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76-569: [REDACTED] Look up अरिहंत , arahant , or arhat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Arihant , Arihanta , Arahant or Arhat may refer to: Arihant (Jainism) , in Jainism, a siddha who has not yet died Arhat , in Buddhism, a person who has attained nirvana, the perfected one Arahant Mahinda Thera or Mahinda, son of

152-455: A "council". The Sthavira school had, by the time of Aśoka, divided into three sub-schools, doctrinally speaking, but these did not become separate monastic orders until later. Only two ancient sources (the Dīpavaṃsa and Bhavya's third list) place the first schism before Aśoka, and none attribute the schism to a dispute on Vinaya practice. Lamotte and Hirakawa both maintain that the first schism in

228-467: A 2004 South Korean action film Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Arihant . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arihant&oldid=1187319262 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

304-485: A basic framework, and not all of the early schools developed an Abhidhamma literature. Theravādin sources state that, in the 3rd century BCE, a third council was convened under the patronage of Aśoka. Some scholars argue that there are certain implausible features of the Theravādin account which imply that the third council was ahistorical. The remainder consider it a purely Theravāda- Vibhajjavāda council. According to

380-468: A claim, being entitled"; arhita (past participle) "honoured, worshipped". The word is used in the Ṛgveda with this sense of "deserving". In pre-Buddhist India, the term arhat (denoting a saintly person in general) was closely associated with miraculous power and asceticism. Buddhists made a sharp distinction between their arhats and Indian holy men, and miraculous powers were no longer central to arhat identity or mission. A range of views on

456-570: A considerable amount of the canonical literature of some of these schools has survived, mainly in Chinese translation. Moreover, the origins of specifically Mahāyāna doctrines may be discerned in the teachings of some of these early schools, in particular in the Mahāsānghika and the Sarvāstivāda. The schools sometimes split over ideological differences concerning the "real" meaning of teachings in

532-592: A deep samādhi of emptiness, thence to be roused and taught the bodhisattva path, presumably when ready. According to the Lotus Sutra , any true arhat will eventually accept the Mahāyāna path. Mahāyāna teachings often consider the śrāvaka path to be motivated by fear of saṃsāra, which renders them incapable of aspiring to buddhahood, and that they therefore lack the courage and wisdom of a bodhisattva. Novice bodhisattvas are compared to śrāvakas and arhats at times. In

608-424: A giant bird without wings that cannot help but plummet to the earth from the top of Sumeru . Mahayan Buddhism has viewed the śrāvaka path culminating in arhatship as a lesser accomplishment than complete enlightenment, but still accords due respect to arhats for their respective achievements. Therefore, buddha-realms are depicted as populated by both śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. Far from being completely disregarded,

684-582: A learner" and that of a tathāgata, and explains the second by describing the qualities of an Arahat. At M.I.139–140 and 486-7, moreover, there is a switching between talk of a "tathāgata" and of "a monk whose mind is freed thus", as if they were simple equivalents. Tathāgata literally means "thus-gone" or "thus-come", probably meaning one who is "attained-to-truth" or "whose-nature-is-from-truth". Early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist community initially split into two main Nikāyas (monastic groups, divisions),

760-525: A lower path: "A Buddha's wisdom is like empty space of the ten-quarters, which can enlighten innumerable people. But an Arhat's wisdom is inferior." The Kāśyapīya school also believed that arhats were fallible and imperfect, similar to the view of the Sarvāstivādins and the Mahāsāṃghika sects. The Kāśyapīyins believed that arhats have not fully eliminated desire, their "perfection" is incomplete, and it

836-633: Is believed (in Theravadin culture) that the Abhidhamma was taught by Buddha to his late mother who was living in Tavatimsa heaven. However, this is rejected by scholars, who believe that only small parts of the Abhidhamma literature may have been existent in a very early form. The Sarvastivadins also rejected this idea, and instead held that the Abhidharma was collected, edited, and compiled by

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912-427: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages arahant In Buddhism , an Arhat ( Sanskrit : अर्हत् ) or Arahant ( Pali : अरहंत् , 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved Nirvana and has been liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth . The understanding of the concept has changed over

