A question about stream entry in Mahayana

General forum on the teachings of all schools of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Topics specific to one school are best posted in the appropriate sub-forum.
antiquebuddhas
Posts: 138
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:10 pm
Contact:

Re: A question about stream entry in Mahayana

Post by antiquebuddhas »

Jinzang wrote:I was told (though others disputed with me on the point) that once one becomes a stream enterer one is irrevocably bound to become an arhat. You can't change your mind at that point and enter the bodhisattva path. And similarly, if one attains the path of seeing, that one eventually will become a buddha. There is no falling back at that point and becoming an arhat or a pratyekabuddha.
Becoming a Stream enterer means one starts to walk on the path to arahat. But there are lot of obstacles that will come across in this path.
becoming a stream enterer doesn't mean one is irrevacably bound to become an arhat. You have to clear these obstacles using Buddha's sutras and they you can become arhat.
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." Lord Buddha
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4607
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Re: A question about stream entry in Mahayana

Post by Aemilius »

antiquebuddhas wrote:
Jinzang wrote:I was told (though others disputed with me on the point) that once one becomes a stream enterer one is irrevocably bound to become an arhat. You can't change your mind at that point and enter the bodhisattva path. And similarly, if one attains the path of seeing, that one eventually will become a buddha. There is no falling back at that point and becoming an arhat or a pratyekabuddha.
Becoming a Stream enterer means one starts to walk on the path to arahat. But there are lot of obstacles that will come across in this path.
Mahayana sutras don't agree with that, for example Lankavatara sutra says that bodhisattvas attain everything that sravakas attain. There are different teachings about this, mainly in the commentarial literature, comparisons of the Mahayana stages and the the Sravaka stages, what is their correspondence, etc...
The Lotus of the True Law sutra (and some other sutras too) say that in reality there is only one path.
Last edited by Aemilius on Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4607
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Re: A question about stream entry in Mahayana

Post by Aemilius »

Bakmoon wrote:
Aemilius wrote:According to the Sarvastivadin Abhidharma even Arhats can backslide. This is told in the History of Indian Buddhism (Akira & Groner). Sarvastivada views were predominant in India, as well as in China, Tibet and other countries of Northern Buddhism, compared to the earlier littleknown sthaviravada/theravada tradition. The possibility of backsliding is implicit in some of the sravakayana sutras, if you understand them correctly, i.e. in line of the Sarvastivada. See for ex Dhammapada verse 344. Naturally the official Theravada doctrine doesn't allow this interpretation.
The Lotus of the True Law sutra makes it clear and explicit, that the attainments of stream entry etc are all temporary, not absolute, not final. They can though last for thousands or millions of years, according to the Mahayana teachings, that I have read or heard.
Wow. I thought that the idea that Arhats could fall was a distinctively Mahasanghika doctrine. I'd love to study up on this.
History of Indian Buddhism, from Shakyamuni to Early Mahayana, by Akira & Groner, on page 214 says:

"Five (or sometimes seven) subdivisions of nonreturners are specified, including the nonreturner who realizes parinirvana while he is between lives in the antarabhava (antaraparinirvayin). Six (or sometimes nine) types of arhats are distinguished on the basis of such criteria as whether or not they backslide and the circumstances under which they might backslide."

This is in context of the Stages of the Sarvastivadin Path.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
Post Reply

Return to “Mahāyāna Buddhism”