Prajnaptivada
Encyclopedia
The Prajñaptivāda was one of the early Buddhist schools
in India, and part of the Mahāsāṃghika
branch of Buddhism. They were also known as the Bahuśrutiya
-Vibhajyavādins.
, the Prajñaptivāda school is said to have developed as one of several Mahāsāṃghika sub-schools. They are recorded as having taken up residence in the Himalayas
. According to Taranātha, the Prajñaptivādins continued to flourish in Magadha
through the Pāla dynasty
, as late as the 10th century CE.
, the name "Prajñaptivāda" refers to their doctrine that phenomena are the product of conceptualization (Skt. prajñapti). Vasumitra writes that the Prajñaptivādins viewed all conditioned phenomena as being mere concepts or notions (Skt. prajñapti), and therefore they were considered to be suffering
. The Prajñaptivādins distinguished between conventional truth (Skt. ) and ultimate truth (Skt. paramārtha
), and between reality (Skt. tattva) and mere concepts (Skt. prajñapti).
The Prajñaptivādins believed that the Noble Path is eternal and immutable, and that it is not possible for it to be lost or destroyed. They also held that the path was not something that could be cultivated through contemplation. However, they believed that the Path could be attained through all-knowledge (Skt. sarvajñāna) and the accumulation of merit. Whether one meets an untimely death or attains the Noble Path, the Prajñaptivādins viewed all such outcomes as being the result of merit and karma.
Contrary to the Sarvāstivāda
, the Prajñaptivādins did not view the skandha
s or the five elements as suffering. Instead these were viewed as existing merely as nominal entities without any ultimate existence.
The Prajñaptivādins held that the Buddha's teachings in the various piṭakas were nominal (Skt. prajñapti), conventional (Skt. ), and causal (Skt. hetuphala). Therefore all teachings were viewed by the Prajñaptivādins as being of provisional importance, since they cannot contain the ultimate truth. It has been observed that this view of the Buddha's teachings is very close to the fully developed position of the Mahāyāna sūtras
.
that is so important to the Mahāyāna
, where it is usually found in the relationship between upāya
and prajñā
. Ian Charles Harris has noted that the doctrines of the Prajñaptivāda school are indeed similar to the early Mahāyāna view of the two truths.
There is also evidence that the Prajñaptivādins were an influence on Nāgārjuna
, who is also among the storied promulgators of the two truths doctrine (using some of the same technical terms), and who in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
only cites one text by name, that being the Kātyāyana Gotra Sūtra, of which the Prajñaptivādins were known to be fond.
André Bareau considers the origin of the Mahāyāna tradition to be in the early schools, and cites the Bahuśrutīyas and Prajñaptivādins as sub-sects of the that may have played an important role in bridging the flow of Mahāyāna teachings between the northern and southern Mahāsāṃghika traditions.
Early Buddhist schools
The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which, according to most scholars, the Buddhist monastic saṅgha initially split, due originally to differences in vinaya, and later also due to doctrinal differences and geographical separation of groups of monks.The original saṅgha split into the...
in India, and part of the Mahāsāṃghika
Mahasamghika
The ' , literally the "Great Saṃgha", was one of the early Buddhist schools in ancient India.The origins of the sect of Buddhism are still extremely uncertain, and the subject of debate among scholars. One reason for the interest in the origins of the school is that their Vinaya recension appears...
branch of Buddhism. They were also known as the Bahuśrutiya
Bahusrutiya
Bahuśrutīya was one of the early Buddhist schools, according to early sources such as Vasumitra, the , and other sources, and was a sub-group which emerged from the Mahāsaṃghika sect.-Etymology:...
-Vibhajyavādins.
History
According to VasumitraVasumitra
Vasumitra , was the fourth King of the Sunga Dynasty of Northern India...
, the Prajñaptivāda school is said to have developed as one of several Mahāsāṃghika sub-schools. They are recorded as having taken up residence in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. According to Taranātha, the Prajñaptivādins continued to flourish in Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
through the Pāla dynasty
Pala Empire
The Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala , which means protector. The Palas were often described...
, as late as the 10th century CE.
Doctrine
Vasumitra writes that the doctrines of the Prajñaptivāda school were similar to those of the main Mahāsāṃghika school. According to André BareauAndré Bareau
André Bareau was a prominent French Buddhologist and a leader in the establishment of the field of Buddhist Studies in the 20th century. He was a professor at the Collège de France from 1971 to 1991 and Director of the Study of Buddhist Philosophy at L'École Pratique des Hautes Études.-External...
