Fromthemonastery and Atisa'spanicipation
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The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies Jburnal ofindian andBudtthist Studies Vbl. 63, No. 3, March 2015 (221) Expulsion ofMaitri-pa from the Monastery and AtiSa's Panicipation SHizuKA Haruki 1. Introduction The aim ofthis paper is to investigate Maitri-pa's expulsion from the VikramaSila mon- astery and AtiSa's (DipankaraSrijfiana, 982-1154) role; and then to relate the case to the antagonistic relationship between the observance of the Sralvakay5na vinaya and the Vajrayana samaya in the monasteries. Mark [latz has reinvestigated the case and proposed a critical opinion. The present paper firstly quotes the documents of the case reported by Tibetan historians. Next it introduces the main points of [fatz's papers, which are fu11 of suggestions. Then I relate this violation of monastery rules and the consequent banishment of a monk, to the possible existence ofsidttha communion outside the rnonasteries that ob- served the Sravakay5na vinaya. 2. Quotation from the Biblingraplty qfAtiga (1) As for the three persons called Maitri-pa, [the first] Maitri-pa is the Crown prince Maitreya- natha. [The second] is mNga' bdag Maitri-pa, who was expelled from Vikrama[Sila] by AtiSa. t) [The last] is the one whom we are diseussing here, Dharmakirti [from gSer giing] . (2) There having been three siddhas, AtiSa learned under Kusulu junior, a Yamdritaka yogin and Avadhati-pa . Yamantaka yogin, named Kamalarak$ita ceuld change wine into milk. He was "That expelled from his dwellings for drinking wine. He said, the expelled monk goes out from the main gate is not appropriate." Thereupon hc went through the wall. He spread a mat oyer the River 2) Gahga and left. AtiSa learned many mantra from this yogin. (3) AtiSa expelled some who indulged themselves, and in so doing they accumulated their bad kar- "A ma. They said, seeming preceptor banishes us." In particular, mNga' bdag Maitri-pa dwelled at theVikramaSilamonastery visualization . That Maitri-pa practised and meditation on PZijrayogini. For that purpose, he secretly kept liquor as a samaya requisite fbr her. One elder rnonk spied on him "Do and reported this transgression to the monastic community (sapagha) . not make me leave by driying me out. There is no harrn with me in this case," Maitri-pa exclaimed. The community said, - - 1315 NII-Electronic Library Service The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies (222)Expulsion ofMaitri-pa from the Monastery and AtiSa's Panicipation (H. SmzuKA) "There might be no harm with you, but other members can be contaminated." So they banished "He him. Maitri-pa declared, who has transgressed sarpgha ruIes should not leave by the main gate," and departed straight through a wall. Atiga wondered whether his conduct had been right or not. He made offerings that night to Tara and petitioned her by rcciting eulogies. When AtiSa fe11 "Son, asleep, he heard a voice three times... TarA appeared in person and said, your conduct was not good. Among monks who eojoy worldly lives, mNga' bdag Maitri-pa is a bodhisattva who is dedicated to the attainment of Awakening. A wrong dane to a bodhisattva causes serious karmic maturation [in your next life]." AtiSa asked Tarfi how his karmic maturation would be. TEr5 re- "Ybu plied, will be reborn a kind ofsentient being three times as huge as Mt. Sumeru and with vari- "How "Ybu ous kinds ofbjrds feasting on it." am I to avoid my karma done this time?" AtiSa asked. should go to the north and promulgate Mahayana doctrine, which is destined to amend your karma," ]) replied Tata. 3. Relationship among Viijray2na Adepts I would now like to present more quotatiens in order to give clearer illustrations of later Indian Buddhists' actual lives, focusing on the relationship between yogins' circles and Vajrayatia monks belonging to monasteries. Also I am interested in some disputes in the same Vajray5na circle. Here I present outlines of descriptions frorn anether historical works. (1) BlueAnnals (comp. in 1486) Becoming learned in both Buddhism and heretical doctrines - Quest for Sabari-pa [of t -- nirmduahaya] - Debate with SEnti-pa who was discontented with Maitn-pa's Ainana- -+ sihara (non attentiveness) doctrine Calledina Maitri-pa4) (2) BiqgrupltJi ofMarpa (comp. in 1505) 5) Transgression the monastery . Condemned by AtiSa in 'i 'ston's (3) mKhas pa eiga bKa' gdams pa chapter (comp. in 1565) -+ . Transgression in Vikramagila Expulsion . AtiSa's misgivings about his conduct 6) Tarfi'soracle and instruction 'i 'ston's (4) mKhaspa tiga bKa' brgyud pa chapter -+ meeting . transgres- Conversion to Buddhism after Naro-pa OrdainedfromSanti-pa - known to the saptgha . sion in VikramaSila Discovered and his malpractices made . hismind and to re- Expulsion from Vikr amaSila Atiga's asking Maitri-pa to change turn to the monastery -. Maitri-pa's refusal and fbr Sabari-pa - Instructed Ama- quest . - Debate with Santi-pa. nasikdra by Sabari-pa and coming back to