988-414: Is envisioned with the attainments of arhats and pratyekabuddhas being clearly separate from and below those of samyaksambuddha or tathāgatas such as Gautama Buddha. In contrast to the goal of becoming a fully enlightened buddha, the path of a śrāvaka in being motivated by seeking personal liberation from saṃsāra is often portrayed as selfish and undesirable. There are even some Mahāyāna texts that regard

1064-482: Is possible for them to relapse. In Theravada Buddhism, an arahant is a person who has eliminated all the unwholesome roots which underlie the fetters – who upon their death will not be reborn in any world, since the bonds (fetters) that bind a person to samsara have been finally dissolved. In the Pali Canon , the word tathāgata is sometimes used as a synonym for arhat, though the former usually refers to

1140-421: Is the attainment of nirvāṇa in this present life." The Mahayana discerned a hierarchy of attainments, with samyaksambuddha s at the top, mahāsattvas below that, pratyekabuddhas below that and arhats further below. "But what was it that distinguished the bodhisattva from the sravaka , and ultimately the buddha from the arhat ? The difference lay, more than anywhere else, in the altruistic orientation of

1216-582: The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra , there is an account of sixty novice bodhisattvas who attain arhatship despite themselves and their efforts at the bodhisattva path because they lacked the abilities of prajnaparamita and skillful means to progress as bodhisattvas toward complete enlightenment (Skt. Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi ). This is because they are still viewed as having innate attachment and fear of saṃsāra. The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra compares these people to

1292-1074: The Abhidhamma Pitaka s (collectively known as the " Tripiṭaka "), was taken to Sri Lanka by Emperor Aśoka's son, the Venerable Mahinda . There it was eventually committed to writing in the Pali language. The Pāli Canon remains the most complete set of surviving Nikāya scriptures, although the greater part of the Sarvāstivādin canon also survives in Chinese translation , some parts exist in Tibetan translations, and some fragments exist in Sanskrit manuscripts, while parts of various canons (sometimes unidentified), exist in Chinese and fragments in other Indian dialects as in Gāndhārī . Around

1368-456: The Khuddaka Nikāya : The Khuddaka Nikaya can easily be divided into two strata, one being early and the other late. The texts Sutta Nipata , Itivuttaka , Dhammapada , Therigatha ( Theragatha ), Udana , and Jataka tales belong to the early stratum. The texts Khuddakapatha, Vimanavatthu, Petavatthu, Niddesa, Patisambhidamagga, Apadana, Buddhavamsa and Cariyapitaka can be categorized in

1444-715: The Sutta Piṭaka , and sometimes over disagreement concerning the proper observance of vinaya. These ideologies became embedded in large works such as the Abhidhammas and commentaries. Comparison of existing versions of the Suttapiṭaka of various sects shows evidence that ideologies from the Abhidhamma s sometimes found their way back into the Suttapiṭaka s to support the statements made in those Abhidhammas . Some of these developments may be seen as later elaborations on

1520-496: The Buddha taught. Some scholars argue that the first council actually did not take place. The expansion of orally transmitted texts in early Buddhism, and the growing distances between Buddhist communities, fostered specialization and sectarian identification. One or several disputes did occur during Aśoka's reign, involving both doctrinal and disciplinary ( vinaya ) matters, although these may have been too informal to be called

1596-476: The Khuddaka Nikaya within their Abhidharma Pitaka. Also, the Pali version of the Abhidhamma is a strictly Theravada collection, and has little in common with the Abhidhamma works recognized by other Buddhist schools. The various Abhidhamma philosophies of the various early schools disagree on numerous key points and belong to the period of sectarian debates among the schools. The earliest texts of

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1672-783: The Sarvāstivāda , the Dharmaguptakas , the Saṃmitīya , and the Pudgalavādins . The Pudgalavādins were also known as Vatsiputrīyas after their putative founder. Later this group became known as the Sammitīya school after one of its subdivisions. It died out around the 9th or 10th century CE. Nevertheless, during most of the early medieval period, the Sammitīya school was numerically the largest Buddhist group in India, with more followers than all

1748-643: The Sarvāstivādins (" Temporal Eternalists "), the Dharmaguptakas ("Preservers of Dharma "), Lokottaravadins ("Transcendentalists"), the Prajñaptivādins ("Conceptualists"), the Vibhajyavādins ("the Analysts"), and the Pudgalavādins ("Personalists"). According to traditional accounts these sects eventually proliferated into 18 (or, less-commonly, 20) different schools. The textual material shared by

