ABHISAMAYALAMKARA

50 ANALYSIS OF
Limits: The study of the Mahayanistic Instructions
begins before the Bodhisattva's entering the Path and
lasts till the attainment of Buddhahood. 1
[Don. 4. b 4.] sa-mtshams lam ma-zugs-nas sans-rgyaskyi
sahi bdr~du yod.
Character of study. He, who is worthy 2 »
listens to the Mahayanistic precepts even before entering
the Path. One who for many aeons has taken recourse to
the help of a Buddha or a spiritual teacher is considered
to be a worthy hearer ("a worthy receptacle of the Doctrine**).
[Ibid. 4b. 5.] theg-chen gdams-hag-ni lamma-zugs-pa-las
snod dag-pas kyafi gsan-pa yod4a.
sans-rgyas-sam dge-bahi bses-gnen bsfyal-pa du-mar
brten-nas nan-pahi snod-du run-bar bsad-do.
The 20 Varieties of the (Mahayanistic)
Congregation (as a Special Subject of the
Mahayanistic Instructions.)
ni-su.—Kar. I. 23, 24. 1
[1. The 5 srota-apannah (incl. the Caudidates).—2. The 3 sakrdagaminah.—3.
The 10 anagaminah.—4. The Candidate to Arhatship.—5.
The Pratyekabuddha.]
As concerns the Jewel of the Congregation which
consists of the Bodhisattvas endowed with a more feeble
or a more acute intellectual faculty etc.—the following
varieties are to be taken into consideration :—
1
1 and 2 The Candidates to t h e fi r st
result. These are the Saints who, taking recourse to
the Path of Illumination of 16 moments, which is discussed
below in the Chapter concerning the Omniscience in regard
to the Path, have realized the first 15 moments. 2 —
Such a candidate can be of 2 kinds, viz, one who acts on
the foundation of faith, 3 and the other who bases upon
the intuition of the Truth. 4 —
(Sphut. 13 b. 1-2.] hchad-par-hgyur-bahi lam~ses~panid-kyis
bsdus~pa rnthon-bahi lam 5 skad-cig-ma bcu-drug-
1 Jn accordance with the Sutralamkara XIV. 3.—dharma-srotasi
buddhebhyo* vavadarn li@bhate tada,—some consider that the Bodhisattva
begins to apprehend the Mahayanistic instructions after
having attained the state of transic meditation called dharma-srotahsamadhi,
i.e. on the highest degree of the Path of Accumulating
Merit. This refers only to the highest forms of the teachings;
in general, the Bodhisattva commences his study before entering
the Path (Rtogs dk. 26a. 5-b 1.).
2 Lit, **a receptacle" (bhajana~sncd). Cf. below. Chapter IV
1 In the Tibetan literature special manuals are dedicated to
this subject. The varieties of the Congregation from the Hinayanistic
point of view are discussed in the 6th Kosasthana of the
Abhidharmakosa and its commentaries.
2 Sic. ace. to the Abhis. aloka. Cf. Yasomitra, II Kosasthana,
32.15. Ace. to the Rnam-bsad 78a. 6-b 1., this is the Hlnayanistic
(Vaibhasika) point of view, but not that of Haribhadra and Vimuktasena,
ace. to whom the candidate spoken of becomes such, having
realized the first 8 moments (i.e. the anantarya-marga).
3 The Saint of a more feeble intellectual faculty.
4 The Saint of an acute intellectual faculty. In the Pane, the
20 varieties of the Congregation are spoken of in detail (59b. 3-66b. 5.
Cf. Appendix).
5 It is interesting to note that the Sphut omits paficadasasu
'darsandrnarga-citta~ksanesu = rnthon~bahi lam-gyi sems-k,yi s
ino bcoAnala.