from asocca kevalis who are outside the church organization. As far as their social activities are concerned, they resemble bodhisattvas and pratyekabuddhas. Tirtharkaras are necessarily asocca kevalis in the mode of their awakening, but they organize their independent tirthas to promulgate their religion of salvation, which is said to be the role of socca kevalis. The same is true for the position of buddhas who are necessarily pratyekabuddhas in the mode of awakening, but they are necessarily bodhisattvas as to the role of their activities in the world. Pratyekabuddha is originally said to mean "Buddha himself" in the state of hesitation in preaching what he had just realized to the public. Later when the bodhisattva concept arose, the term pratyekabuddha came to be used in the sense of an arhat who can be awakened by himself without hearing others' discourses and devotes himself for the accomplishment of himself alone, not for the sake of others. The Jainas have no such tradition, and the nature of tirthankaras certainly differs from that of bodhisattvas. The classification of kevalis into socca-asoccā mentioned above must be felt needed in the process of formal theorization of church organiza
tion, and it is likely that their concepts were formulated much under the sway