Sect of Buddhism - Buha Bukkyo

Around the time of King Ashoka, 100 or 200 years after the death of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, the Buddhist community split into 18 to 20 sects, each of which studied and organized the teachings left by Shakyamuni to create its own doctrine (Abhidharma), and engaged in complicated debates with each other. The Buddhism of this period is called sectarian Buddhism or Abhidharma Buddhism. The Mahayana Buddhism that arose later also criticized its lofty self-righteousness and disparaged it as Hinayana Buddhism. Among the various sects, the Mahasabhada, Theravada, Sarvastivada (also abbreviated as Sarvastivada), and Sutras are particularly important. Most of the extant Abhidharma literature belongs mainly to the Ceylon Theravada and Sarvastivada.

The scholars of the Hinayana schools of Buddhism sought to understand more precisely the meaning of the three Dharma seals that have existed since early Buddhism: "impermanence of all things," "nonexistence of the self in all things," and "Nirvana (tranquility)." They aspired to be faithful successors of Shakyamuni. In other words, they sought to explain the structure of impermanence more precisely with regard to "impermanence of all things." In particular, the Sāvatāvīva school of thought advocated the theory of the existence of three existences, stating that the seventy or so Dharmas that make up the phenomenal world exist in the three existences of the past, present, and future while maintaining their own identity, and that they are known to us only by acting in the present moment. Regarding the "non-self of all phenomena," they investigated reincarnation and the subject of action, asserting the existence of each of the following: the Mahasangha school asserted the existence of the fundamental consciousness, the Sattva school asserted the existence of the aggregate of birth and death, the Khyber Pavilion asserted the existence of the aggregate of not being the same as, not being separated from, the Sammitya school asserted the existence of non-destruction, and the Satra school asserted the existence of the seed, in an attempt to resolve the contradiction with the theory of non-self. They also gave deep consideration to the causes of reincarnation, namely, earthly desires and karma. Furthermore, regarding "nirvana tranquility," they provided detailed definitions of the meaning of nirvana (enlightenment) and the training process leading to nirvana.

Mahayana Buddhism, which arose around the time of Christ, argued that this complicated system had missed the true spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha, and called for the salvation of people based on the idea of ​​emptiness of all things and the spirit of compassion. However, research on inscriptions and other sources indicates that Hinayana Buddhism continued to have a major influence in India for several centuries after the establishment of Mahayana Buddhism. Research on Hinayana Buddhism is extremely important in elucidating the doctrines and history of primitive Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism.

[Kato Junsho]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教の創始者釈尊の滅後100年または200年後のアショカ王のころから仏教教団は18から20の部派に分裂し、各部派は釈尊の残した教法を研究整理して独自の教義（論、アビダルマAbhidharma）をつくり、互いに煩瑣(はんさ)な論争に従事した。この時代の仏教を部派仏教またはアビダルマ仏教という。またのちにおこった大乗仏教からはその高踏的独善性を批判され、小乗仏教とも貶称(へんしょう)された。諸部派のうち大衆(だいしゅ)部、上座(じょうざ)部、化地(けじ)部、犢子(とくし)部、説一切有部(せついっさいうぶ)（有部とも略称）、経量(きょうりょう)部などがとくに重要である。現存のアビダルマ文献は主としてセイロン上座部と有部に所属するものが多い。

　部派仏教の論師たちは原始仏教以来の三法印(さんぼういん)「諸行無常」「諸法無我」「涅槃寂静(ねはんじゃくじょう)」の意味をより精密に理解せんと努め、釈尊の忠実な継承者を志したということができる。すなわち「諸行無常」については無常の構造をより正確に説明せんとした。とくに有部は「三世実有説」を主張し、現象世界を構成する七十数個の法（ダルマ）が過去・現在・未来の三世に自己同一を保って実在し、ただ現在の一瞬のみ作用をおこしてわれわれに知られるのだとした。また「諸法無我」に関しては輪廻(りんね)や行為の主体を考究し、大衆部は根本識(こんぽんしき)、化地部は窮生死蘊(うん)、犢子部は非即非離蘊我、正量部は不失壊、経量部は種子(しゅうじ)の各存在を主張し、無我説との矛盾を解決しようとした。また輪廻の原因である煩悩(ぼんのう)や業(ごう)についても深い考察を行った。さらに「涅槃寂静」については、涅槃（悟り）の意味や涅槃へ至る修行過程などを細かく規定した。

　西暦紀元前後に興起した大乗仏教は、この煩瑣な体系に対し釈尊の真の精神を取り落としているとして反論し、一切皆空(いっさいかいくう)の思想と慈悲の精神に基づいて人々の救済を叫んだ。しかし碑文などの研究による限り、部派仏教は大乗仏教成立後も数世紀にわたってインドで大きな勢力を有していたらしい。部派仏教の研究は原始仏教、大乗仏教の教理・歴史を解明するうえでもきわめて重要である。

［加藤純章］

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