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Śrāvakabhūmi
The Buddhist Sanskrit texts partially follow the Pali canon. These Mahāyāna works use the word in the primary sense of appearance or descent. But in the Mahāyāna Sūtras, such as the LV” and the SRS, the sense of entrance into or attainment of a moral state or comapassion is obvious. Later on, in the same texts and some others also, the sense of intellectual penetration and comprehension of a particular doctrine, such as the origination of empirical existents by virtue of dependence on some given causes and conditions (Pratitya samutpāda), or the equality of all existents becomes more familar.4 In expressions such as avatāra-kušala and avatāra-kausalya, the sense of entrance becomes more explicit. In some texts, the word has been used in the sense of approach, opportunity and defect also.
In the Abhidharmic texts, the meaning of 'entrance' has been taken to be conveyed by this word. In the Abd. (vs, 11), it has been stated that it is through the eighty thousand dharma-skandhas that the converted and the trained, renounced disciples (vineya) are made to 'enter' the märga or penetrate therein."
It is interesting to note that Asanga mentions the avatārabhūmi as the second sub-section of the SBh. and defines it as the preliminary stage leading to the acquisition of Nirvāṇa.8 It has further been elucidated as the preceding
1. Mtu, ed. E. Sépart, II. 263.6. 2. LV, p. 25. 14-15, p. 132. the word 'avatāra' has also been men
tioned in the ASPP, p. 28. 3. SRS, p. 6.7.
LV, p. 306, 30; 307.1, 7; Gandavyūba, p. 369.24. 5. LV, p. 7.11 Cp. p. 316.9; for detailed references Vide BHSD,
p. 71. 6. LV, V. 37.d; SPS. p. 97.13; 265.28; Mtu., II 241.5, III. 286.10
and elsewhere. Dharmaskandhasahasrānāma śīterpi sangrahah Jñeyo' vataranasvava taiḥ sanmärgavatāranāt|| Abd No. II, p. 10. Maitreyanatha mentions avatāra as a kind of avastha Hettavastha'vat ärākhyā prayogaphalasañiñital...
'MV., vs., IV. 18;
