The Literature of the Personalists of Early Buddhism

239 Pages·1999·6.115 MB·English

by  Bhikshu ThIch Thien Chau, Sarah Boin-Webb (translator)

BUDDHIST TRADITION SERIES
VOLUME 39
Edited by
ALEX WAYMAN
Editorial Advisory Board
J.W. DEJONG
KATSUMI MIMAKI
CHR. LINDTNER
MICHAEL HAHN
LOKESH CHANDRA
ERNST STEINKELLNER

The Literature of the
Personalists of Early
Buddhism
Bhikshu ThIch Thi6n ChAu
English translation by
Sara Boin-Webb
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS
PRIVATE LIMITED • DELHI
First Edition: Vietnam, 1996
First Indian Edition: Delhi, 1999
This work originally appeared under the title of La Secies personnalistes (PudgaUn/adin)
du bcuddhisme ancien - These pour le Doctoral d'Etat es-I^ttres et Sciences humaines,
Univcrsite dc la Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III), 1977.
Q MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PRIVATE LIMITED
All Rights reserved.
ISBN: 81-208-1622-6
Also available at:
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS
41 U.A. Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007
8 Mahalaxmi Chamber, Warden Road, Mumbai 400 026
120 Royapettah High Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004
Sanas Plaza. 1302, Baji Rao Road, Pune 411 002
16 St. Mark’s Road, Bangalore 560 001
8 Camac Street, Calcutta 700 017
Ashok Rajpath, Patna 800 004
Chowk, Varanasi 221 001
PRINTED IN INDIA
BY JAINENDRA PRAKASH JAIN AT SHRI JAINENDRA PRESS,
A-45 NARAINA, PHASE I, NEW DELHI 110 028
AND PUBLISHED BY NARENDRA PRAKASH JAIN FOR
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PRIVATE LIMITED,
BUNGALOW ROAD, DELHI 110 007
EDITOR’S FOREWORD
This is indeed a remarkable book. It has the best treatment of the schools
called Vatsiputriya and four other minor ones (p.5) that espoused the theory
that a pudgala (a sort of person) supported the five personal aggregates
(skandhci) and made possible the Intermediate State (antarabhava) between
death and rebirth. The author, Bhikshu Thich Thien Chau, points out that
this school of the Personalists (Pudgalavadin) once had its own version of
three classcs of scriptures (agama) but they are now lost. The remaining
schools of Buddhism condemned these personalists. And the author men­
tions that there are only four surviving texts of this sect, which are in the
Chinese language (listed, p. 19). The author, obviously skilled in that period
in the development of the Chinese language, devotes the major part of this
book, originally written in French, to presenting the contents of those four
treatises.
Sara Boin-Webb deserves credit for translating his book from French into
English (including a number of long, technical footnotes). The technical
terms—however translated—do not alter the superb coverage of this work on
the ‘Personalists’.
Alex Wayman
New York, Nov. 1998
FOREWORD
La carriere et les titres de 1’auteur de ce dernier Pavaient bien prepare a
accomplir une telle tache. Apres avoir passe cinq ans a etudier a l’Universite
bouddhique de Nalanda, au Bihar, alors recemment creee, et y avoir obtenu les
diplomes de B.A. et de M.A., attestent sa serieuse connaissance du sanskrit et du pali,
le Venerable sejourna pendant deux annees a la School of Oriental and African Studies
de TUniversite de Londres pour s’initier aux methodes de la recherche, puis il vint a
Paris pour suivre l’etude du bouddhisme. II y prepara et soutint d’abord une these de
doctorat d’Universite portant sur Tun des deux traites pudgalavadin, puis une these de
doctorat d'Etat dont le texte est reproduit ci-apres.
Andre Bareau
vm
Personalism (pudgalavada) was a remarkable and durable aspect of an important part
of early Buddhism. For more than ten centuries it was taught and defended by
several schools and had numerous followers but was strongly criticised by other
Buddhist schools.
The literature of the Buddhist Personalist schools is practically entirely lost, so
much so that we know their doctrine mainly through the attacks of their adversaries.
Of importance to us is that four authentic works pertaining to the Vatslputrlyas
and SammitTyas have been preserved. The four works are:
1) The San fatulun-B-s**-** (Tridharmakasastra), Taisho XXV, No.1506.
2) The Ssu a-han-mu ch’ao chieh m ** & ^Taisho XXV, No.l5()5.
3) The San-mi-ti pu lun ^ m A ■*? ** (Sammitlyanikayasastra) Taisho XXXII,
No.1649.
4) The Lu erh-shih-erh ming-liao lun ** -=• -t- — w t ' (Vinayadvavimsatividya-
sastra), Taisho XXIV, NoJ46l.
This thesis, entitled The Literature of the Personalists (Pudgalavadins) of Early
Buddhism, attempts to present an historical overview of the Personalist schools and
studies on the formation and content of the doctrine (dharrna) and monastic discipline
(vinaya) of the Pudgalavadins, in accordance with the documentation available.
With respect to the doctrinal problem, the literary evidence which exists has
revealed to us the main thesis of the Pudgalavadins, the pudgala, and fifteen other
secondary theses. The pudgala, the ineffable, being neither identical to nor different
from the aggregates (skandha\ entails three designations:
a) the pudga/a-designated-by-the-support (dsrayapra jha pi a pudgala),
b) the pudgala-designated-by-transmigration {samkraniaprajhaptapudgala),
c) the pudga/tf-designated-by-cessat ion (nirodhaprajhaptapudgala).
The creation of the theory of the pudgala represents a reaction to the
depersonalisation of the dogmatic Abhi- dharma masters. The Personalists
(pudgalavadin), however, were determined to preserve the essence of the doctrine of
insubstantiality (anatmavada). They insisted on the fact that adherence to the
pudgala did not prevent the attainment of the knowledges (jhana) and fruits (phala).
The position of the pudgala was misinterpreted by its adversaries. Nonetheless, the
theory of the pudgala offered much of interest in the doctrinal domain for Buddhist
theoreticians.
It is most agreeable for us to be able to express here our profound gratitude to
Professor Andre Bareau, of the College de France, who was kind enough to direct our
research in this field. We would also like to thank Michel Soymie, Director of
Studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, who took the trouble to give us
valuable advice. We also offer our profound gratitude to Professor Paul Demieville,
Membre de Tlnstitut, Honorary Professor at the College de France, who has done us
the honour of rereading the manuscript with patience and compassion, and correcting
its essentials.
Our deepest thanks also go to the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientilique
which supported us in our research by giving us working contracts for several years;
it is due to its financial assistance that this research could be brought to a successful
conclusion.
Bhikshu Thich Thi^n Chau
Paris 1977
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION
We would like to express our profound gratitude to Sara Boin-Webb for undertaking this
English translation, to Ven. Dr Dhammaratna for his careful perusal of the proofs, and to
Most Ven. Dr. Thich Minh Chau, President of the Institute for Buddhist Studies of Vienam
in Ho Chi Minh City, for publishing this work.
Bhikshu Thich Thi£n Chau
Paris 1996