[Buddha-l] Pudgalavada - Vasumitra

[L.S. Cousins]

Dan,

I do have to hand Bareauau's French version which gives his rendering 
of the other two Chinese and the Tibetan translation. So I will raise 
one or two points based on that.

>Here is a translation of what Vasumitra says about the 
>Vatsiputriyas. This has been translated before (though I don't have 
>those on hand at the moment). Since it is Xuanzang's rendering, this 
>is much easier to read, and the equivalents are much more reliable. 
>Paramartha's translation of the same text (done about a century 
>earlier) has additional portions, but since they are unclear and 
>don't seem to correspond in an obvious manner to what is discussed 
>in our long and short text passages, I will ignore that for now. It 
>is terse, but gives some suggestions about what their abhidharma and 
>marga was like, as well as their basic tenets. I have, however, 
>translated the Chinese versions of the names of the different 
>schools, as did Xuanzang.
>
>The section on the Vatsiputriyas in Vasumitra's "Tenets of the 
>Different Schools", tr. from Xuanzang's Ch. version.
>
>óLý
éqïîñ{è@ìØã`ÅB
>The tenets that the VÇts¥putr¥ya schools held in common:
>
>àýï’ì¡âæóÖîÒë¶Â]ó£Â]ÅBàÀÂ]ô|äEòÔé{êðñºÅB
>The Pudgala is neither the same as the skandhas nor different from 
>the skandhas (îÒë¶Â]ó£Â]). It is a prajñapti (òÔé{êðñº) dependent on 
>the skandhas, Çyatanas and dhÇtus.

Paramaartha is cited as adding a set of three kinds of prajñapti at this point:
1. celle qui comprend (sam.g.rh.naati) tout;
2. celle qui comprend une partie;
3. celle qui comprend le salut par la cessation.

The last looks like the third in our previous list.  Note that 
Paramaartha came from the area where the Pudgalavaadins were strong.

>  èîçsóLébèZÅBñíóL´bìþñ‰ÅB
>Sa?skÇras have a temporary duration, while some cease in an instant (k?a?ika).

Bareau takes this as:
All sa.mskaaras have a momentary duration and are instantly destroyed 
(k.sa.nikaniruddha).

>  èîñ@é·ó£ï’ì¡âæóÖÅBñ„únëOê¢Ázéäå“ê¢ÅBàÀï’ì¡âæóÖ⬪°óLàŽÁzÅB
>Dharmas, if apart from the pudgala, cannot move on from a previous 
>lifetime to a subsequent lifetime. It is on the basis of the pudgala 
>that one can say there is transference (sa?krÇnti).

Paramaartha is cited as adding: 'materiality excepted'.

>  ñíóLäOì¼î\ìæåÐí ÅB
>Moreover, even non-Buddhists can attain the five ?ddhis.

as in Theravaada

>  åÐéØñ„êžñíîÒó£êžÅB
>The five consciousnesses have no kleÊas, and are not apart from kleÊas.

Bareau has viraaga and aviraaga which seems less likely. In any case 
it must be part of an abhidhamma analysis. Compare Vibh 319 in Pali 
where the five are given as asa.mkili.t.tha-sankilesika i.e. not 
defiled but subject to defilement.

>  é·ù-ó~äEèCèäù-åãÅBñºà×ó£ó~ÅBîÒå©èäù-ÅB
>If the bonds (sa?yojana) are eliminated by cultivation 
>(bhÇvanÇ-mÇrga) in the kÇma-dhÇtu, one is called "free from desire." 
>They aren't eliminated in darÊana (-mÇrga).

Bareau understands:
abandoning the sa.myojana which are abandoned by bhaavanaa in the kaamadhaatu

>  ë¶îEñºëäÅBê¢ëÊàÍñ@ñºî\éÔì¸ê„ê´ó£êÅB
>It is by [the four wholesome roots, viz.] k?Çnti, nÇma, nimitta, and 
>laukikÇ agra-dharmÇ? (the highest meditative insight) that one can 
>enter into the correct nature in which no kleÊas arise. 
>(niyÇmÇvakrÇnti or samyaktva-niyÇma).

Bareau has aakaara instead of nimitta.

This looks like a version of the nirvedhabhaagiya. A sort of cross 
between the Yogaacaarin and the Vaibhaa.sika versions ? Does 
Paramaartha omit this ?

>  é·õþìæì¸ê„êó£êÅBè\ìÒêSê{ª°ñºçså¸ÅB
>If entering niyÇmÇvakrÇnti during the twelve mental moments, this is 
>called "Going toward" (pratipanna?).
>
>ëÊè\éOêSª°ñºèZâ ÅB
>If during the thirteenth mental (moment), this is called "abiding in 
>the fruit."

Paramaartha adds some 13  further theses. This must be based on his 
own knowledge. It is not in any of the other three translations.

>  óLî@ê*ìôë‡ç
ï ã`ÅB
>There many different opinions concerning such things.

This sentence is missing in the oldest Chinese and the Tibetan trsls. 
Perhaps this too is an addition by Paramaartha, retained by 
Hsüan-tsang.

>  à–Á×àÍËÒé
ã`ïsìØÅBúnçüïîíÜó¨èoélïîÅBàýñ@è“ïîÅBå´“ÚïîÅBê„ó ïîÅBñßó-éRïîÅB
>Because of holding different interpretations of a single verse, this 
>school branched off into four schools, which are Dharmottar¥ya 
>(Higher Dharma), BhadrayÇ?¥yas (Lineage of the Honorables), 
>Sa?mat¥yas (Correct Measure), and the ?Ç??agirikas (Hidden in the 
>Forests and Mountains).

The last school seems unknown in inscriptions.

>  èäÁ×ËÒåæÅB
>The verse says:
>
>õþ╾ÊçXö÷ÅBö÷óRʈïúä"ÅBälà¿äÏèäûÅBÁ¨ûçséäûÅB
>Already liberated, again one backslides /
>backsliding due to desire. Again returning /
>recovering peaceful joy and the place of happiness. /
>From happiness going to perfect happiness.
>(T.49.2031.16c14-25)

There are some differences here, but it's fairly cryptic anyway.

Lance
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