Hi Dear Dhamma Friends, We will start our Dhamma study from the story of Buddha Gotama. As we all know he is son of King Suddhadhana. But before we know about the Buddha at first we have to understand what is the meaning of Buddha? And Why Siddhartha Gotama called Buddha after attaining enlightenment. So let us first understand the Meaning of Buddha. A Buddha is one who has attained Bodhi; and by Bodhi is meant wisdom, an ideal state of intellectual and ethical perfection which can be achieved by man through purely human means. The term Buddha literally means enlightened one, a knower.
After fulfilling the necessary Perfections for two asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, a Private Buddha attains Enlightenment consisting of the Insight Knowledge of the Path which is understanding of the Four Noble Truths (Magga-ñāṇa) by himself, without a teacher’s help. But he does not achieve Omniscience and the Ten Powers (Dasabalañāṇa) [see note below], etc. The Noble Person who has thus attained Enlightenment is called a Private Buddha or a Minor Buddha (Pacceka Buddha).
After fulfilling the necessary Perfections for one asaṅkhyeyya and a hundred thousand aeons, if he is a future Chief Disciple, or a hundred thousand aeons, if he is a future Great Disciple, or a hundred aeons or a thousand aeons or any smaller number of aeons, if he is a future Ordinary Disciple, a future Disciple attains Enlightenment consisting of the Insight-Knowledge of the Path, which is understanding of the Four Noble Truths (Sāvaka-Bodhiñāṇa), with the help of a teacher who is a Buddha. The Noble Person who has thus attained
Enlightenment of a Disciple (Sāvaka-Bodhi-ñāṇa) is called an Enlightened Disciple (Sāvaka-Buddha); he may have the status of a Chief Disciple, a Great Disciple or an Ordinary Disciple.
Note on the Ten Powers (Dasabalañāṇa):
The Dasa-Nipāta of the Añguttara Nikāya enumerates the Ten Powers (Dasabalañāṇa) as follows:
(1) Thānāṭṭhāna ñāṇa, knowledge according to reality as to the possible as possible and the impossible as the impossible,
(2) Kammavipāka ñāṇa, knowledge of the result of the past. present and future actions,
(3) Sabbatthagāminī patipadā ñāṇa, knowledge of the path leading to the welfare of all,
(4) Anekadhātu Nānādhātu lokañāṇa, knowledge of the world with its many different elements,
(5) Nānādhimuttikata nāṇa, knowledge of the different inclinations of beings,
(6) Indriya paropariyatta ñāṇa, knowledge of the lower and higher faculties of beings,
(7) Jhānādi Samkilesa Vodānavuṭṭhāna ñāṇa, knowledge of the defilements, purity and rising with regard to jhāna, concentration, attainments etc.
(8) Pubbenivasa ñāṇa, knowledge of remembering many former births,
(9) Cutūapāta ñāṇa, or Dibbacakkhu ñāṇa, knowledge of perceiving with the divine eye how beings vanish and re-appear according to their actions (kamma), and
(10) Āsavakkhaya ñāṇa, knowledge of the extinction of all moral intoxicants (impurities that befuddle the mind) i.e. Arahantta-magga ñāṇa.
The Fourfold Insight Knowledge of the Path (Magga-ñāṇa) with or without accompaniment of Omniscience (Sabbaññuta-ñāṇa) is called Enlightenment (Bodhi). Enlightenment is of three kinds:
(1) Sammā-Sambodhi: Enlightenment consisting of the Fourfold Insight-Knowledge of the Path with the accompaniment of Omniscience. The Fourfold Insight-Knowledge of the Path is understanding of the Four Noble Truths by oneself without a teacher’s help, and it has distinctive power of removing mental defilements as well as habitual tendencies (vāsanā) of past existences; Omniscience is understanding of all principles worthy of understanding.
(2) Pacceka-Bodhi: Enlightenment consisting of the Fourfold Insight-Knowledge of the Path which is understanding of the Four Noble Truths by oneself without a teacher’s help.
(3) Sāvaka-Bodhi: Enlightenment consisting of the Fourfold Insight-Knowledge of the Path which is understanding of the Four Noble Truths only with the help of a teacher.
(1) Noble persons who have a strong wholesome desire to realise sammā-sambodhi are called Sammā-Sambodhisattas, “future Perfect Buddhas,” (2) Noble Persons who have a strong wholesome desire to realise pacceka-bodhi are called Pacceka-Bodhisattas, “future Private Buddhas,” and (3) Noble Persons who have a strong wholesome desire to realise sāvaka-bodhi are called Sāvaka-Bodhisattas, “future Disciples of a Buddha.”
Three Types of Future Buddhas
[Note]: “Future Buddhas” from now on means “Future Perfect Buddhas” or “Future Perfectly Self-Enlightened Ones” unless otherwise stated.
Of these three kinds of Noble Persons (1) Sammā-Sambodhisattas or future Perfect Buddhas are grouped into three types: (a) Paññādhika future Buddhas, (b) Saddhādhika future Buddhas, and (d) Viriyādhika future Buddhas.
Buddhahood is attainment of Omniscience (Sabbaññuta-ñāṇa). To attain this Supreme Wisdom, the seeker must have a mental make-up in which Wisdom is predominant. The factor of predominant Wisdom means careful consideration and forethought in doing everything physically, verbally or mentally. By so doing, one’s wisdom becomes strengthened and mature, existence after existence, so that in due course one painlessly attains Omniscience which is far superior to all kinds of wisdom. Just as money is gained in the world by means of monetary investment, even so Omniscience is gained by means of intellectual investment.