1824-910: The Siraitia grosvenorii Arihant -class submarine , a class of submarines being developed for the Indian Navy INS Arihant , the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered submarines Arihant Majestic Towers , residential area in Chennai, India Arhatha , a 1990 Indian film See also [ edit ] All pages with titles beginning with Arihant All pages with titles containing Arihant Arhan (disambiguation) , alternative form Luohan (disambiguation) , arhat in Chinese Rakan (disambiguation) , arhat in Japanese Arahan ,

1900-472: The Sthavira ("Elders"), and the Mahāsāṃghika ("Great Community"). This initial split occurred either during the reign of Aśoka (c. 268-232 BCE) or shortly after (historians disagree on the matter). Later, these groups became further divided on doctrinal grounds into numerous schools of thought and practice (with their own monastic rules and doctrinal Abhidharma texts). Some of the main sects included

1976-543: The Suttapitaka ). Although the literature of the various Abhidharma Pitakas began as a kind of commentarial supplement upon the earlier teachings in the Suttapitaka , it soon led to new doctrinal and textual developments and became the focus of a new form of scholarly monastic life. The various Abhidharma works were starting to be composed from about 200 years after the passing away of the Buddha. Traditionally, it

2052-581: The Theravada regarded arhats and buddhas as being similar to one another. The 5th century Theravadin commentator Buddhaghosa regarded arhats as having completed the path to enlightenment. According to Bhikkhu Bodhi , the Pāli Canon portrays the Buddha declaring himself to be an arahant. According to Bhikkhu Bodhi, nirvāṇa is "the ultimate goal", and one who has attained nirvana has attained arhatship: Bhikkhu Bodhi writes, "The defining mark of an arahant

2128-529: The Vinaya Pitaka . Early Mahayana came directly from "early Buddhist schools" and was a successor to them. Between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE, the terms "Mahāyāna" and "Hīnayāna" were first used in writing, in, for example, the Lotus Sutra . The later Mahayana schools may have preserved ideas which were abandoned by the "orthodox" Theravada, such as the Three Bodies doctrine,

2204-520: The bodhisattva ." The term arhat is often rendered in English as arahat . The term arhat was transliterated into some East Asian languages phonetically, for example, the Chinese āluóhàn (Ch. 阿羅漢 ), often shortened to simply luóhàn (Ch. 羅漢 ). This may appear in English as luohan or lohan . In Japanese the pronunciation of the same Chinese characters is rakan (Ja. 羅漢 ) or arakan (Ja. 阿羅漢 ). The Tibetan term for arhat

2280-492: The early Buddhist schools . The Sarvāstivāda, Kāśyapīya, Mahāsāṃghika, Ekavyāvahārika, Lokottaravāda, Bahuśrutīya, Prajñaptivāda and Caitika schools all regarded arhats as being imperfect in their attainments compared to buddhas . The Dharmaguptaka sect believed that "the Buddha and those of the Two Vehicles , although they have one and the same liberation, have followed different noble paths." The Mahīśāsaka and

2356-459: The parinirvana of Gautama Buddha , a council was held at Rajagaha Rajgir ) by some of his disciples who had attained arahantship , presided over by Mahākāśyapa , one of his most senior disciples, and with the support of king Ajātasattu , reciting the teachings of the Buddha. The accounts of the council in the scriptures of the schools differ as to what was actually recited there. Purāṇa is recorded as having said: "Your reverences, well chanted by

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2432-524: The Adhidhammas of the various schools, according to some scholars , was that Buddha left no clear statement about the ontological status of the world – about what really exists. Subsequently, later Buddhists have themselves defined what exists and what not (in the Abhidhammic scriptures), leading to disagreements. Oliver Abeynayake has the following to say on the dating of the various books in

2508-673: The Apara and Uttara (Purva) Saila. Warder says that these were the early Buddhist schools as of circa 50 BCE, about the same time that the Pali Canon was first committed to writing and the presumptive origin date of the Theravada sect, though the term 'Theravada' was not used before the fourth century CE. A hypothetical combined list would be as follows: The classic sets of ten, six or four paramitas (perfections) were codified and developed by these various schools in later sources. Though

