[Advaita-l] References to Vedanta in Buddhism

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste,

I was reviewing the work of early Buddhist writers to find any mention of
Vedanta. In this regard, the book "A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy"
by Prof Hajime Nakamura played a very helpful role.

The Upanishadic doctrines were seen by the early Buddhists as a collection
of heterogenous views - the idea of there being one coherent philosophy
that the Upanishads spoke as a whole was not yet known to the Buddhists.
However, there are certain strands in there which are identifiable (and
identified as such by Prof Nakamura) with Vedanta.

1) For example, the Majjhima Nikaya, which is one of the collections in the
Sutta Pitaka, records a conversation that certain disciples had with the
Buddha, which bears close resemblance to Advaita. The Sutta Pitaka is said
to have been composed between 3rd century BCE and 2nd century CE.

"*O Bhikkus - At that time, Baka, the Brahmaa, produced the following
pernicious view - It is permanent. It is eternal. It is always existent. It
is independent existence. It has the dharma of non perishing. Truly it is
not born, does not become old, does not die, does not disappear, and is not
born again. Furthermore no liberation superior to it exists elsewhere.*"

The Buddha criticises this view saying "*Truly, the Baka Brahmaa is covered
with ignorance*".

2) The idea of consciousness that is beyond the reach of the senses, but
illuminates all, is once again reported as a view of the Vedantins in the
Majjhima Nikaya:
"*There is a consciousness which the eye does not see, which does not have
boundaries, and which shines in all places. It cannot even be perceived as
the earthiness of earth, the wateriness of water.*"

3) The teaching of the Tathagata garbha in the lankAvatAra sUtra is very
similar to the Brahman of the Upanishads. Three versions of the Sutra have
been preserved in Chinese translation, the earliest in 443 CE.

a) In the sUtra, the tathAgata garbha is described in terms similar to the
Alaya vijnAna of the vijnAnavAdins, and is described to be the source of
all phenomenal activities:
"*Oh mahAmati, the tathAgata garbha is the cause of both good and evil, and
is that which creates all living things and pursuits*"

b) The description of the tathaAgata garbha is very similar to how the
Upanishads describe Brahman:
"*The Supreme Brahma is the ultimate state of existence.*" - the Supreme
Brahma here being referred to in the sUtra is a name given to the tathAgata
garbha.

c) In fact, the charge that the tathAgata garbha of Buddhism and the
parambrahma of the Upanishads are one and the same is raised by the
Buddhists themselves in the Sutra.  The Bodhisattva Mahamati asks the
Buddha:
"*If this be so, O Lord, would not the theory of the tathAgata garbha, be
equivalent to the doctrine of the self held by the outsiders? For they too
hold as their doctrine, the self that is permanent and the agent, separated
from all gunas, omnipresent and imperishable*".

The Buddha replies "*Mahamati, my teaching of the tathAgata garbha is not
the same as the outsiders' teaching of the self, truly...In order to
attract those outsiders who adhere to the teaching of the self the
Tathagatas teach the Tathagata garbha. Thus, Mahamati, one must now follow
the teaching of the selfless-ness of the Tathagata so that one may put to
an end the view of outsiders*".

To the extent this is an accurate record of a conversation with the Buddha,
it is clear that the one, all pervading, imperishable Atma of the
Upanishads was known to the Buddha and his followers of the day.

4) The most systematic presentation of the Vedantic system appears to occur
in Bhavya's mAdhyamakahRdaya's (MH) eighth chapter. Bhavya is a pre
Shankara Buddhist, estimated to have lived between 490 CE - 570 CE.
For a long time, only the Tibetan translation of the MH and its
autocommentary, tarkajvAla, were available. However, the Sanskrit verses of
the MH were thankfully discovered in a Tibetan monastery in 1936 by Pandita
Rahul Sankrityayana.

A read of the Vedantic pUrvapaksha in Sanskrit shows a remarkable
similarity with GauDapAda's mAnDUkya kArika-s, indicating that Sri
GauDapAda AchArya must have preceded Bhavya. The Sanskrit version of the
tarkajvAla is still missing.

