The Spread of Buddhism

28 bart dessein

an explanation of “what should be considered as the turning of the

wheel of the doctrine.”^54 This introductory passage is then followed by

a de nition of the wheel of the doctrine as “the eightfold noble path

(ry

gikamrga),”^55 that is, the “middle mode of progress” of which

we, judging from the accounts in the vinaya and the s tra literature, may

assume that it belongs to the earliest of the Buddha’s teachings. The

“turning of the wheel” is de ned as “turning without stopping [.. .],

leaving behind this and aiming at that [... and] being able to subdue

enemies”.^56 This de nition indeed is not provided in the s tra literature.

To correctly understand this de nition, it is useful to have a closer look

at the development of the Sarvstivda path to salvation.

Erich Frauwallner has shown that, after the major elements of the

Sarvstivda path to salvation had been set out in the works that later

became known as the “ a pdbhidharma”, these elements  rst came to

be summarised in Dharmare

hin’s *Abhidharmahdaya.^57 The path to

salvation that is presented in the *Abhidharmahdaya is twofold: it consists

of a path of vision (daranamrga) in which eighty-eight contaminants

(anuaya) are broken off through vision (darana), and a path of spiritual

practice (bhvanmrga) in which ten more contaminants are broken off

through spiritual practice (bhvan). The contaminants are those mental

attitudes and wrong views that cause a human being to do volitional

actions, which lead to a karmic result and rebirth. The path of vision

consists of sixteen moments, the sixteenth of which simultaneously is

the  rst moment of the path of spiritual practice. The  rst of these

sixteen moments is called “patience regarding the law in relation to

suffering” (du khe dharmaknti). In this moment, contaminants to be

abandoned through vision (daranaprahtavya) of the realm of sensual

passion (kmadhtu) are destroyed. This moment is said to be an imme-

diate path (nantaryamrga) since the contaminant is immediately exter-

minated upon vision of the truth concerned (suffering). This moment

is followed by the form of knowledge that has the same object. This

moment is called “knowledge regarding the law in relation to suffering”

(du khe dharmajñna). In this moment, one makes sure that the kind of

contaminant that has been broken off in the previous moment does

not come up again. Therefore, this moment is said to be a path of

(^54) T.1545.27.911b16.
(^55) T.1545.27.911b17–18.
(^56) T.1545.27.911b28–29.
(^57) Frauwallner 1971a, p. 124; 1971b, pp. 73–103. See also Yamada 1959, p. 114.
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