2584-463: The Buddha alone. After attainment of nirvana, the five aggregates (physical forms, feelings/sensations, perception, mental formations and consciousness) will continue to function, sustained by physical bodily vitality. This attainment is termed the nirvana element with a residue remaining . But once the arhat passes away and with the disintegration of the physical body, the five aggregates will cease to function, hence ending all traces of existence in

2660-648: The Buddha as Maitreya , while other groupings of 6, 8, 16 , 100, and 500 also appear in tradition and Buddhist art , especially in East Asia called luohan or lohan . They may be seen as the Buddhist equivalents of the Christian saint, apostles or early disciples and leaders of the faith. The Sanskrit word arhat (Pāḷi arahant ) is a present participle coming from the verbal root √arh "to deserve", cf. arha "meriting, deserving"; arhaṇa "having

2736-524: The Buddhist sangha occurred during the reign of Ashoka. According to scholar Collett Cox "most scholars would agree that even though the roots of the earliest recognized groups predate Aśoka , their actual separation did not occur until after his death." According to the Theravada tradition, the split took place at the Second Buddhist council , which took place at Vaishali , approximately one hundred years after Gautama Buddha's parinirvāṇa . While

2812-509: The Chinese monk Guanxiu ( Chinese : 貫休 ; pinyin : Guànxiū ) in 891 CE. He donated these portraits to Shengyin Temple in Qiantang (modern Hangzhou ), where they are preserved with great care and ceremonious respect. In some respects, the path to arhatship and the path to complete enlightenment are seen as having common grounds. However, a distinctive difference is seen in

2888-626: The Indian emperor Ashoka; a Buddhist monk Arahant Upatissa , Buddhist scholar in Sri Lanka, author of Vimuktimarga , a 1st or 2nd century CE treatise on Abhidharma Arahanthgiri Jain Math , Jain temple in Tirumalai, Tamil Nadu, India Arhat Boxing or Luohanquan, a Chinese martial arts style Arhat of Yixian or Yixian glazed pottery luohans, Buddhist sculptures from China Arhat fruit ,

2964-653: The Khuddaka Nikaya can thus be regarded as later additions: And the following three which are included in the Burmese Canon: The original verses of the Jatakas are recognized as being amongst the earliest part of the Canon, but the accompanying (and more famous) Jataka Stories are commentaries likely composed at later dates. The Parivara , the last book of the Vinaya Pitaka , is a later addition to

3040-624: The Mahasamghika school was known for its doctrine of "transcendentalism" ( lokottaravada ), the view that the Buddha was a fully transcendent being. As the third major division of the various canons, the Abhidharma collections were a major source of dispute among the various schools. Abhidharma texts were not accepted as canonical by the Mahasanghika school and several other schools. Another school included most of their version of

3116-484: The Mahāyāna doctrine pushing emotional and cognitive non-attachment to their logical consequences. Of this, Paul Williams writes that in Mahāyāna Buddhism, "Nirvāṇa must be sought without being sought (for oneself), and practice must be done without being practiced. The discursive mode of thinking cannot serve the basic purpose of attainment without attainment." A range of views on the attainment of arhats existed in

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3192-662: The Mahāyāna never had nor ever attempted to have a separate vinaya or ordination lineage from the early Buddhist schools, and therefore each bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī adhering to the Mahāyāna formally belonged to an early school. Membership in these nikāyas , or monastic sects, continues today with the Dharmaguptaka nikāya in East Asia, and the Mūlasarvāstivāda nikāya in Tibetan Buddhism . Therefore, Mahāyāna

3268-726: The Pali Canon (the Sutta Nipata and parts of the Jataka ), together with the first four (and early) Nikayas of the Suttapitaka , have no mention of (the texts of) the Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Abhidhamma is also not mentioned at the report of the First Buddhist Council , directly after the death of the Buddha. This report of the first council does mention the existence of the Vinaya and the five Nikayas (of

3344-543: The Sarvāstivādins held the same position as the Mahāsāṃghika branch about arhats , considering them imperfect and fallible. In the Sarvāstivādin Nāgadatta Sūtra , the demon Māra takes the form of Nāgadatta's father and tries to convince Nāgadatta (who was a bhikṣuṇī ) to work toward the lower stage of arhatship rather than strive to become a fully enlightened buddha (samyaksaṃbuddha): Māra therefore took