, the name "Prajñaptivāda" refers to their doctrine that phenomena are the product of conceptualization (Skt. prajñapti). Vasumitra writes that the Prajñaptivādins viewed all conditioned phenomena as being mere concepts or notions (Skt. prajñapti), and therefore they were considered to be suffering
Dukkha
Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
. The Prajñaptivādins distinguished between conventional truth (Skt. ) and ultimate truth (Skt. paramārtha
Paramartha
Paramārtha was an Indian monk from Ujjain in central India, who is best known for his prolific Chinese translations which include Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośa...
), and between reality (Skt. tattva) and mere concepts (Skt. prajñapti).
The Prajñaptivādins believed that the Noble Path is eternal and immutable, and that it is not possible for it to be lost or destroyed. They also held that the path was not something that could be cultivated through contemplation. However, they believed that the Path could be attained through all-knowledge (Skt. sarvajñāna) and the accumulation of merit. Whether one meets an untimely death or attains the Noble Path, the Prajñaptivādins viewed all such outcomes as being the result of merit and karma.
Contrary to the Sarvāstivāda
Sarvastivada
The Sarvāstivāda were an early school of Buddhism that held to 'the existence of all dharmas in the past, present and future, the 'three times'. Vasubandhu's states:-Name:...
, the Prajñaptivādins did not view the skandha
Skandha
In Buddhist phenomenology and soteriology, the skandhas or khandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging and bases for a sense of self...
s or the five elements as suffering. Instead these were viewed as existing merely as nominal entities without any ultimate existence.
The Prajñaptivādins held that the Buddha's teachings in the various piṭakas were nominal (Skt. prajñapti), conventional (Skt. ), and causal (Skt. hetuphala). Therefore all teachings were viewed by the Prajñaptivādins as being of provisional importance, since they cannot contain the ultimate truth. It has been observed that this view of the Buddha's teachings is very close to the fully developed position of the Mahāyāna sūtras
Mahayana sutras
Mahāyāna sutras are a broad genre of Buddhist scriptures that are accepted as canonical by the various traditions of Mahāyāna Buddhism. These are largely preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon, the Tibetan Buddhist canon, and in extant Sanskrit manuscripts...
.
And Mahāyāna
The Prajñaptivādins were early articulators of the two truths doctrineTwo truths doctrine
The Buddhist doctrine of the two truths differentiates between two levels of truth in Buddhist discourse: a "relative" or commonsense truth , and an "ultimate" or absolute, spiritual truth...
that is so important to the Mahāyāna
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
, where it is usually found in the relationship between upāya
Upaya
Upaya is a term in Mahayana Buddhism which is derived from the root upa√i and refers to a means that goes or brings one up to some goal, often the goal of Enlightenment. The term is often used with kaushalya ; upaya-kaushalya means roughly "skill in means"...
and prajñā
Prajña
Prajñā or paññā is wisdom, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation...
. Ian Charles Harris has noted that the doctrines of the Prajñaptivāda school are indeed similar to the early Mahāyāna view of the two truths.
There is also evidence that the Prajñaptivādins were an influence on Nāgārjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
, who is also among the storied promulgators of the two truths doctrine (using some of the same technical terms), and who in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
Mulamadhyamakakarika
The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā , or Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way, is a key text by Nagarjuna, one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.-Competing interpretations:...
only cites one text by name, that being the Kātyāyana Gotra Sūtra, of which the Prajñaptivādins were known to be fond.
André Bareau considers the origin of the Mahāyāna tradition to be in the early schools, and cites the Bahuśrutīyas and Prajñaptivādins as sub-sects of the that may have played an important role in bridging the flow of Mahāyāna teachings between the northern and southern Mahāsāṃghika traditions.
See also
- Schools of BuddhismSchools of BuddhismBuddhism is an ancient, polyvalent ideological system that originated in the Iron Age Indian subcontinent, referred to variously throughout history by one or more of a myriad of concepts – including, but not limited to any of the following: a Dharmic religion, a philosophy or quasi-philosophical...
- Early Buddhist schoolsEarly Buddhist schoolsThe early Buddhist schools are those schools into which, according to most scholars, the Buddhist monastic saṅgha initially split, due originally to differences in vinaya, and later also due to doctrinal differences and geographical separation of groups of monks.The original saṅgha split into the...
- Nikaya BuddhismNikaya BuddhismThe term Nikāya Buddhism was coined by Dr. Masatoshi Nagatomi, in order to find a more acceptable term than Hinayana to refer to the early Buddhist schools. Examples of these schools are pre-sectarian Buddhism and the early Buddhist schools...