In this book, Bhikkhu Anālayo investigates the genesis of the bodhisattva ideal, one of the most important concepts in the history of Buddhist thought. He brings together material from the corpus of the early discourses preserved mainly in Pāli and Chinese that appear to have influenced the arising of the bodhisattva ideal. Anālayo convincingly shows that the early sources do not present compassionate concern for others as a motivating force for the Buddha’s quest for awakening. He further offers an analysis of the only reference to Maitreya in the Pāli canon, showing that this reference is most likely a later addition. In sum, Bhikkhu Anālayo is able to delineate a gradual genesis of central aspects of the bodhisattva ideal by documenting (1) an evolution in the bodhisattva concept reflected in the early discourses, (2) the emergence of the notion of a vow to pursue the path to buddhahood, and (3) the possible background for the idea of a prediction an aspirant to buddhahood receives from a former buddha.
目次
List of Figures 7 Foreword 9 Michael Zimmermann Introduction 11
1 Gautama as a Bodhisattva 15 1.1 Gautama’s Progress to Awakening 15 1.2 Gautama’s Motivation 20 1.3 Gautama’s Marvellous Qualities 28 1.4 The Lineage of Former Buddhas 47
2 Meeting the Previous Buddha 55 2.1 The Jātaka Genre 55 2.2 Gautama meets Kāśyapa 71 2.3 The Meeting with Kāśyapa as a Jātaka 74 2.4 Gautama’s Vow under Kāśyapa 84
3 The Advent of the Next Buddha 95 3.1 Maitreya in the Discourse on the Wheel-turning King 95 3.2 The Maitreya Episode in Comparative Perspective 107 3.3 Maitreya in the Discourse on an Explanation about the Past 113 3.4 The Prediction of Maitreya 118
Conclusion 129 Abbreviations 133 References 135 Index 173
