A Study of Sukkhavipassaka in Pāli Buddhism
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A Study of Sukkhavipassaka in Pāli Buddhism Tzungkuen Wen A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in March 2009 The School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Statement of Contributions to Jointly Authored Works Contained in the Thesis No jointly-authored works. Statement of Contributions by Others to the Thesis as a Whole No contributions by others. Statement of Parts of the Thesis Submitted to Qualify for the Award of Another Degree None. Published Works by the Author Incorporated into the Thesis None. Additional Published Works by the Author Relevant to the Thesis but not Forming Part of it None. Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my principal advisors, Dr. Primoz Pecenko, his wife, Dr. Tamara Ditrich, and Dr. Chris Kang of the School of History, Philosophy, Religion, Classics, University of Queensland, for their useful guidance, timely help and warm friendship throughout my research. I have learnt much from Dr. Primoz Pecenko: not only from his enthusiasm towards the research of the Pāli language and Buddhism, but also from his own charming personality as a mentor. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to learn from him, partly because my research would not have been possible without his encouragement and generous help from the very beginning of my application to the University of Queensland in 2003, and partly because he and I share a great faith and love for Buddhist insight meditation. Sadly, on the evening of 1 August 2007, Dr. Pecenko had an unexpected heart attack and passed away quickly and peacefully while taking a walk with Dr. Ditrich, their son, Alexander, and their dog. Just that afternoon, Dr. Pecenko had sent me an email to arrange the remitting procedure of a scholarship for me. On that day he was, I felt, revealing to me the value of loving-kindness and the law of impermanence. A few days after Dr. Pecenko’s sudden death, Dr. Ditrich, my second advisor at that time, promised to help me conclude the remainder of my research, in spite of the fact that she and her son were still in shock after Dr. Pecenko’s death. I feel very grateful to Dr. Ditrich for not giving up on me, and for her generous help in correcting and improving my thesis draft for assessment, even though she was in a terrible situation following Dr. Pecenko’s unexpected death. After Dr. Ditrich left UQ in August, 2008, Dr. Kang became my principal advisor. I would like to thank him here for helping me go through the last stage of thesis correction. Nevertheless, it is just I who remain responsible for any errors in this thesis. I also want to thank my Pāli teachers in Taiwan, Teacher Yang-zhu Xu, Nandasiri Sayadaw (Vinaya-Pāḷipāragū) of Burma, and his student, U Paṇḍita (Sāsanatakkasīla-Dhammācariya). Without their instructions, I would not have been able to go into the world of Pāli studies. I am indebted to Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi in the U.S. for his generous responses to my questions on the issue of the dry-insight arahant and some difficult Pāli commentarial passages; to Dr. Houtman of the U.K. for kindly sending me his valuable PhD thesis on the insight meditation movement in Burma; and to Ven. Anālayo for his articles on Buddhist meditation and email discussions. In addition, I want to thank Ven. Ñāṇaraṃsi of Malaysia, who gave to me patient and detailed instructions on insight meditation as well as compassionate attention when I was temporarily ordained as a monk and practiced insight meditation in Chanmyay Yeiktha, Hmawbi, Burma, from August to September 2000. Without being inspired by the joyful experiences I had during that period I would not have developed an interest in the research topics that I have been studying these past years. I owe thanks also to Ven. Yan-guan Fa-shih for providing me with comfortable accommodation in Nan-shan Fan-sheng Monastery, Taipei from Dec 2006 to Nov 2007. My sincere gratitude goes to Ven. Hou-guan Fa-shih, Ven. Jing-zhao Fa-shih and Ven. Kai-ren Fa-shih for providing me with a lecturer position in Fu-yan Buddhist Institute, Taiwan, from September 2005 onwards. Without this part-time job, I would not have been able to pay the tuition fees for the last year of my PhD candidature. Last, but not the least, I want to express my thanks to my family. I feel wholeheartedly thankful to my parents, Shui-ju Wen and Mei-lian You, who have always been supportive and encouraging in their own ways, no matter what dream I chose to go after. I also feel much appreciation towards my four elder sisters and their families since without their taking responsibility for the care of my parents, I, as their only son, could not have pursued my PhD degree at the age of 34. I also would like to take this opportunity to express great appreciation to my cherished partner and best dhamma friend, Meng-ling Ho, for her continued encouragement, support, care, love, and straight-forward admonishment. Without my family’s love and support, I would not be who I am now. Abstract This thesis aims to explore the doctrine of sukkhavipassaka (“dry-insight practitioner”) in Pāli Buddhism. The focus of the thesis is to utilize the canonical and commentarial sources of the various Buddhist schools to evaluate the position of this doctrine in the history of early Buddhism. Since the early 20th century the sukkhavipassaka doctrine and its practice have been reemphasized by eminent meditation monks in Burma, and later they spread to other Buddhist countries in Asia and beyond. Some scholars, nevertheless, have cast doubts on the authenticity of the sukkhavipassaka doctrine. They argue that it is a later development, not recorded in the Pāli Nikāyas since the form-sphere jhāna (Skt. dhyāna) is always necessary for the realization of arahantship, or even for stream-entry, the first stage of enlightenment. The first part of this thesis investigates the concept of the sukkhavipassaka in the four Nikāyas. Many suttas in the Pāli Nikāyas imply an acknowledgement of noble beings who lack form-sphere jhānas; also many meditative techniques described in the suttas can be practised in the so-called dry- insight way. However, it is in the Pāli commentarial literature, which is discussed in the second part of this thesis that the sukkhavipassaka doctrine appears in a full-fledged form. The Pāli commentaries not only specify the concentration that dry-insight practitioners use to develop insight knowledge, but also reveal the advantages and disadvantages of the dry-insight meditative approach. In the third part of this thesis, the canonical and commentarial materials related to the Susīma Sutta which are preserved in schools other than the Theravāda are investigated. This thesis reveals that the concept of arahants who lack the first form-sphere jhāna is accepted not only by the Theravāda but also by the Sarvāstivāda, the *Satyasiddhisāstra, and the Yogacārabhūmiśāstra. Since various Buddhist schools in India unanimously advocate the idea that there are arahants who have not achieved the form-sphere jhāna, this research concludes that the dry-insight meditative approach and dry-insight arahants are not an invention by Theravādin commentators, but a common heritage which was most probably handed down from the time of the Buddha and then shared by various Buddhist schools. Keywords buddhist meditation, early buddhism, pali, vipassana, sukkhavipassaka, mindfulness meditation Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) 220406 Studies in Eastern Religious Traditions 100% Table of Contents Table of Contents Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................i Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................................v Introduction........................................................................................................................................1 1. Statement of Thesis..................................................................................................................1 2. Situating