Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/154

 13 8 Buddhist Philosophy [CH. the stage of discipline feel a deep compassion (malziikarlt?Ul) for all beings, practise all virtues (Piiramitiis) and many other meritorious deeds, treat others as their own selves, and wish to work out a universal salvation of mankind in ages to come, through limitless numbers of kalpas, recognize truthfully and adequately the principle of equality (samatii) among people; and do not cling to the individual existence of a sentient being. This is what is meant by the activity of tathata. The main idea of this tathata philosophy seems to be this, that this transcendent" thatness" is at once the quintessence of all thought and activity; as avidya veils it or perfumes it, the world-appearance springs forth, but as the pure thatness also perfumes the avidya there is a striving for the good as well. As the stage of avidya is passed its luminous character shines forth, for it is the ultimate truth which only illusorily appeared as the many of the world. This doctrine seems to be more in agreement with the view of an absolute unchangeable reality as the ultimate truth than that of the nihilistic idealism of Lmikiivatiira. Considering the fact that Asvaghoa was a learned Brahmin scholar in his early life, it is easy to guess that there was much Upaniad influence in this interpretation of Buddhism, which compares so favourably with the Vedanta as interpreted by Salikara. The Lmikiivatara admitted a reality only as a make-believe to attract the Tairthikas (heretics) who had a prejudice in favour of an unchangeable self (iitman). But Asvagho!?a plainly admitted an unspeakable reality as the ultimate truth. Nagarjuna's Madhyamika doctrines which eclipsed the profound philosophy of Asvaghoa seem to be more faithful to the traditional Buddhist creed and to the Vijftanavada creed of Buddhism as eXplained in the Lmikiivatiira 1. , The Madhyamika or the Sunyavada schoo1.-Nihilism. Candrakjrtti, the commentator of Nagarjuna's verses known as "llJ"iidhyalllika kllrikii," in eXplaining the doctrine of dependent origination (pratltyasalllutpiida) as described by Nagarjuna starts with two interpretations of the word. According to one the word pratltyasamutpada means the origination (utpiida) of the non- existent (ablztiva) depending on (pratitya) reasons and causes ] As I have no access to the Chinese translation of Asvaghoa's SraddhotPiida /it"iJtra, I had to depcnd entirely on SUl.uki's expressions as they appear in his traIJS- lation.