..續本文上一頁uddha nature nirvana of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

　　This is not the same as the nirvana of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

　　Because that is a mental fabrication and (Buddha nature) is not.

　　Is realization of the Buddha nature identical with nirvana of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

　　 No. The Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas meditate in order to obtain peace and happiness for themselves. When they attain nirvana, they remain absorbed in that state of quietude. When the Buddha nature is realized at Buddhahood, wisdom, love, and great compassion for all living beings has emerged. The sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya manifest out of immeasurable compassion and love, in order to engage in beneficent activities for the welfare of others for as long as conditioned existence, samsara, lasts, which is forever. Therefore, there is an enormous difference between the nirvana of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas and realization of the Buddha nature.

　　Who are the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

　　 The Tibetan term for the Sanskrit word shravaka is nyan-thos. The Sanskrit is from the root word shrav, meaning “to hear.” The word shravaka can therefore mean “audible” or “the act of listening,” but in the Buddhist context it means “a pupil” or “disciple,” in particular Lord Buddha”s personal disciples. In early Buddhism, one of the ways to achieve nirvana was as a Shravaka or disciple of the Buddha, without the long process of accumulating merit in order to become a Buddhist oneself. The second way of achieving nirvana was as a Pratyekabuddhist. The third way, after lifetimes as a Bodhisattva, was as a Buddha. With the rise of Mahayana, which practiced exclusively in order to attain the third of those goals, the first two approaches became the symbol of the lesser attainment of a quiescent, inactive nirvana.

　　The Tibetan term for the Sanskrit word pratyeka is rang-sangs-rgyas or rang-rgyal. Pratyeka means „single, inpidual,” or “personal.” A Pratyekabuddhist was one of the three possible ways of achieving nirvana as seen in early Buddhism. A Pratyekabuddha, like a Buddha, would achieve enlightenment on his own, due to his previous accumulation of merit, though there would not be enough merit for his teaching others. Hence, he was a Buddha who remained alone in the forest and therefore is often termed “solitary Buddha” in English.

　　It is a disputed point in both Indian and Tibetan Buddhism as to whether the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhists have the same realization as a Buddha. The Svatantrika Tradition in India, the Kagyupa School in Tibet, taught that they do not have the same realization, whereas the Indian Prasangika and the Tibetan Gelugpa School say they do. Nevertheless, for all Mahayana traditions, they are a symbol of a lesser accomplishment, from which there is little benefit for other beings.

　　Is it an ordinary body

　　This is not the same as the body of an (ordinary) being

　　Because it is not created due to the defilements.

　　The two form kayas manifest from Buddhahood. Aren”t they the same as the bodies of ordinary living beings

　　 No. The body of an ordinary living being is drained by anxiety, false hopes and fears, and experiences pain when things fall apart. Aren”t the form kayas of a Buddha subject to a similar pain of loss

　　 No. Ignorance is the basis of an ordinary life, and it is due to ignorance that there is delusion, the mind poisons, and the accumulation of karma that brings on more dissatisfaction and discontent. Thus an ordinary being does not ascertain facts and therefore cannot control his or her pulling emotions, i.e., he and she live under the rule of the winds of karma, emotional afflictions, and confusion. This means that an ordinary living being takes on a body made up of flesh, bones, sinews, nerves, etc., th…

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