Pure Land Buddhism as Vaishnavism
Part Six: Replying
to the Atheistic Challenge of a Theravadin Buddhist
By Bhakti Ananda Goswami
Sent to "Bhakti Ananda E.O.H.N." Sunday, May 19, 2002 8:03 AM, Subject: Buddha
(This letter has been edited for this column)
Hari Bolo, B.A. Goswami! Jaya Prabhupada! Thanks for all your nice e-mails. ..... I'm writing because I have a question. I spend time in a certain Buddhist chat room. There is one guy who thinks he owns the room, and quotes all this Gautama Buddha stuff. He says the teachings of Buddhism say that wisdom is the highest, insight or whatever, and that devotion is not even mentioned in the sutras. So, I was wondering if you could just give me a couple of quotes, or a barrage of stuff I can share with him? ... Thanks , your servant, ...... Dasa
Hari Bol Prabhuji !
Please accept my humble obeisances.
The essence of the matter is this:
The 'wisdom' of the Theravadin tradition is anatta (an-atma, 'no self').
This is of course the exact opposite of all the theistic or bhakti traditions,
which assert the existence of both the Supreme Self / God, and the finite
self. While this atheistic tradition has crept into northern (Mahayana)
Buddhism, studying the artifacts and ancient texts and other evidence for early
Buddhism confirms that the devotional or theistic bhakti form was the original
or orthodox form, with the atheistic form the heterodox corruption.
I am currently writing a series of articles of this, which are posted on the
saragrahi.org site.
The devotional form of Buddhism is generally known as Pure Land Buddhism. It was once the dominant tradition of the whole Northern range from Afghanistan through China and Korea to Japan. In this tradition, 'wisdom' is not anatta, it is the bodhi heart of compassion exemplified by the bodhisattva. While the arhants of the Theravadin tradition removed themselves from the sufferings of humanity to 'realize' their no-self, the bodhisattvas offered themselves as intercessors for the salvation of all beings. If there is no self, then who is there to save or to be saved ? The bodhisattva connects him/herself to the limitless other-power compassion of Amitabha-Amitayus as Lokeshvara, and in so doing is empowered to apply the merits of their sadhana, sacrifices and austerities to the karma of other suffering beings. If there are no other suffering beings, then the whole vicarious atonement 'bodhi heart of compassion' mission of the Pure Land tradition makes no sense at all. It is simply logically inconsistent to assert that there is no self, and then to vow to stay in a cosmos until "the last hungry ghost " there has been liberated!
Below is the traditional vow of the bodhisattva ,
translated from a text on the life of the late Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka
Master Hua. The venerable Master Hua taught both the Theravadin and Pure
Land dharmas. If a student did not have the 'bodhi heart' of wisdom /
compassion, then they were not attracted to the devotional 'dharma door' of the
other-power of Amitabha Lokeshvara and his bodhisattva saints. Such
non-bhakti persons studied the Theravadin (atheistic) 'dharma door', in which
the doctrine of no-self is the highest 'wisdom'. In the Pure Land
tradition however, the highest wisdom is really compassion, the compassion
embodied in the bodhisattva, whose vows to save all beings reveal a profound
personalism, love and faith in the supreme “Father's” desire and
ability to save all beings in the fallen or saha world of birth, death, disease
and old age. Master Hua recommended the Pure Land dharma door of constant
invocation of Amitabha's
name as the supreme dharma for this the dharma-ending age ! Since
Amitabha's seed mantra name is HRIH, Hari Nama 'recitation' / invocation is thus
affirmed as the most important 'dharma door' or 'yuga dharma' of the
dharma-ending age / kali yuga ! Invoking Amitabha (in Japan, Amida)
Buddha is a devotional "other power" practice. What sense
does it make if the 'other' being invoked doesn't exist, and who is Amitabha
that we should invoke him ?
"Although Rahula [Sakyamuni's son by Yasodhara] was the Buddha's son, the
Buddha doesn't have only one son; he has three kinds of sons:
1. True Sons. One often reads in the Sutras, "... headed by the Dharma Prince Manjusri..." The Buddha is the Dharma King, and the bodhisattvas are the Buddha's genuine sons. [Manjusri is a Form of Balarama as the original Master of compassion-wisdom in Pure Land Buddhism. All bodhisattvas are ultimately empowered by Lokeshvara (Vishnu) and Manjusri is one of His forms as the original Revelator and Spiritual Master.]
