Part 18 - Perspective on Bodhisattva and Śrāvaka

While many ‘canonical uses of the term “bodhisattva” refer to Gotama prior to his attainment of Buddhahood, in other canonical texts (such as the Buddhavaṃsa), the term designates a being who, out of compassion for other beings, vows to become a fully and completely enlightened Buddha (sammasam Buddha), performs various acts of merit, renounces the enlightenment of arahants, receives a prophecy of his future Buddhahood, and fulfills or completes the ten bodhisattva perfections. In addition, the bodhisattva ideal was also developed in terms of its application. Not only does the word “bodhisattva” pertain to Gotama and all previous Buddhas before their enlightenment, it also applies to any being who wishes to pursue the path to perfect Buddhahood. This new development resulted in a more general adherence to the ideal by numerous Theravādin kings, monks, textual scholars, and even lay people.^[1]

The presence and scope of the bodhisattva ideal in Theravāda Buddhist theory and practice, then, appears to belie Nāgārjuna’s, Asaṅga’s, and Candrakirti’s claims not only that the “subjects based on the deeds of Bodhisattvas were not mentioned in the Hīnayāna sūtras,” but also that the lesser vehicle (Hīnayāna) knows nothing of the “stages of the career of the future Buddha, the perfect virtues (pāramittā), the resolutions or vows to save all creatures, the application of merit to the acquisition of the quality of Buddha, the great compassion.”

In addition, the presence of a developed bodhisattva doctrine in the Buddhava.msa and the Cariyapitaka also calls into question the commonly held belief that the bodhisattva ideal underwent major doctrinal developments in early Mahāyāna Buddhism; there are numerous similarities between the bodhisattva ideal as found in the Buddhavamsa and as found in certain early Mahāyāna Buddhist texts such as the Ratnagunasamcayagatha. Both of these texts, for instance, express the need for the completion of certain bodhisattva perfections, the importance of making a vow to become a Buddha, the notion of accumulating and applying merit for the attainment of Buddhahood, the role of compassion, and the implicit presence of certain bodhisattva stages. Even though the bodhisattva ideal did not undergo substantial doctrinal developments between the later canonical texts and certain early Mahāyāna texts, it was developed in terms of its application.

Whereas the goal of becoming a Buddha becomes the focus of the Mahāyāna tradition, this goal remains de-emphasized in the Theravādin tradition. In other words, although the bodhisattva ideal in Mahāyāna Buddhism becomes a goal that is applied to everyone, the same ideal in Theravāda Buddhism is reserved for the exceptional person. This distinction is described by Walpola Rahula: “though the Theravādins believe that anyone can become a bodhisattva, they do not stipulate or insist that everyone must become a bodhisattva—this is not considered to be reasonable. It is up to the individual to decide which path to take, that of the Śrāvaka, that of the Pratyeka Buddha, or that of the Samyaksam Buddha”. The state of Buddhahood is highly praised in both traditions. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, this praise for and focus on the ideal of Buddhahood has resulted in a vast amount of literature centered on the bodhisattva ideal. In the Theravādin tradition, on the other hand, the high regard for Buddhahood has never led to a universal application of the goal, nor has it resulted in a vast amount of literature in which the bodhisattva concept is delineated. As K. R. Norman posits: “The Buddhavamsa is therefore a developed Bodhisattva doctrine, but it was not developed further, even in the Abhidharma.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Epigraphia Zeylanica, 4:133.