A Study of the Sectarian Buddhist Texts by Comparative Analysis of Pali Commentaries and Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan Materials

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This study elucidated how accounts of attaining Arhatship/Buddhahood developed from Early Buddhism to Nikaya Buddhism and how this shift influenced Mahayana BuddhismIn Buddhist schools or sects(nikaya), soteriological works(Saundarananda, Vimuttimagga and so on) suggest that practitioners awaken to the Four noble truths just before they attain the Arhatship while the Buddha's biographies(Buddhacarita, Dipava. sa, and so on) explain that the Bodhisattva gains the knowledge of the Dependent origination just before he attains Buddhahood. This tendency existed in North India as early as the second century, and reached Sri Lanka as early as the beginning of the fifth century. It spread over many parts of the South Asia, and continued to exist at least until the seventh century.About three yanas, Mahayana scriptures like the Saddharmapund arika defined the understanding of the Four noble truths as the knowledge appropriate to a Sravaka, and the Dependent origination as the knowledge appropriate to a Pratyeka-(or, Paccaya-) buddha. Since this new discourse started about the third century, probably Mahayana scriptures intended to criticize the tendency of soteriological works and the Buddha's biographies.