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Buddha Theravada Buddhism BUDDHA THERAVADA BUDDHISM A Study of the Concept of Buddha in the Pali Commentaries First Edition 1997 Second Edition 2002 8 TOSHIICHI ENDO ZSBN 955-96292-0-4 Sole Distributor: BUDDHIST CUITURAL CENmE 125,Andcrsun Buad. Nedimala, DehiweIa, Sri lanka Te1: 734256,728468,726234Pax: 736737 WRI. No. www.buddhistccLk E-mail No.bcc@ si.lanka.net Piin?cd 1j.Y: b~abalGraphics LQ Printing (Pvt] Ltd. "P 12512. Anderson Road, Dchiwda. TeI: 732648 TeL'Fax: 074204172 CONTENTS FOREWORD PREFACE ABBREVLATIONS CHAPTER I : THE BACKGROUND: ..................................... 147 The Spiritual & Physical Attahnenrs of the Buddha in lhe Precoinmentrlrial Pali Literature ............................1 1. Gotarna Buddha and His Biography............................... 1 2. Thc Person of Gotama Buddha ...................................... 4 3 . The Beginnings of the Buddha's Apotheosis................. 11 4 . Spiritual Attahnlents of the Buddha......................... - ... 4. a. The EarIy Canonical Texts (the Four Nikiyas) .... 15 4.b . The Late Canonical Texts (the Khuddaka Niiya) and the Abhidhamma ............................................ 25 4.c.The Post Canonical Texts ...................................... 36 5 . Physical Endowments of the Buddha ............................ 44 THE BUDDHA-CONCEPT IN TH[e COMMENTARIES CHAPTER Il : BUDDHA'S SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENTS .... 5 1-133 1. Buddha's Knowledge (Gpa) in General, ........................51 . 2 . Sabbfiuta-fiea (Omniscient Knowledge) .................... 58 3 . Dasabala OF Taagatabala (Ten Powers or Tathbata Powers) ................r...................................... 79 4 . Iddhi (Psychic Power) ............. ..... ............................ 85 5 .Mah&aq%amipatti-iiwa (Knowledge of the Attainment of Great Compassion)............... ., ..................89 6 . Cakkhu (Eye).................................................................. 97 7. Catuvesirajja pour Confidences)........................... 100 8 . Khetta {Field)................................................ 101 \ 9 . Kiiya (Body)................................................... 107 t O.VDanii (Habit).............................................................. 110 11. At@rasabuddbadhamma (Eighteen Qualities of a Buddha)................................... ... ............. 113 CHAPTER ITI : BUDDHA'S PHYSICAL ENDOWMENTS .. 135-165 1. Mah2purisalakkhaqa (Characteristics of a Great Man) .................................................. :.......... 138 2. Asihnuvyaiijana .(Eighty Minor Marks) ................... I42 3 . Pabha (Halo) and R-si (Rays) ............................... 146 .4. Satapuiiiialakkhaqa (Marks of a Hundred Merits) ..........................................................., ;....... 156 5 . Euddhapiida (Footp~t) ...... .i... ..................... ;......... 163 CHAPTER N : THE NINE VIRTUES OR TITLES (NAVAGW........................................ 167-194 CHAPTER V : THE DEFINITIONS OF TAT~GATA...... l"5-206 CHAPTER Vl : THE GENERAL NATURE @HAMMAT& AND THE DIFFERENCES (VEMATTA) AMONG BUDDHAS .................................. 207-2 16 THE BODHZSA'rTA-CONCEPT IN THE CO~NTAFtES 1. Bodhisanas in the Pre-cummeahrial Literature ...........220 2. Rodhisattas in the Cnrnrnentaries .......... ..,................ -227 CHAPTER VJII : THE CAREER OF A BODKISATTA......... 243-266 CHAPTER IX :THE DOCTRINE OF PWTA.............. 267-299 MAPTER X : CONCLUSION ..................:........ ..... ...........30 1.308 NOTES ................................... .- 95 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................... ... ..............A974 1 1 INDEX ................. ........................................................... 41 3-42 1 FOREWORD The Pali Commentaria1 literature as an independent source material is still a much neglected area of study. Its use is more towards the supplementary nature for the exegesis and clarification of words and phrases found in the Tripipka as may have been the case throughout its history because of its literary nature. Taken independently, however, it also provides a vast stare of information to know the development of Theravada Buddhism reflected in the Tripitaka. Here lies another area of importance in the study of the Pali Affhakaw literature. A pioneering work was made more than 50 years ago by Dr.E.W .Adikaram who examined the PCAfwatha in their original sources and the nature of their contents. More recently, some scholars have taken to the study of the Pdi Afthakatk extensiveIy and ' comprehensively. Among them are Dr. Friedgard Lottermoser of Germany (1982) and Dr. Sodo Mori of Japan (1984) who have expanded the scope of the At$akathI study by examining not only the original sources of the cmmentaries, but also their