The Adoption of the Buddha's Life Pattern in the Ten-Bhmi Systems Hisao Inagaki Buddhism in the earliest period had no doctrinal systems or biographies of the Buddha. It was some time after the Buddha's decease that the teach- ings came to be systematized and biographical narratives were compiled. Difference in systematization and interpretation of the doctrine gave rise to the emergence of different schools; and several schools, it is assumed, had (1) also their own tradition of the Buddha's life. Those biographies which we now have in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, and Chinese bear traces of gradual amplification and ideological development. Simple and plain descriptions of the Buddha's life were replaced by decorative glorifications in literal expres- sion and ideology. Development of the Abhidharmika, concepts of Buddha and Dharma surely exerted no small influence on the Buddha's biographies, and the rise of Mahayana Buddhism gave impetus to the compilation of Mahayanistic biographies, such as the Lalitavistara. Influence of the biographical literature upon Mahayana ideologies is no less significant. When the idea of Ten-Bhumi arose, the Buddha's life was adapted into its scheme. Out of a number of Ten-Bhumi systems, the fol- lowing three, in particular, show clear indications of the attempt to incor- porate the Buddha's life into their systems: Mahavastu, Prajnapararnita, and Avatamsaka. A comparative study of these systems will reveal the process by which the Buddha's life pattern was formulated to- fit the Ten-Bhumi concepts, and it will, I hope, throw a light on the relation between different Ten-Bhumi systems. (1)The colophon to the. Eu pen hang chi ching佛 本 行 集 経testifies to this f act stating that the Mahasamghikas, Sarvastivadins, Kasyapiyas, Dharma- guptas, and Mahisasakas had their own biographies. (Taisho. III, 932 a) -797- The Buddha's life pattern in the Ten-bhumi systems (H. Inagaki) (81) I. MAHAVASTU The Mahavastu is a collection of almost all the his- torical records and legendary stories of the Buddha that had been passed down to the period of its compilation. We find in it a large section on the Ten Bhumis which, no doubt, is an elaboration by later Lokottaravadins. Quasi-Mahayanistic as it may well be called, the idea of the Mahavastu affords ample material for the developed Mahayanistic Ten-Bhumi concepts. According to the Mahavastu, a Bodhisattva in the Tenth Bhumi, Abhisekata (Consecrational), is to be born in the Tusita Heaven, is to descend to earth, become recluse, and finally attain Buddhahood. The description of his finall existence is the same as that of Sakyamuni Buddha, or, it might be better to say that Sakyamuni's life is reproduced here in a generalized form. It is asserted that all Bodhisattvas go through the same stages to become a Buddha. The life, pattern in the Tenth Bhumi is presented as the seven perfections: 1 garbhavakranti, 2 garbha-sthiti, 3 jati, 4 janetri, 5 abhini- (2) skramana, 6 virya, and 7 jnanadhigamana. In explaining the details of this form, the compiler (s) of the Mahavastu simply follows the biographical stories of Sakyamuni Buddha. Even the proper names are reserved. Near the end of the whole account of the Ten Bhumis, Mahakatyayana, in answering Mahakasyapa's question, says that all Buddhas expounded the Ten Bhumis and that the foregoing Ten Bhumis have been explained by taking the Buddha Sakyamuni as a type The com- piler(s) certainly had in mind a system which would embrace both the traditional biography of the Buddha and the newly risen Ten-Bhumi formula. The attempt to bring out a well-formulated system appears to have failed to reach its goal, but it paved a way for a better system as we shall see (2) "garbhavakranti-sarnpannas ca samyaksarhbuddha bhavanti, etc." Maha- vastu, ed. by Senart, I, 142. Note that the later biographies of the Buddha made a Mahayanistic turn. The Lalitavistara, for example, gives the follow- ing nine features of the life of a Bodhisattva in the Abhiseka Bhumi: avak. ramana, janma, abhiniskramana, duskara-carya, bodhimandopasamkramana, mara-dhvarhsana, bodhi-vibodhana, dharmacakrapravartana, and mahapari- nirvana. (Lalitavistara, ed. by Lefmann, p. 36) (3) Mahavastu, I, 161. -796- (82) The Buddha's life pattern in the Ten-bhumi systems(H. Inagaki) in Mahayana literature. 