MadhyadeSa - - 1316 NII-Electronic Library Service The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies Expulsion ofMaitri-pa firom the Monastery andAtiSa's Panicipation (H. SHizuKA)(223) - Called mNga' bdag chen po ("mahliprabhu) by the king ofMagadha Establishing 7) his own settlement and propagating his doctrine (5) Paabna dkarpo (comp. in 1575, rev. in 1580) t Becoming Naro-pa's disciple . Becoming S5nti-pa's disciple - Disagreement over -+ basic philosophies with S5nti-pa With Tara's oracle, moving to Khasarpana - Quest r r r for Sabari-pa in Sri-Parvata - Instructed Amanasikara by Sabari-pa, returning to Ma- dhyadega - Debate with Sahti-pa . Renowned as mNga' bdag rgyal ba Maitri-pa (*J'ina- prabhu) - Being accused of his transgression by AtiSa . festimony in front of the . king Getting out of the trouble . Feeling discontent and leaving the monastery . 8) Establishing his own settlement and teaching disciples . Passing away at 75 (6) bKlt'babs bdun lddn (comp. in 1600) Transgression in VikramaSila . Discovered by a novice . Dispute arousing in the community - Testimony - His expulsion - Quest fbr Sabari-pa in Sri-Parvata - Re- t ceived abhiseka and oral instruction by Sabari-pa . Coming back to Madhyadega . (Taranatha casts doubt on the story ofthe Debate) - Propagation ofAmanasihara . Mahakala's bringing a princess called GafigadharE as Maitri-pa's consort - Passing 9) away at about 7s (7) dPag bsam LJbn bzaug (comp. in 1748) iO) [[lransgression in VikramaSIIa . Expulsion by AtiSa . Teaching disciples Examining Maitri-pa's life, it seems that his banishment from the monastery has some- thing to do with his discontent with the prevailing predominant theory and practices in the - . r monasteries, which drove him to his quest for superior doctrine and practices. Santi-pa, a predominant scholar in those days, was rnentioned as the opponent ofMaitri-pa in the re- cords. Some describe his quest fbr Sabari-pa and some do not: when should we locate this 'i 'ston ' story in Maitri-pa's career? mKhas pa aiga and bKa babs bdun ldan locate it after his leaving the monastery and Padhia dkar po did it befbre his expulsion. Blue Annals does not refer to the expulsion. ii) AtiSa started his career as a yogin and conducted various kinds of antinomian practices. Up until the age oftwenty-nine, he realized the limitation ofAvadhati practice and was or- dained. It is said that this decision was made on the recommendation of Lord Heruka, who appeared in his dream. On the occasion of ordination, AtiSa was dour in his determination not to renounce tantric practices. He was a firrn believer ofVajrayEna throughout his reli- -1317- NII-Electronic Library Service The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies (224)Expulsion ofMaitri-pa from the Monastery and AtiSa's Participation (H. SHizutcA) gious life. His belief in Vajrayana, however, did not prevent him from taking over his com- munity's senior position, the preceptor (cige bskos). AtiSa rnaintains that three disciplinary codes, the Sravakayana and PdramittiyEna vinayas, and the Vajrayana samaya are all the Buddha's word (budtthavacana), therefbre all three codes have never been overstate or denigrated. Majtri-pa's case, however, was an incident that reyealed the impossibility of observing all three codes by one person in a concrete critical situation. The Biograpdy of Atis'a tells us that he did not conceive his participation or taking an initiative in the case worthy of praise. 4. Did the Expulsion of Maitri-pa Really Occur? 4.1. Quotatian from Mark [Ratz's Papers Prerninent in Tibetan accounts ofthe life ofMaitri-pa is a tale ofhow he was expelled from the mo- not appear any non-Tibetan source. nastie university ofVikramaSila by AtiSa.The story does in . Their use by Tibetan historians on apparentLy sectarian grounds calls into question the validity of Tibetan historical tradition as it bears upon the later period ofBuddhism in India. Reports ofex- that one pulsions from monasteries of the period appear with such persistence in Tibetan histories must believe that one such incidellt, at least, must actually have occurred. The earliest sources for the firstmay date the story ofexpulsion ofMaitri-pa are probably the biographies ofAtiSa, ofwhich as early as motifs ofthis story as fbllows: sins relating to frorn 1150....The may be isolated (1) wine and women, (2) observation by someone else, (3) expulsion with expressjustification, (4) the misdeed own magical a wall) and justificationfor by his pDwer (departurethrough , (5)justifi- cation for the misdeed by a deity. There is reason to doubt that this conflict, so highly dramatized by Tibetan sources, was ptayed out to any great extent in India precisely because it was so important in centemporary Tibet. Atiga was to order refbrm a allegedly corrupted ritual, including sexual invited Tibetin te Buddhism by tantric 'od, intercourse and murder. In his Lamp for the Path composed for the Tibetan king Byang chub explains that require breaking one's celibacy are not fbr monks.