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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.orgAcharya Shri Kailashsagarsuri Gyanmandir
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explanation derives its authority from the time-honoured oral traditions of the Theras, and one can safely regard it as a sourd statement of the Buddhist psychological position which would demur a mere philological interpretation of dūrangama, a word which in its literal sense signifies a belief in the existence of a mind or spirit (German Geist) capable of going far away and returning at its sweet will to the body. According to the Buddhist notion, the mind is dūrangama in the sense that it can think of a distant object, just as a person in India can think of St. Paul's cathedral in the city of Londov. The expression requires a further word of explanation. It is indeed just one of the many instances where the Buddhists read their own meaning into a current expression, which would yield a contrary sonse if a literal interpretation were
dhered to. As we shall see in the case of ekacara and other predicates of cita, the expressions were manipulated by the Buddhists on the basis of Upanishadic phraseology. It seems certain that the predicate durangama bas preserved reminiscences of primitive animistic notions of soul or spiritwhich are not without their influence upon the Upanishadic theories of waking, dream and sleep." Cf. the Upanishad expressions āsīne dāre vrajati” (Katha., II. 20); " mano dūrataran yāti". (Mahopa., III. 18). Ekacara=Pāli and Sk., ekacaran, compound, meaning
that which moves about alone'. According to the interpretation of the Dhammapada commentary, this predi. cate implies the Buddhist belief in the unity of mental life. To quote its own words," seven or eight cittas are so strung together that they are not capable of arising at tho same thought-moment. When a consciousness arises, it arisos as a unit, and this having ceased to be, others arise one at a time". One must admit that this Buddhist explanation of ekucaram closely follows on the lines of
Prof. Bby Davids notes (Buddhist India, p. 252): "Certain forms of disense wure supposed to be due to tho fact that the soul had escapod ont of the body; and charms are recorded for bringing it back" (Atharva-Veda, V. 29-5; VI, 532; VII. 67. Cf. Aitareya Aranyaka, III. 2. 4. 7). Two older notions cited by Yajnavalkya aro : (1) "Tadete bloka bhavanti :
Svapnena gariram abhiprahatyasuptah Buptūn abhicākasiti. Sukran adaya panareti sthånar hiranmayah puruşa ekabamaah ;
(Brihad år. Up; IV. 3. 11). (2) "Tanniyatna bodhayed ityåbuh, durbhirajyaró häsmai bhanati yamêşa ne pratipadynte. (Brihad Ar. Up; IV. 3. 11).
Cl. Brihad Ar. Up. IV. 3. 19; Chándogya, VIII, 12. 8. • * Sattatthacittani pang okato kannikabaddhani ekakkbano appajjitari samatthani nima n'atthi. Uppattiköle ek'okam ei cittam uppajjati, tasmin niruddho pena ek'okan eva uppajjatiti ekacarari nama jatan".
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