11. PRAJNA SUTRAS The Prajna literature belongs to the base stratum of Mahayana Buddhism. We find in it various basic ideologies of Mahayana. The idea of Ten Bhumis is presented in it more systematically than in the Mahavastu. It is easily observed that the Ten-Bhumi of the Prajna literature has grown out of a mere systematization of Sakyamuni's Bodhisattva career. The life and career of Sakyamuni is generalized to such a degree now that it is adaptable universally to all Bodhisattvas. A Bodhisattva of the highest stage, according to the Prajna literature, is endowed with twelve perfections, of which the last seven or nine are very much the same as the main events in Sakyamuni's life. The following are several varieties of the twelve-aspect pattern in different Prajna sutras. 1. Satasahasrika Prajnaparamita: A Bodhisattva in the Ninth. Bhumi f ulfil's the twelve dharmas, which are: 1 ananta-pranidhana-parigraha, 2 deva-naga-yaksa-gandharvasura-garuda-kinnara-mahoraga-ruta- jnana, 3 pa- ripurna-pratibha-nirdesa-jnana, 4 garbhavakranti-sampat, 5 kula-sampat, 6 jati-sampat, 7 gotra-sampat, 8 paricara-sampat (or parivara-s.), 9 janma- sampat, 10 abhikramana-sampat, 11 bodhivriksa-vyuha-sampat, and 12 sarva- (4) guna-paripuri-sampat. The detailed explanation of each item, however, includes much that is peculiar to Buddha's biographies. 2. Kuang tsan pan jo po lo mi ching光 讃 般 若 波 羅 蜜 経: The twelve dharmas are to be perfected in the Tenth Bhami. They are: 1爲 無 量 虜 而 設 擁 護, 2随 衆 所 願 各 令 得 所, 3口 所 演 説 諸 天 龍 神 提 沓 恕 阿 須 倫 迦 縷 羅 眞 陀 羅 摩 愁 勒, 4聞 其 音 各 各 解 了, 5辮 才 如 是, 6胞 胎 衆 事, 7種 姓 尊 貴, 8所 生 之 庭, (5) 9春 囑國土, 10棄 國指家, 11詣 於佛樹, 12清 浄具足一切 功徳. (4) S'atashahasrika Prajnaparamita, ed. by Pratapacandra Ghosa, Bibliotheca Indica, Calcutta, 1902-1914, pp. 1458, 1470, 1471. The twelve dharmas are introduced on p. 1455, but the text has errors and omissions in this part, which I have corrected and supplied according to the expository section on pp. 1470-1. Cf. Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita, ed. by N. Dutt, Lon- don, 1934, pp. 224-5; E. Conze, The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, Lon- don, 1961, pp. 162-3; E. Conze, Abhisamayalankara, Serie Orientale Roma VI, Roma, 1954, pp. 27-8. (5) Taisho. VIII, 197 a. -795- The Buddha's life pattern in the Ten-bhumi systems (H. Inagaki) (83) 3. Pang kuang Pan jo po lo mi ching放 光 般 若 波 羅 蜜 経: ABodhisattva perfects the twelve dharmas in the Ninth Bhumi: 1持 無 限 庭 廣 大 之 願 随 所 慮 各 授 其 誰, 2天 龍 閲 叉 健 陀 羅 悉 皆 具 足, 3知 其 音 聲 以 弁 才 教 授 所 因, 4胞 胎 成 就, 5居 家 成 就, 6父 母 成 就, 7種 姓 成 就, 8宗 親 成 就, 9得 生 成 就, 10出 家 成 (6) 就, 11荘 嚴 佛 樹 成 就, 12諸 善 功 徳 成 就. 4. Mo ho pm jo po lo mi ching摩 詞 般 若 波 羅 蜜 経: There are the twelve dharmas to be perfected in the Ninth Bhimi: 1受 無 邊 世 界 所 度 之 分, 2菩 薩 得 如 所 願, 3知 諸 天 龍 夜 叉 健 閣 婆 語 而 爲 説 法, 4塵 胎 成 就, 5家 成 就, 6所 生 成 就, 7姓 成 就8春 屡 成 就, 9出 生 成 就, 10出 家 成 就, 11荘 嚴 佛 樹 成 就, 12 (7) 一 切 諸 善 功 徳 成 満 具 足. 5. Ta pan fo po lo mi ching大 般 若 波 羅 蜜 経: The twelve dharmas are to わeperfected in the Tenth Bhami: 1撮 受 無 邊 虜 所 大 願 随 有 所 願 皆 令 讃 得, 2 随 諸 天 龍 及 藥 叉 等 異 類 音, 3無 碍 弁 説, 4入 胎 具 足, 5出 生 具 足, 6家 族 具 足, 7種 姓 具 足, 8春 屡 具 足, 9生 身 具 足, 10出 家 具 足, 11荘 嚴 菩 提 樹 具 足, 12一 (8) 切功徳成辮具足. III. AVATAMSAKA-SUTRA We find the idea of Ten Bhumis fully de- veloped in the Dasabhumika-sutra, in which a Bodhisattva of the Tenth Bhumi, Dharmamegha, manifests himself in ten states: 1 tusita-vara-bha- vana-vasa, 2 cyavana, 3 avakramana, 4 garbha-sthiti, 5 janma, -6 abhinisk- ramana, 7 abhisambodhi, 8 adhyesana, 9 mahadharmacakra-pravartana, 10 (9) mahaparinirvana. Here ten outstanding events in the Buddha's life are taken up to for- mulate the life of a Bodhisattva of the highest rank. The number of aspects, however, varies in the same sutra. In the exposition of the First Bhumi, Pramudita, the Buddha's life pattern is shown in the following fif teen states: 1 tusita-bhavana-vasa, 2 cyavana, 3 acankramana, 4 garbha-sthiti, 5 janma; 6 kumara-krida, 7 antahpura-vasa, 8 abhiniskramana, 9 duskara-carya, 10 bodhimanda-upasamkramana, 11 maradharsana, 12 abhisambodhi, 13 adhye- (6) Taisho. VIII, 27 c. (7) Ibid., 257 b-c. (8) Taisho. VII, 83 c.