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CONCEPTION OF REALITY IN MAHAYANA BUDDHISM: A STUDY
Y. S. Shastri
Buddhism has produced outstanding thinkers who made substantial contributions not only to Indian philosophy but also to the world thought.
Gautama the Buddha, the founder of this school, had not built any particular sect or school of thought. He was not much concerned about metaphysical problems, such as 'existence of Self,' 'Nature of the world and of Reality' et cetera. In fact, he had warned against metaphysics. As is well-known, he had emphasised on the moral aspects of human conduct; his approach was mainly ethical. He was not interested in establishing any philosophical system. But his later followers, taking inspiration from his teachings, and on the grounds of metaphysics, founded several philosophical systems.
Buddhism is divided into two principal sects, namely the Sthaviravadin (derogatorily called Hinayana) and the Mahayana. The Vaibhasika (Sarvästiväda), the Sauträntika, the Madhyamika (Sünyaväda), and the Yogacăra (Vijñänavada) are the four famous schools of northern Buddhism. The first two belong to the Sthaviravādin and the last two to the Mahayana. The Vaibhāṣika school is so called because this school lends more importance to the commentaries called the Mahāvibhāṣā and the Vibhāṣā on the Abhidharma treatise. They are also known as Sarvästivādins, because they believe in the existence of all things (sarvamasti), physical as well as mental. This school represents radical pluralism erected on the denial of Soul-substance (Pudgalanairatmya) and the acceptance of discrete momentary entities. According to this school, everything is momentary, there is nothing. human or divine that is permanent. For these Sarvästivādin philosophers, 75 dharmas are the ultimate elements of existence, which are momentary and yet real. The Vaibhāṣikas believe in theory of direct perception (bahyapratyakṣavāda). These thinkers argue that there is no permanent Reality as such and thus realisation (Nirvāṇa) is also not realising something permanent spiritual entity but extinction of all desires and miseries.
The Sautrāntikas (the followers of the Sūtrapiṭaka) uphold most of the doctrines of the Vaibhasika school, such as the non-soul theory, the doctrine of momentariness, and the liberation as mere extinction of miseries et cetera. But, according to these philosophers, external objects are not directly perceived as Vaibhāṣikas believe, but only indirectly inferred (bāhyānumeya). They admit the extramental existence of the world. We do not know the thing in itself. We can only know ideas which are copies or mental pictures and from these copies we infer the existence of the originals. Thinkers of this school of Sthaviravādins, cut down the number of dharmas (i. e elements of existence) of the Vaibhāṣikas from 75 to 43 and treat the rest as subjective or mental construction and hence unreal.
These two schools of Sthaviravadins are the upholders of the theory of momentariness. (Kṣaṇabhanga-väda). The ultimate aim of these two schools of the Sthaviravadins is the attainment of individual Nirvāṇa (liberation) which is negative (i.e. extinction of the miseries).
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