菩薩行願思想之研究從「不墮惡趣」到「無生法忍」思想之形成=A Study of the Bodhisattva’s Actions and VowsThe Formation of Ideas from a Bodhisattva’s “Falling not to the Evil Paths” to his “Patient Acceptance of the Non-arising Phenomena”
菩薩無生法忍=a boddhisattva’s patient acceptance of the non-arising phenomena; 學空不證=learning emptiness without attaining it; 住忍不證=; 扶習潤生=nourishing life by supporting karmic impressions; 菩薩闡提=boddhisattva’s chanti
A Study of the Bodhisattva’s Actions and Vows The Formation of Ideas from a Bodhisattva’s “Falling not to the Evil Paths” to his “Patient Acceptance of the Non-arising Phenomena”
The purpose of the thesis is to study the thoughts of the Bodhisattva’s actions and vows—from the idea of “falling not to the evil paths” to the formation of “patient acceptance of the non-arising phenomena.” Focused on this issue while based on some source materials and documents, we will trace the Buddhist development history in early Buddhism, Nikaya Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism to investigate into the formation and developing process of the Bodhisattva’s thoughts.
Next, following the teachings of Nikaya Buddhism, we will try to explain our idea of the Bodhisattva—be it an unenlightened bodhisattva or a saintly bodhisattva. When a bodhisattva is in a lower realm, is that driven by his karma or his vows? Why is it that a bodhisattva is willing to take birth in a lower realm? It is also our special concern to present some of the Mahayana Bodhisattva’s characteristics in the ideas of “patient acceptance based on awareness of the non-arising of phenomena with no intention to enter the ultimate state of reality”, and “nourishing life by supporting karmic impressions.”
The thought of actions and vows in a bodhisattva is an important teaching in the Mahayana Buddhist development history. A bodhisattva’s “compassionate vows” and his “enlightenment through wise actions” manifest the engaging spirit in Mahayana Buddhism. A bodhisattva has practiced all kinds of paramitas through eons of time, accumulating countless merits and virtuous deeds, therefore being in the position to enter into Nirvana, and yet he chooses to keep his vows to help all sentient beings by remaining in Samsara instead of achieving the fruit of enlightenment. While the vile karma of sentient beings is still there, and while they are still suffering in the cycle of life and death, a compassionate bodhisattva will not abandon them there—he will vow to aid them in the future, no matter how long it will take. In other words, as long as there are sentient beings suffering in the three realms, he will always be there for them. It is not until all the sentient beings have been relieved from their suffering will a Mahayana Boddhisattva enter into his ultimate extinction.
The thesis is based on the source materials and documents of early Buddhism, Nikaya Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism to trace the Buddhist development of these three periods. The arguments of this study include: 1) Investigating into the origin of Mahayana thoughts and the formation of the Bodhisattva’s ideas, based on the historical fact that there were disagreements among different Buddhist groups in early Buddhism. 2) Analyzing the transformation and characteristics of the Bodhisattva’s ideas according to the various Buddhist teachings in the period of Nikaya Buddhism. It attempts to clarify the practicing processes between a bodhisattva an