3420-605: The Sautrāntikas were actually adherents of Mūlasarvāstivāda. The relation between Sarvāstivāda and the Mūlasarvāstivāda , however, is unclear. All of these early schools of Nikāya Buddhism eventually came to be known collectively as "the eighteen schools" in later sources. With the exception of the Theravāda, none of these early schools survived beyond the late medieval period by which time several were already long extinct, although

3496-481: The Silk Road. It is commonly said that there were eighteen schools of Buddhism in this period. What this actually means is more subtle. First, although the word "school" is used, there was not yet an institutional split in the saṅgha . The Chinese traveler Xuanzang observed even when the Mahāyāna were beginning to emerge from this era that monks of different schools would live side by side in dormitories and attend

3572-502: The Theravādin account, this council was convened primarily for the purpose of establishing an official orthodoxy. At the council, small groups raised questions about the specifics of the vinaya and the interpretation of doctrine. The chairman of the council, Moggaliputta Tissa , compiled a book, the Kathavatthu , which was meant to refute these arguments. The council sided with Moggaliputta and his version of Buddhism as orthodox; it

3648-606: The accomplishments of arhats are viewed as impressive, essentially because they have transcended the mundane world. Chinese Buddhism and other East Asian traditions have historically accepted this perspective, and specific groups of arhats are venerated as well, such as the Sixteen Arhats , the Eighteen Arhats , and the Five Hundred Arhats. The first famous portraits of these arhats were painted by

3724-477: The actual ideas of these virtues (like dhyana , sila , prajña , etc) and the idea of the Buddha's past lives are drawn from early Buddhist sources (such as early jatakas ), they were developed further into specific doctrines about the bodhisattva path and how exactly the Buddha undertook it. The new schools also developed new doctrines about important Buddhist topics. The Sarvastivadins for example were known for their doctrine of temporal eternalism . Meanwhile

3800-426: The arhat knows and sees the real here and now. This virtue shows stainless purity, true worth, and the accomplishment of the end, nirvana . In the Pali canon, Ānanda states that he knows monastics to achieve nirvana in one of four ways: For those that have destroyed greed and hatred (in the sensory context) with some residue of delusion, are called anagami (non-returner). Anagamis will not be reborn into

3876-413: The aspiration to arhatship and personal liberation as an outside path. Instead of aspiring for arhatship, Mahayanins are urged to instead take up the path of the bodhisattva and to not fall back to the level of arhats and śrāvakas. Therefore, it is taught that an arhat must go on to become a bodhisattva eventually. If they fail to do so in the lifetime in which they reach the attainment, they will fall into

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3952-448: The centuries, and varies between different schools of Buddhism and different regions. A range of views on the attainment of arhats existed in the early Buddhist schools . The Sarvāstivāda , Kāśyapīya , Mahāsāṃghika , Ekavyāvahārika , Lokottaravāda , Bahuśrutīya , Prajñaptivāda , and Caitika schools all regarded arhats as imperfect in their attainments compared to buddhas . Mahayana Buddhist teachings urge followers to take up

4028-449: The disguise of Nāgadatta's father and said thus to Nāgadatta: "Your thought is too serious. Buddhahood is too difficult to attain. It takes a hundred thousand nayutas of koṭis of kalpas to become a Buddha. Since few people attain Buddhahood in this world, why don't you attain Arhatship? For the experience of Arhatship is the same as that of nirvāṇa ; moreover, it is easy to attain Arhatship. In her reply, Nāgadatta rejects arhatship as

4104-403: The early schools is often termed the early Buddhist texts and these are an important source for understanding their doctrinal similarities and differences. There were are various works of Abhidharma and other treatises written by these various schools which contain more unique doctrines which were specific to each school. According to the scriptures ( Cullavagga XI.1 ff), three months after

4180-478: The elders (sthaviras) after the Buddha's death (though they relied on the Buddha's words for this compilation). Some schools of Buddhism had important disagreements on subjects of Abhidhamma, while having a largely similar Sutta-pitaka and Vinaya-pitaka. The arguments and conflicts between them were thus often on matters of philosophical Abhidhammic origin, not on matters concerning the actual words and teachings of Buddha. One impetus for composing new scriptures like

