[Buddha-l] Vaitulyakas

[L.S. Cousins]

Rahula,

One seems to get these slightly inaccurate citations rather frequently.

This is from the final chapter of the Kathaavatthu. It and some of 
the preceding chapters are almost certainly a late addition to the 
Kathaavatthu - probably directed against nascent Mahaayaana 
tendencies. The date is unclear, but the additions could easily have 
been made at some time after the writing down of the Pali texts in 
the first century B.C.

It is difficult to be absolutely sure what is meant by the 
expression, since the compound ekaadhippaayena could have various 
meanings.

The attribution to the Vetullas (Sanskrit Vaitulya) is from the 
commentary, dating to the fourth or fifth century A.D. In fact the 
commentary attributes this view to those "such as the Andhakas and 
Vetullas" which (in the commentary's time certainly means the 
Southern Mahaasanghikas and the Mahaayaanists.

The commentary offers alternative interpretations of ekaadhippaaya:

1. with a compassionate purpose alone

or

2. possessing a united purpose i.e. a resolve to be together in 
sa.msaara, after performing worship of the Buddha and so on.

So it is with one of these two purposes that the Andhakas and 
Vetullas are said to have held that sexual intercourse should be 
practised.

It is difficult to know what exactly the commentary is referring to - 
perhaps one practice among Mahaayaanists and another among Southern 
Mahaasanghikas ? In any case it may well be quite different to that 
intended by the author of these additions to the Kathaavatthu around 
the first century A.D.

The term Vaitulla (Vaitulyaka, etc.) is standard to refer to 
Mahaayaana in non-Mahaayaana literature and also some Mahaayaana 
sources.

Lance Cousins

>Hi
>
>I read from a book:
>
>The Kathavatthu records how the Vaitulyakas had made a provision 
>that "on account of a particular intention, the saint could resort 
>to sexual-intercourse"
>
>Kathavatthu, XXIII.219.1, p.535 - ekaabhippaayena methuno dhammo patisevitabbo
>
>Can anyone verify this?Who are the Vaitulyakas?
>
>Thanks,
>Rahula
>