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42
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
JANUARY 2014
stroyed, and so on, till the last chain, : by destruction of the objects. The two Schools are Sarvāstivavādins (beRebirth, Old age and Death are Destroyed, There is lieve that everything exists). thus a twelvefold dependent origination which positively The Mahāyānist Schools were: (1) that of the and negatively sets forth the causes of suffering and Vijñānavādins or the Idealists. It is the school of their Annihilation respectively.
Yogächāra (on its prectical side). It says that nothing Ethically Buddha preaches a Moderate Idealism, a but States of consciousness exist. Phenomena are H87H HH, avoiding Devotion to Passions and Self-Mor- nothing external, they are only of our own mind. It is tification. This middle path leads to Nirvana (the Bud- only due to Illusion (FPI) that they appear as subject dhist Salvation). It stops the working of Karma or Ac- and object. The Vijñānavādins are to the Sautrānikas tion. It consists 8 factors and so it is named the Arya- what Berkeley was to Locke, as when Berkeley denied aştāngamārga: Right Belief, Right Aspirations, Right the unknown matter and said that only ideas exist. (2) Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, The Madhyamika School or Nihilism. No appearances Right Mindedness and Right Meditation.
have any intrinsic value of their own; all is Void, The When Suffering is controlled by a discipline as set world is only the apprearance of Illusions. Like the forth above, the final stage of acquisition is Nirvana. It Vedāntins this school believing in the theory of worldmeans (1) Blowing out or Destruction, or (2) Cooling. illusion recognises two kinds of Truth, the Absolute or When only human passions are extinct, it is a Second- Ultimate, and the Phenomenal or Illusory. The ary type of Nirvāna (34117919); when there is total dis- Madhyamikas are sometimes known as appearance from the transitory world it is Absolute Sarvavaināśikas (Nihilists). The Vijñānavādins or Nirvana or Parinirvana (34festafafu).
Buddhisits of the school of Yogāchāra believe in the Buddha was a reviler of the Vedas. Also, he hated reality of cognitions only, but not in the existence of exoteric, i.e. secret doctrines. 'O disciples, there are external objects; while the Madhyamikas deny the rethose to whom secrecy belongs, to women, to priestly ality of cognitions also, after proving the non-existence wisdom and to false doctrines.' He did not believe in of objects. Both deny the existence of external objects. the existance of God. All world is a Momentary Flux But the Madhyamika's denial of the reality of cognitions (fuch als) and Salvation is possible only by a practical is based on his denial of the reality of external objects. Method, moral discipline (a H or Vehicle) and not by The Vaibhāşikas came into prominence about the Knowledge (for Philosophy).
third century after Buddha's death, the Sautrāntikas There are two forms of Buddhism as it developed about the fourth century, the Madhyamikas about the (1) the Hinayāna or the Little Vehicle, and (2) the fifth century, and the Vijñānavādins about the 8th, i.e., Mahayāna or the Big Vehicle. The Hinayāna goal was in about the third century A.D. Buddhism was very only that of Individual Salvation. The Mahayāna goal strong in the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries. was higher, that of Universal Salvation. Philosophically,
(To be continued in next issue) the former were phenomenalists. They believed that All things were impermanent. The latter were Nihilists
GANDHI'S QUOTES i.e., they believed that All is Void at bottom.
• You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is There were two schools of Hinayānism: (1) that of
an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the Vaibhāsikas, the Presentationists, and (2) that of the Sautrāntikas, the Representationists. They believe only
ocean does not become dirty. in the authority of Sūtras. So they are called
• Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is Sautrāntikas. According to the Vaibhāsikas, we get a
daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in direct knowledge of the external world.* According to
prayer to have a heart without words than words the Sautrāntikas, we do not have direct knowledge of
without a heart.
• A man who was completely innocent, offered * प्रत्यक्षसिद्ध बाह्यार्थमसौ वैभानिको ऽब्रवीत् ।
himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including बुद्धयाकारानुमेयोऽर्थो बाह्य: सौत्रान्तिकौदितः ।।
his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It बुद्धिमात्रं वदत्यत्र योगाचारो न चापरम् ।
was a perfect act. नास्ति बुद्धिरपीत्याह वादी माध्यमिक: किल ।।