4256-405: The elders are the Dhamma and Vinaya , but in that way that I heard it in the Lord's presence, that I received it in his presence, in that same way will I bear it in mind." [ Vinaya-pitaka : Cullavagga XI:1:11]. According to Theravāda tradition, the teachings were divided into various parts and each was assigned to an elder and his pupils to commit to memory, and there was no conflict about what

4332-405: The human world after death, but into the heaven of the Pure Abodes , where only anagamis live. There, they will attain full enlightenment. The Theravadin commentator Buddhaghosa placed the arhat at the completion of the path to liberation. Mahayana Buddhists see Gautama Buddha himself as the ideal towards which one should aim in one's spiritual aspirations. A hierarchy of general attainments

4408-458: The idea of consciousness ( vijnana ) as a continuum, and devotional elements such as the worship of saints. Although the various early schools of Buddhism are sometimes loosely classified as " Hīnayāna " in modern times, this is not necessarily accurate. According to Jan Nattier, Mahāyāna never referred to a separate sect of Buddhism (Skt. nikāya ), but rather to the set of ideals and doctrines for bodhisattvas. Paul Williams has also noted that

4484-405: The individual Gotama. In general, "tathāgata" is used specifically of the Buddha, the one who discovers and proclaims the path to nirvana (A.II.8–9, S.III.65-6), with the "Tathāgata, Arahat, perfectly and completely Enlightened One" being contrasted with a "disciple of the Tathāgata" (D.II.142). Nevertheless, "tathāgata" is sometimes used of any Arahat. S.V.327, for example, discusses the "dwelling of

4560-495: The introduction and emphasis on Abhidhammic literature by some schools. This literature was specific to each school, and arguments and disputes between the schools were often based on these Abhidhammic writings. However, actual splits were originally based on disagreements on vinaya (monastic discipline), though later on, by about 100 CE or earlier, they could be based on doctrinal disagreement. Pre-sectarian Buddhism, however, did not have Abhidhammic scriptures, except perhaps for

4636-401: The later stratum. The texts in the early stratum date from before the second council (earlier than 100 years after Buddha’s parinibbana), while the later stratum is from after the second council, which means they are definitely later additions to the Sutta Pitaka, and that they might not have been the original teachings by the Buddha, but later compositions by disciples. The following books of

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4712-445: The other schools combined. The Sarvāstivādin school was most prominent in the north-west of India and provided some of the doctrines that would later be adopted by the Mahāyāna. Another group linked to Sarvāstivāda was the Sautrāntika school, which only recognized the authority of the sutras and rejected the abhidharma transmitted and taught by the Vaibhāṣika wing of Sarvāstivāda. Based on textual considerations, it has been suggested that

4788-400: The path of a bodhisattva , and to not fall back to the level of arhats and śrāvakas . The arhats, or at least the senior arhats, came to be widely regarded by Theravada buddhists as "moving beyond the state of personal freedom to join the Bodhisattva enterprise in their own way". Mahayana Buddhism regarded a group of Eighteen Arhats (with names and personalities) as awaiting the return of

4864-470: The phenomenal world and thus total release from the misery of samsara. It would then be termed the nirvana element without residue remaining . Parinirvana occurs at the death of an arhat. In Theravada Buddhism, the Buddha himself is first identified as an arhat, as are his enlightened followers, because they are free from all defilements, existing without greed, hatred , delusion , ignorance and craving . Lacking "assets" which will lead to future birth,

4940-511: The relative perfection of arhats existed in the early Buddhist schools. Mahāsāṃghikas , such as the Ekavyāvahārika , Lokottaravāda , Bahuśrutīya , Prajñaptivāda and Caitika schools, advocated the transcendental nature of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and the fallibility of arhats ; the Caitikas advocated the ideal of the bodhisattva ( bodhisattvayāna ) over that of the arhat ( śrāvakayāna ), and viewed arhats as fallible and still subject to ignorance. According to A. K. Warder ,

