World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 918

CONCEPTION OF REALITY IN MAHĀYANA BUDDHISM
Prof. Dr. Yajneshwar S. Shastri
Buddhism has produced outstanding Philosophical personalities who made substantial contributions not only to Indian Philosophy but to the world thought.
Gautama, tne Buddha, who was founder father of this School, has 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 Reality etc. In fact he had warned against metaphysics. He has emphasised on the moral aspects of human conduct; his approach was mainly ethical. He was not interested in establishing any philosophical system as such. But his followers, taking inspiration from his teachings became divided on the grounds of metaphysics and established many Philosophical Systems.
Buddhism is divided into two important sects, Viz., Hīnayāna (lower vehicle) and Mahāyāna (greater vehicle). Vaibhāsika (Sarvāstivāda), Sautrāntika, Madhyamika (Śünyāvada) and Vijñānavāda (Yogācāra) are the four famous schools in the history of Buddhism. The first two belong to Hinayāna and the other two to Mahāyāna, Vaibhāsika School is so called because this school gives more importance to the commentaries called Mahāvibhāsā and Vibhāsā on Abhidharma treatise. They are also called as Sarvāstivādins, because they believe in existence of all things (sarvamasti), physical as well as mental. This school is radial pluralism erected on the denial of Soul-Substance (Pudgalanairātmya) 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 philosophers seventy five dharmas are the ultimate elements of existence, which are momentary and yet real. Vaibhāșikas believe in theory of direct perception (bāhyapratyaksavāda). These thinkers argue that there is no permanent Reality as such and thus realisation (Nirvana) is also not realising something permanent spiritual entity but extinction of all desires, passions and miseries.
The Sautrântikas, (the followers of Sūtrapitaka) uphold most of the doctrines of Vaibhāsika school, such as non-soul theory, doctrine of momentariness and liberation as mere extinction of miseries, etc. But according to these Philosophers external objects are not directly perceived as Vaibhāsikas believe, but only indirectly inferred (bāhyānuneya). 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 Hinayāna, cut down the numbers of seventy five dharmas
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