contents from different angles. Along these fruitful studies, time seems to be ripe for schoIars to pay attention now to the contents of the Psi ATfhakathI literature more closely. Dr.T.Endo's work presented here will certalinly fill a desideratum. Dr. Endo's primary task, as he states, is to present the data and information embodied in the Pili Afthakathii concerning the Buddha-concept as much and as systematically as possible. He begins with a brief examination of the Buddha-concept found in the pre- commentaria1 literature as a prelude to his main themes both of the Buddha-concept and the Bodhisattaconcept from Chapter I1 onwards. Findings presented in his work clearly indicate that the Buddha- concept in the Affhakatha literature forms in itself an important and dynamic force to reckon with for the establishment of what we later regard as Theravada Buddhism reflected in the commentaria1 and subsequent literature. He discusses in the second chapter some ideas and notions introduced within the comentarial literature for the first time in the Pali tradition. Special mention must be made in this connection of the Eighteen Qualities of a Buddha (a,@iirasabud&adhamma3, a classification af the omniscient ones (sabb&-i. and the explanations of compassion (k-a in the commentaries. The author has skilfully demonstrated a well-balanced approach to the development of the Buddha-concept in these areas with the maximum data possible without becoming apologetic, but with sympathy. Pursuing further the development of the Buddha- concept in the commentaries, he next deals with the physical attributes of Buddha in the third chapter. Here again he shows that the commentators attempted to portray the Buddha or Buddhas in a more superhuman form with the increased number of physical attributes. The chapters four to six deal with commenmial exegeses ofthe Nine Virtues of a Buddha (Chapter IV),definitions of Tathiigata (Chapter V) and what cornmon features and differences all Buddhas have among them (Chapter VI). The author examines the doctrine of Bodhisatla in diiferent aspects in the last three chapters. He brings to our notice that the commentaries, particularly those of Dhammapiilila, give three types of bodhisattas; namely mabdbodhisa~a, paccekabodhisatta and dvaka'bodhisatta, This classification of bodhisattas plays a vital role even in the doctrine of perfections @&mi@. The general thinking that the term ' bodhisatla' exclusively denotes a being destined to attain Buddhahood is thus denied in Dhammapiila's commentaries. The perfections @&amit& are practised not only by Buddhas-to-be (mahabodhisattas),but also by anyone who can be designated as 'siivakabodhisatta'.The author has also brought to our attention that DhammapSiIa occupies a special place in the commentaria1 literature as he seems to have been much influenced by other non-Theravada sources. The author, however, believes that Dharnmap'ala did not merely introduce them into TheravadaBnddhism, but he first digested them and then incorporated into it so that his comments fall well within the framework of the Theravada tradition in the end. Dr. Endo's work has set an example of how the Al@akathii literature can be studied in its entirety as a source material even for a single topic like the Buddha-concept. His wark becomes all the more useful in that he has made a comprehensive study of secondary Japanese sources not available to the average student and has made a synthesis of material scattered in various primary sources and has tmed the historical development of the concept systematically. The strength of his study is his thoroughness and scientific approach in presenting the data and information embodied in the Afwth2. Contribution made by Dr. Endo towards the understanding of Theravada Buddhism will certainly be appreciated by many. N.A.Jay awickrama September 1997 PREFACE This book is a revised and slightly expanded version of my doctoral thesis submitted to the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya , Sri Lanka in 1995. Researches on the Buddha in the Theravada tradition have so far been confined mostly to the materials available in the Pili Tripiwa. They are mainly centred around the Buddha's biography. In t.hk connection two main streams of thought have emerged to date. One school of thought has attempted to dismantle supposedly late elements associated with the Iife of the Buddha in the Pai Canon and endeavoured to arrive at a me picture of the historical Buddha without the garb of myths surrounding hi!! personality. Researches have shown that the Buddha was a human par excellence and superhuman qualities that later sources often ascribe to hirn are rninimat in the ealy portions of the Canon. The second school of thought takes the PaLi Canon in its entirety and compile a life of
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