Abhidharmadipa With Vibhasaprabha Vrutti

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Abhidharmadipa with Vibhasaprabha Vrutti" by P. S. Jaini, based on the provided pages:

Title: Abhidharmadipa with Vibhasaprabha Vritti Author: P. S. Jaini Publisher: Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna Year of Publication (Second Edition): November 1977

Overview:

This publication, part of the Tibetan Sanskrit Works Series, presents a critical edition of the Abhidharma-dipa and its commentary, the Vibhashaprabha-vritti. The work is considered a significant contribution to the understanding of Abhidharma literature, particularly for its insights into the Sautrantika and Vaibhashika schools of Buddhism. The editor, P. S. Jaini, highlights the rarity and importance of the text, which was discovered in Tibet and is preserved through photographs.

Key Aspects and Contents:

The book is structured with a Preface, Foreword, General Editor's Introduction, the editor's comprehensive Introduction, the Sanskrit Text itself, and Indices.

Editor's Introduction:

Dr. P. S. Jaini's Introduction is a scholarly exploration of the Abhidharma-dipa and its context within Buddhist philosophy. It is divided into several sections:

1. Summary of the Contents of the Abhidharma-Dipa:

   • The manuscript was discovered in Tibet in 1937 by Pandit Rahula Sankrityayana.
   • The manuscript is incomplete, with many folios missing.
   • The work contains two parts: the metrical Abhidharma-dipa (Ad.) and its prose commentary, Vibhashaprabha-vritti (Adv. or Vritti).
   • The Abhidharma-dipa is closely modelled on Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-kosa (Ak.) in both content and presentation.
   • It is divided into eight Adhyayas (chapters), each subdivided into four padas (sections).
   • The Adhyayas cover topics similar to the Kosa: Skandha, Ayatana, Dhatu; Indriya; Loka-dhatu; Karma; Anusaya; Marga; Jnana; Samadhi.
   • The Dipa has a larger number of verses than the Kosa, suggesting new topics or more detailed expositions. Approximately fifty karikas are devoted to topics not found in the Kosa, and about eighty karikas elaborate on topics briefly treated in the Kosa.
   • The Vibhashaprabha-vritti is also structured similarly to the Abhidharma-kosa-bhashya, but it is more critical of Vasubandhu's Sautrantika leanings. It primarily aims to present the orthodox Vaibhashika viewpoint.
   • There are substantial passages in the Vritti that are directly borrowed from the Bhashya without acknowledgement.

2. Sutra and Abhidharma:

   • This section delves into the relationship and distinction between Sutras and Abhidharma as understood by different Buddhist schools.
   • The Sutras are often considered conventional or explanatory (abhiprayika, aupacharika), while Abhidharma statements are definitive (lakshanika).
   • Abhidharma serves to interpret and systematize the teachings found scattered in the Sutras, providing a coherent and comprehensive understanding of Buddhist doctrines.
   • The development of Abhidharma is traced from the early attempts to collect and organize the Buddha's teachings, particularly the bodhipakkhiya-dhamma (factors leading to enlightenment).

3. Sautrantika and Abhidharmika:

   • This section focuses on the major controversies between the Sautrantika and Abhidharmika (specifically Vaibhashika) schools.
   • The Abhidharma-dipa and its Vritti are presented as a Vaibhashika counter-argument to Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-kosa-bhashya, which is seen as having a Sautrantika bias.
   • The Vritti severely criticizes the Kosakara (Vasubandhu) on several key points.

4. Some Major Controversies Between the Kosakara and the Dipakara:

   • This section details specific points of contention, including:
     • Theory of Cognition: Disputes regarding whether the sense organ or consciousness primarily comprehends an object, with the Vritti favoring the Kasmira-Vaibhashika view that the sense organ apprehends and the consciousness knows, criticizing the Kosakara's leanings towards Mahayana Vijnanavada.
     • Vitarka and Vichara: Controversies on whether these two mental factors operate simultaneously in consciousness. The Vritti argues for co-existence but not necessarily simultaneous activity, a view aligned with Samghabhadra.
     • Chitta-viprayukta-samskara: The Vaibhashika concept of fourteen "mind-unassociated factors" is defended against the Kosakara's criticism. The Vritti argues for their reality and criticizes the Kosakara's rejection of them.
     • Manas-karma: The identification of abhidya, vyapada, and mithya-drishti as mental actions (karma) by the Sautrantikas is criticized by the Vritti, which considers them as passions (klesas) that produce volition.
     • Anusaya: The Vritti criticizes the Kosakara's Sautrantika theory of bija (seeds) for anusaya, upholding the Vaibhashika view that anusaya is not a separate reality.
     • Kusala-dharma-bija: The Vritti argues against the Kosakara's theory of innate and acquired kusala-mulas, refuting the idea that kusala-dharma-bija can persist even when one is a samuchchhinna-kusala-mula.
     • Sarvastivada: The Dipa and Vritti defend the Vaibhashika doctrine of the reality of past, present, and future elements (sarvastivada) against the Kosakara's arguments, which are deemed to lean towards Mahayana vijnanavada and sunyavada.

5. Date and Authorship:

   • The name of the author of the Dipa is not preserved in the manuscript.
   • However, evidence strongly suggests the author is the Dipakara.
   • The editor, Dr. P. S. Jaini, proposes that the author is most likely Vimalamitra, a Kashmirian scholar who lived between c. 450-550 A.D. This identification is based on historical accounts (like Xuanzang's) and the fact that Vimalamitra was a follower of Samghabhadra, a prominent Vaibhashika critic of Vasubandhu.
   • The Dipa and its Vritti appear to be by the same author, as the Vritti directly engages with and refutes the Dipa's criticisms of the Kosakara.
   • The text likely emerged in the period following Vasubandhu's Kosa, possibly to counter its Sautrantika leanings and present a rival, orthodox Vaibhashika perspective.

6. Restoration and Emendations:

   • The editor notes that the manuscript was generally correct, requiring minimal restoration, primarily for missing letters and unclear sections, aided by comparisons with other texts and the Saku commentary.
   • Emendations were made, particularly concerning grammatical irregularities in the use of na and ṇa.

Key Themes and Significance:

• Vaibhashika vs. Sautrantika Polemic: The central theme is the strong critique of the Sautrantika viewpoint as presented in Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-kosa-bhashya, from the perspective of the Vaibhashika school. The Dipa and Vritti aim to uphold and clarify Vaibhashika doctrines.
• Authenticity of Scripture: The text engages with the criteria for authentic Buddhist scripture, particularly the mahapadesas (four great authorities), and how different schools interpreted them.
• Doctrinal Differences: It highlights crucial philosophical and doctrinal differences between the schools on topics like the nature of dharma, causality, the reality of past and future elements (sarvastivada), the theory of cognition, and the analysis of mental factors.
• Influence of External Schools: The Vritti points to the influence of Hindu philosophical schools like Samkhya, Vaiseshika, and Mimamsa on the development of Buddhist Abhidharma thought.
• Scholarly Contribution: The publication provides scholars with access to a rare and vital text for studying the complex history and doctrines of the Abhidharma tradition.

In essence, the Abhidharmadipa with Vibhasaprabha Vritti, as presented in this edition by P. S. Jaini, is a critical scholarly work that illuminates the philosophical debates within early Buddhism, particularly the assertive stance of the Vaibhashika school against the rising influence of Sautrantika thought, exemplified by Vasubandhu.