2. Initiated Sons. These are the Arhants who, out of ignorance, hold to the principle of one-sided emptiness and have not attained the principle of the Middle way.
3. Uninitiated Sons. Common men who do not know how to cultivate the *upside-down, but they are still the Buddha's sons, FOR THE BUDDHA IS THE GREAT COMPASSIONATE FATHER OF ALL LIVING BEINGS [emphasis mine]. The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra speaks of us as poor, lost sons. We should quickly return to our great compassionate father. We all have a share in the Buddha's family."
*Upside-down may refer to the salvific descending Other-power Dharma of Amitabha.
Here are the Eighteen Solemn Vows made by Tripitaka Master Hua while sitting beside his mother's grave. These are the vows of a bodhisattva. I have edited them for brevity.
"I bow before the Buddhas of the ten directions, the
Dharma of the Tripitaka, and the holy Sanga of the past and present, praying
that they will hear and bear witness.
"I ...resolve not to seek for myself either the blessings of the gods or of
men or the attainments of the Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, or high Bodhisattvas.
Instead, I rely on the Most Supreme Vehicle, and bring forth the heart of Bodhi,
vowing that all living beings of the Dharma Realm shall attain the Utmost Right
and Perfect Enlightenment at the same time as I.
1. I vow that I will not attain the Right Enlightenment if there is even one Bodhisattva in the ten directions and the three periods of time to the end of empty space and the Dharma Realm who has not yet become a Buddha. [The rest of the vows, to vow # 10, repeat the above with the following substitutions for 'Bodhisattva' in vow one.]
2. Pratyekabuddha
3. Sravaka
4. human being
[the text is missing number 5)
6. asura
7. animal
8. hungry ghost
9. even one being in the hells
10. any being in the triple world who has taken refuge with me and has not yet become a Buddha, be it a god, immortal, human being, or asura, a bird, fish, plant, or animal, a magical dragon, beast, ghost or spirit.
11. I vow to bestow upon all living beings of the Dharma Realm all the blessings and happiness I am destined to recieve.
12. I vow to take upon myself the miseries of all living beings of the Dharma Realm, that I alone may endure them on their behalf.
13. I vow that my spirit [??? if there is 'no self', what spirit is he speaking of here ???] shall enter the hearts of all living beings who do not believe in the Buddhadharma, causing them to reform their evil conduct and practice the good, and causing them to take refuge with the Triple Jewel and ultimately realize Buddhahood.
14. I vow that every living being who has seen my face, or even heard my name will bring forth the Bodhi heart, and quickly realize the Buddha way.
15. I vow to observe reverently the Buddha's regulation and take only one meal a day and that at noon.
16. I vow to enlighten all living beings according to their dispositions.
17. * I vow in this very life to attain the Five Eyes and the Six Spiritual Penetrations and the ability to fly freely.
18. I vow that all my vows will be fulfilled.
I vow to save the numberless living beings.
I vow to cut off the inexhaustible afflictions.
**I vow to study the limitless Dharma-doors.
I vow to realize the supreme Buddha-way."* and ** : The asterisks above are references to mastering 'skillful means', mystic siddhis / powers and all righteous religious paths, all for the sole purpose of saving other beings.
I have summarized the above from the Buddhist Text
Translation Society's 1974 Edition of "A General Explanation of the
Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra" and the "Records of the Life of
the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua", Volume One, Compiled and translated by
American Bhikshuni Heng Yin. The latter text was published in 1981 by the Dharma
Realm Buddhist University, Buddhist Text Translation Society, Talmage,
California, USA.
In a later installment in this series on Buddhism, I plan to quote Master Hua on
the importance of Nama Recitation in the Dharma-ending Age.
It should be clear from the above that the core of Mahayana Buddhism in its Pure
Land Other-power Bodhisattva doctrine is profoundly personal, and that 'wisdom'
defined in the Pure Land Tradition as COMPASSION is contradicted by the
atheists' doctrine of no-self. No-self means no one to have
compassion for, no one to save, or to perceive the need, or to do the saving.
There is certainly no loving Father-of-all-beings (or beings for that matter !)
in atheistic Theravadin Buddhism.
Please read my other postings on Buddhism in my current series on the subject at
saragrahi.org.
I hope this information helps,
your aspiring servant,
Bhakti Ananda Goswami