Some verses below to show the consonance:
a) घटोत्पत्तौ विनाशे वा न आकाशस्य तदात्मता | तदात्मतात्मनोपीष्टा न
देहाद्युदयव्ययम् ||
When a pot is created or destroyed, space does not become identical to it
(ie space does not become the pot, nor does it have the properties of the
pot). Similarly the soul does not become identical with the bodies upon
their birth or death.
b) घटाकाशवदेकस्य नानात्वं चेदभेदतः | घटभेदेन चैकत्वं साम्ये सर्वस्य जन्मवत्
||
If it is said that like there is multiplicity of pot spaces, despite space
being one - when the pots get destroyed, it becomes one again. Thus
everything is the same (upon destruction), like how it was at birth. The
word janmavat is corrupted in the surviving manuscript - I have seen other
researchers replace "janmavat" for "sammatam".
c) यथा घटादिभेदेऽपि मृद्भेदो नास्ति कश्चन | (तथैव देहभेदेऽपि नात्मभेदोऽस्ति
कश्चन )||
Even though there is difference in pots, there is no difference in their
content, clay, whatsoever. Similarly, even if the bodies are different,
there is no difference in the self.
d) घटभेदेन यथैकस्मिन् रजोधूमादिभिर्वृते | तद्वत्ता नहि सर्वेषां सुखादेर्न
तथात्मनः ||
When any one pot becomes covered in dust, smoke etc, other pots do not.
Similar is the case with happiness, which do not belong to the self.
e) अप्रबोधादनात्मज्ञः स्वप्ने भोगाभिमानवत् | चिनोति कर्म भुङ्क्ते च तत्फलं
यच्छुभाशुभम् ||
The one who does not know his self due to ignorance, becomes an experiencer
like in a dream, accumulates karma and experiences their results, be they
good or bad.
f) देहसंस्थोऽपि असङ्गत्वात् भुञ्जानो नोपलिप्यते | राजवत् कामचारीच
पापेनानपाराध्यसौ ||
Even when in the body, even when experiencing, none of the experiences
affect him, for he is detached by nature. He does as he pleases, like a
king, for he is not guilty of any sin.
g) एकं सर्वगतं नित्यं परं  ब्रह्माच्युतम् पदम् | योगी युञ्जान आवेत्ति न
तदिति पुनर्भवम् ||
The yogi, uniting with the one, all pervading, eternal, supreme, Brahman,
the unfailing refuge, directly perceives it, and has no further birth.
h) नित्यं तदविकल्पं च यत्र वाचामगोचरः | गिरस्तत्र प्रयुज्यन्ते
भेदापहृतबुद्धिभिः ||
It is eternal, partless and beyond the realm of words. However, words are
used to describe it, by those whose intellects are misled by plurality.


As can be seen, the presentation of the Vedanta pUrvapakshi above is very
similar to what one could find in any of Shankara's or other Vedantic
teachers' works.

In fact, the fourth shloka above has a clear consonance with the mANDUkya
kArikA 3.5
यथैकस्मिन्घटाकाशे रजोधूमादिभिर्युते ।न सर्वे सम्प्रयुज्यन्ते तद्वज्जीवाः
सुखादिभिः ॥

The first sloka above also is similar to 3.4 of the gauDapAda kArikA
घटादिषु प्रलीनेषु घटाकाशादयो यथा ।
आकाशे सम्प्रलीयन्ते तद्वज्जीवा इहात्मनि ॥ ४ ॥

There are other advaitic references in the works of Buddhist philosophers
like Kamalashila and Shantarakshita - including referring to the advaitic
system as AupaniShada - but as their time frames broadly overlap with
Shankaracharya, I have not included those here.

From the above, we can reasonably conclude the existence of Vedantic,
specifically, advaitic thought codified into a living system, well before
Shankara's time, as evidenced in the works of writers belonging to other
philosophical schools.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan