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Śrävakabhumi
persons.1 But the Sautrāntikas mainain that only the manaḥsamcetana-āhāra is responsible for the future-life of a pudala attached to worldliness.
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The Mahāyāna texts follow the Pali texts in their essence and spirit. No detailed elucidation of the concept of ahāra is found in these texts as it is intimately connceted with the Buddhist doctrine of pindapāta" and the Mahāyānic texts refer to the transcendental aspect (nitārtha) of the teachings of the Buddha.
Asanga elucidates the concept of ahara in the light of the Theravada and Abhidharmika concept of nutrition and gives a detaild analysis of this doctrine.
Under the sub-title, 'bhojane mätrajñata', he elucidates the nature and concept of ahara as the basic factor of worldly business and the base of the bodily subsistence.5 He metions the various aspects of this knowledge of 'aharamātrā' by the Yogin or Sravaka which resembles to that found in the Pāli texts and gives a detailed analysis of the fourfold āhāras namely, kabaḍaṁkāra, sparsa, manaḥ-saṁcetanā and vijñāna, enumerates various items of food and gives a detailed account of their paripäka. He also gives a description of the ahara-concept under these heads: (a) one should take meal for favour of sustenance, (b) one takes it while knowing it (pratisaṁkhyāya), (c) one takes it for chasteness, (d) for the extinction of past, older vedanās. (e) for the betterment of life (yāpanāyai). The life (yātrā) is described as kṛcchra and akṛcchra. The yogin takes his meal as devoid of the two extremes of self-torture (atma
1. AKB, III. 39 sq., p. 153, Cp. p. 154, (AKB, III. 41).
Cp., ibid., p. 154: tadetanna varṇayanti sautrāntikāḥ...... Vsm., I. 89 sq.
SBh., p, 73 sq; YBS, I. 46, Cp. p. 92. 5-(bhojanavṛkṣa), p. 99 sq.
5. SBh., pp. 73-74; 84, 89-90 sq.; 93.
6. Ibid., p. 84 sq.; YBS, I. 99 sq.
7
SBh., pp. 85-97.
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