(a) Future Buddhas, called Paññādhika, with the factor of predominant Wisdom always present in their endeavours to become Buddhas after fulfilling their Perfections (pãrami) for four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons.
(b) Other future Buddhas also believe that they can become Buddhas by fulfilling Perfections, and in their mental make-up such belief is predominant. With them, Faith plays a greater role than Wisdom. They are therefore called Saddhādhika future Buddhas, “future Buddhas with predominant Faith.” Since they are not led by Wisdom but by Faith in their fulfilment of Perfections, they cannot become Buddhas after four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, but only after eight asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons.
(c) There are still other future Buddhas who rely solely upon their Energy (Industriousness). For them, Wisdom is not a principal factor. Neither do they place emphasis on the Faith that Perfections lead to Enlightenment. Holding that Energy brings about Buddhahood, they give top priority to Energy in their fulfilment of Perfections and become Buddhas only after sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons. They are therefore called Viriyādhika future Buddhas, “future Buddhas with Predominant Energy.”
Thus it should be noted that the three designations viz., Paññādhika, Saddhādhika and Viriyādhika, are applied only to future Buddhas. Otherwise, one would think that they belonged to Fully Enlightened Buddhas. These distinctions exist only while they remain as future Buddhas, but once they attain Buddhahood, they are all identical in respect of Wisdom, Faith and Energy. One cannot say which Buddha is more accomplished than the other in each of these aspects.
Reasons for Difference between The Three Types of Future Buddhas
As has been stated, Bodhisattas are of three types with three respective periods of fulfilment of Perfections, namely, four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons, eight asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons and sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons. The reason for this difference is mentioned in the Pāramidawgan Pyo, an epic composed by the celebrated poet of Old Burma, Ashin Sīlavaṃsa. According to it, the difference lies in the Path chosen by the individual future Buddha, i.e., a Paññādhika future Buddha chooses the Wisdom Path which takes four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons to reach the goal; a Saddhādhika future Buddha chooses the Faith Path which takes eight asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons to reach the goal; and a Viriyādhika future Buddha chooses the Energy Path which takes sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons to reach the goal.
According to the view of other teachers, as mentioned in the Pakiṇṇaka-kathā of the Cariya-Piṭaka Commentary, the difference between the three durations lies in the three degrees of energy, namely, strong, medial and weak. (This view implies that it takes Paññādhika Bodhisattas only four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons for fulfilment of Perfections because of their predominant energy; the view is thus not free from the fault of confusion (sankara-dosa) as it mixes up Paññādhika future Buddhas with Viriyādhika future Buddhas.)
The view, which appeals to the Commentator Dhammapāla and others, is that the difference in duration is due to the difference in the degrees–strong, medial and weak, of maturity of Perfections leading to emancipation (Vimuttiparipācanīyā Dhamma).
To elaborate: Even at the time of receiving the prophecy, Bodhisattas are of three types:
(1) Ugghaṭitaññū Bodhisattas are those who have the capacity to attain arahantship together with the six Higher Spiritual Powers (abhiññās) and four kinds of Analytical Knowledge (paṭisambhidās). They can attain that stage even before the end of the third line of a verse-sermon of four lines delivered by a Buddha, if they wish to achieve Enlightenment of a Disciple (Sāvaka-Bodhi) in that very existence. ( This is one of the eight factors for receiving the prophecy.)
(2) Vipañcitaññū Bodhisattas are those who have the capacity to attain arahantship together with the six Higher Spiritual Powers (abhiññās) and four kinds of Analytical Knowledge (paṭisambhidās). They can attain that stage before the end of the fourth line of a verse-sermon of four lines delivered by a Buddha, if they wish to achieve Enlightenment of a Disciple (Sāvaka-Bodhi) in that very existence.
(3) Neyya Bodhisattas are those who have the capacity to attain ārahantship together with the six Higher Spiritual Powers (abhiññās) and four kinds of Analytical Knowledge (paṭisambhidās). They can attain that stage at the end of the whole verse-sermon of four lines delivered by a Buddha, if they wish to achieve Enlightenment of a Disciple (Sāvaka-Bodhi) in that very existence.
With Ugghaṭitaññū Bodhisattas, the degree of maturity of Perfections leading to emancipation is so strong that they have to endeavour only for four asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons after receiving the prophecy. With Vipañcitaññū Bodhisattas, the degree of maturity of Perfections leading to emancipation is medial and they have to endeavour for eight asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons after receiving the prophecy. With Neyya Bodhisattas, the degree of maturity of Perfections leading to emancipation is so weak that they have to endeavour for sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas and a hundred thousand aeons after receiving the prophecy.
Ugghaṭitaññū Bodhisattas are identical with Paññādhika Bodhisattas; so are Vipañcitaññū Bodhisattas with Saddhādhika Bodhisattas and Neyya Bodhisattas with Viriyādhika Bodhisattas.
Impossibility of Attainment of Buddhahood before completing The Required Period of Perfections
The paddy species that ripens only when it is three, four or five months old by no means yields crops in fifteen days or a month although watering and weeding may have been done many times a day; its stems and leaves cannot grow (as much as one would like) and its ears cannot start bearing seeds, thrive and mature. In the same way, it should be noted that all the three types of Bodhisattas by no means attain full Buddhahood with its perfectly ripe fruit of Omniscience before they have completed the full course of Perfections that lasts a hundred thousand aeons in addition to four, eight or sixteen asaṅkhyeyyas even if, since receiving the prophecy, they have given daily alms like those of Prince Vessantara and have observed pertinent virtues such as morality, etc.
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