Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism: The ... - misterdanger.net

THE DOCTRINAL DEVELOPMENT OF NIRVANA
Unlike the passage in the VvetAUvatara UpaniLad in which the idea of the
imperishable character behind a phenomenal fire is expressed, this passage
seems to focus on the creation of a fire, as the whole passage is dealing with
Brahman’s super-creation. In fact, the production of fire by this fire-drill
method has sexual connotations: the depression on the slab is often compared
to a vagina, or a womb, and the churning stick to a penis. Although
this reciter’s demonstration of the fire-drill began to be used as a metaphor
in the BKhadAraOyaka UpaniLad, there seems to be no idea of an eternal
character behind a phenomenal fire at this stage.
The notion of the imperishable essential character behind a phenomenal
fire seems to be influenced by the notion of a self (Atman), which is allpervading
and is contained in our body. Since it is the main message of the
UpaniLads, the relationship between the phenomenal body and the self is
expressed through various images, such as salt in brine. Later in the
VvetAUvatara UpaniLad, fire in fire-drills was compared to oil in sesame seeds,
butter in curds and water in a river-bed, 59 all of which are used to explain
the self (Atman) behind phenomena.
In my opinion, the Buddha probably knew this notion of a self (Atman)
behind the UpaniLadic image of a fire extinguished. Since accepting self was
against one of the basic principles of his thought, the principle of no-self
(anAtman), the Buddha perhaps was precisely arguing against this kind of
view by using it slightly differently.
By replying to Vacchagotta’s question, ‘This fire that has gone out in
front of you, in which direction – to the east, west, north or south – has it
gone from here?’, not only did the Buddha maintain his own way of thinking,
thinking according to the cause (yoniso manasikAra), but he also reacted
against this notion to show how irrelevant this view was. Assuming a state
like a soul is outside the range of his methodology and the best thing we can
do is just leave it aside.
The Theravada exegetical position on nirvana
We have seen that the fire image when used for nirvana without a remainder
of clinging was a fire’s going out through lack of fuel. Although most suttas
explain this final stage in this way, 60 there is one sutta in the PArAyanavagga
in the SuttanipAta that explains the extinction of a fire in a different way.
There is no Chinese equivalent of this text, yet its antiquity cannot be doubted.
Not only is it mentioned in the Vinaya 61 but more than half the suttas in this
text also have correspondents in Sanskrit and Prakrit. 62 The PArAyanavagga
seems to have been known among Buddhists in mainland India not as one
of the traditional sEtras, but as one of the collections of chanted verses.
According to Lamotte, ‘there are clearly ancient compositions of considerable
poetic value which use stanzas as a means of expression. The Buddha
was not responsible for composing them and they do not develop the
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