5016-615: The same lectures. Only the books that they read were different. Secondly, no historical sources can agree what the names of these "eighteen schools" were. The origin of this saying is therefore unclear. A.K. Warder identified the following eighteen early Buddhist schools (in approximate chronological order): Sthaviravada , Mahasamghika , Vatsiputriya , Ekavyavaharika , Gokulika (a.k.a. Kukkutika , etc.), Sarvastivada , Lokottaravāda , Dharmottariya, Bhadrayaniya, Sammitiya , Sannagarika, Bahusrutiya , Prajnaptivada , Mahisasaka , Haimavata (a.k.a. Kasyapiya ), Dharmaguptaka , Caitika , and

5092-416: The second council probably was a historical event, traditions regarding the Second Council are confusing and ambiguous. According to the Theravada tradition the overall result was the first schism in the sangha , between the Sthavira nikāya and the Mahāsāṃghika , although it is not agreed upon by all what the cause of this split was. The various splits within the monastic organization went together with

5168-399: The south-west and the Kañci region in the south-east. This group later ceased to refer to themselves specifically as "Vibhajjavādins", but reverted to calling themselves "Theriyas", after the earlier Theras (Sthaviras). Still later, at some point prior to the Dipavamsa (4th century), the Pali name Theravāda was adopted and has remained in use ever since for this group. Other groups included

5244-496: The state of Buddhism in India during the early medieval period. By the time the Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang and Yijing visited India, there were five early Buddhist schools that they mentioned far more frequently than others. They commented that the Sarvāstivāda / Mūlasarvāstivāda , Mahāsāṃghika , and Saṃmitīya were the principal early Buddhist schools still extant in India, along with the Sthavira sect. The Dharmaguptakas continued to be found in Gandhāra and Central Asia, along

5320-413: The teachings. According to Gombrich, unintentional literalism was a major force for change in the early doctrinal history of Buddhism. This means that texts were interpreted paying too much attention to the precise words used and not enough to the speaker's intention, the spirit of the text. Some later doctrinal developments in the early Buddhist schools show scholastic literalism, which is a tendency to take

5396-516: The term Śrāvakayāna instead. The Chinese Buddhist monk and pilgrim Yijing wrote about relationship between the various "vehicles" and the early Buddhist schools in India. He wrote, "There exist in the West numerous subdivisions of the schools which have different origins, but there are only four principal schools of continuous tradition." These schools are namely the Mahāsāṃghika nikāya, Sthavira, Mūlasarvāstivāda and Saṃmitīya nikāyas. Explaining their doctrinal affiliations, he then writes, "Which of

5472-476: The time of Aśoka that further divisions began to occur within the Buddhist movement and a number of additional schools emerged. Etienne Lamotte divided the mainstream Buddhist schools into three main doctrinal types: One of them was faction of the Sthavira group which called themselves Vibhajjavādins. One part of this group was transmitted to Sri Lanka and to certain areas of southern India, such as Vanavasi in

5548-598: The words and phrases of earlier texts (maybe the Buddha's own words) in such a way as to read-in distinctions which it was never intended to make. In addition, the Dipavamsa lists the following six schools without identifying the schools from which they arose: During the first millennium , monks from China such as Faxian , Xuanzang , and Yijing made pilgrimages to India and wrote accounts of their travels when they returned home. These Chinese travel records constitute extremely valuable sources of information concerning

5624-431: Was never a separate rival sect of the early schools. Paul Harrison clarifies that while Mahāyāna monastics belonged to a nikāya, not all members of a nikāya were Mahāyānists. From Chinese monks visiting India, we now know that both Mahāyāna and non-Mahāyāna monks in India often lived in the same monasteries side by side. Additionally, Isabella Onians notes that Mahāyāna works rarely used the term Hīnayāna , typically using

5700-459: Was then adopted by Emperor Aśoka as his empire's official religion. In Pali , this school of thought was termed Vibhajjavāda, literally "thesis of [those who make] a distinction". The distinction involved was as to the existence of phenomena ( dhamma s) in the past, future and present. The version of the scriptures that had been established at the third council, including the Vinaya , Sutta and

5776-443: Was translated by meaning from Sanskrit. This translation, dgra bcom pa (Ti. དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ།), means "one who has destroyed the foes of afflictions". Thus the Tibetan translators also understood the meaning of arhat to be ari-hanta . Before focusing on key passages on the tathāgata, it is first necessary to clarify which persons the word refers to. The Buddha often used it when talking of himself as an enlightened being, rather than as

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