Page 31 - 加拿大佛教会湛山精舍杂志季刊第75期

ing that major event he taught Dharma for the rest of porating the two above mentioned texts into their
his life, converting sentient beings and leading a great textual foundations. In China under the Ch’en Dy-
number of people to enlightenment. Using expedient nasty, approximately one thousand years after the
means, he taught according to the potential of his au- Buddha’s Parinivana, the Tripitaka Master Para-
dience in each case and therefore his approach varied. martha translated Vasubandhu’s Commentary on
Following the Buddha’s final nirvana some five hun- Consciousness Only into Chinese. Known as the
dred of his most accomplished disciples, all attained “early” translation, the work has been replaced
arhats, gathered together in the Pippala cave to collect with a later version by the Tripitaka Master Hsu-
and to render his teachings in a form that would make an Tsang, dating from the T’ang Dynasty. Under
them survive for posterity. Their joint effort at that Hsuan Tsang’s leadership, the School of Con-
occasion produced the basis for textual Buddhism, sciousness Only has become the Dharmalaksana
known as theTripitaka, a term literally meaning School (Fa Hsiang). The school held Vasuband-
“three baskets” because the contents were separated hu’s commentary as its only scriptural foundation
into three groups according to emphasis. The Tripi- and although referred to as a “sect”, it was, more
taka is also known under the name Pali Canon, Pali accurately, a specific type of teaching; following
being the language used at the time to write the teach- the decline of T’ang it was not heard from again.
ings down. Ven. Kasyapa and Ven. Ananda, two of In the late T’ang, under the Yao Ch’in ruled by
the monks most senior in Dharma, were given the re- emperor Hung Chih, the Tripitaka Master Ku-
sponsibility of supervising the project. The Buddha’s marajiva translated the Satya-siddhi-sastra into
adherents awaited in great numbers outside the cave Chinese and made its content widely known, It
the outcome of the gathering, and therefore the event, was studied and taught by many Dharma masters
known as the Great Council, is of major historical sig- during the rule of the six Dynasties. Satyasiddhi
nificance. The record of the Buddha’s teaching was school was established at that time; the famous
based on Ven. Ananda’s recollection and substantial sastra constituted its sole textual foundation and
editing was more than likely; the occasion marks the like the Dharmalaksana, that school disappeared
coming into existence of Theravada. The original leaving only a written record behind. This brief
Sangha reassembled forming several groups, two of historical outline traces the Theravada tradition in
which became firmly established in the five hundred China. However, the school of three sastras, the
years following. They are known as Mahastavira Tien T’ai sect and several others in the Mahayana
and Mahasanghika. Eventually there existed in India tradition have survived.
eighteen Buddhist sects, each having its specific in-
terpretation of the teaching for a basis. All of these Buddhadharma as taught by Theravadins entirely
followed Theravada, making it prosper and flourish. transcends the world and therefore fosters great
The existing sects splintered into five hundred lesser clarity of understanding of cause and effect as man-
groups as the quality of practice and the understand- ifested in the context of mundane existence. Phe-
ing of the doctrine gradually declined. Almost nine nomena turn and change subtly and obliquely and
hundred years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana, an In- the three marks of existence, i.e., birth, duration
dian scholar named Vasubandhu, a Bodhisattva in his and death are without self, effectively controlled
own right, wrote his Abhidharma-kosa, a commen- by karma. The adept observes the process by which
tary of momentous importance to the understand- phenomenon assumes form, one at a time; changes
ing and development of Buddhism. Another Indian in the six realms on the wheel of life through past,
scholar named Harivarman posited a doctrine of great present and future into birth/death; the adept ob-
relevance to the systems of Buddhist thought, that of serves causes and conditions until ego, wrong view
Satya Siddhi. The Buddhist community of India ral- and clinging are thoroughly understood. When it is
lied into two major branches, both Theravada, incor- understood beyond any doubt that the pattern of

29