Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
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Pratyekabuddha-yana. For example, Asanga, the founder of the Yogacara system,
in his Magnum Opus, the Yogacara Bhumisastra, devotes two sections to Sravaka-
bhumi and Pratyekabuddha-bhumi to Bodhisattva-bhumi, whic h shows that all
three yanas are given due c onsideration in the Mahayana. But the state of a
Sravaka or a Pratyekabuddha is inferior t o t hat of a Bodhisat t va. T his is quit e in
keeping with the Theravada tradition whic h, too, holds that one may bec ome a
Bodhisattva and attain the state of a fully Enlightened Buddha; but if one c annot,
one may attain the state of a Pratyekabuddha or of a Sravaka according to one's
capacity. These three states may be considered as three attainments on the same
Path. In fac t, the Sandhinirmoc ana-Sut ra (a Mahayana Sutra) clearly says that the
Sravakayana and the Mahayana c onstitute one yana (ekayana) and that they are
not t wo different and dist inc t 'vehic les'.
The Three Individuals
Now, who are these three individuals: Sravaka, Pratyekabuddha and
Bodhisat t va? Very briefly:
A Sravaka is a disc iple of a Buddha. A disc iple may be a monk or a nun, a
layman or a laywoman. Bent on his or her liberation, a Sravaka follows and
prac tises the reac hing of the Buddha and finally attains Nirvana. He also serves
ot hers, but his c apac it y t o do so is limit ed.
A Pratyekabuddha (Individual Buddha) is a person who realizes Nirvana
alone by himself at a time when there is no Samyaksambuddha in the world. He
also renders servic e t o ot hers, but in a limit ed way. He is not c apable of revealing
the Truth to others as a Samyaksambuddha, a fully Enlightened Buddha does.
A Bodhisattva is a person (monk or layman) who is in a posit ion t o at t ain
Nirvana as a Sravaka or as a Pratyekabuddha, but out of great compassion (maha
karuna) for the world, he renounc es it and goes on suffering in samsara for the
sake of others, perfec t s himself during an inc alc ulable period of t ime and finally
realizes Nirvana and bec omes a Samyaksambuddha, a fully Enlightened Buddha. He
disc overs T he T rut h and dec lares it t o t he world. His c apac it y for servic e t o ot hers is
unlimit ed.
T he definit ion of the three Yanikas (followers of the three yanas) given by
Asanga is very inst ruc t ive and c larifies some point s. Ac c ording t o him, a
Sravakayanika (one who t akes t he vehic le of disc iples) is a person who, living
ac c ording t o t he law of t he disc iples. By nat ure having feeble fac ult ies (qualit ies),
bent on his own liberation through the c ultivation of detac hment, depending on the
Canon of t he Disc iples (Sravaka-pitaka), prac t ising major and minor qualit ies,
gradually puts an end to suffering. A Prat yeka-Bu ddha-Y anika (one who takes the
Vehic le of the Individual Buddha) is a person who, lives ac c ording to the law of the
Individual Buddha, By nature having medium fac ulties, bent on his liberation
through the c ultivation of detac hment, he has the intention of at t aining
Enlightenment exc lusively through his own mental development, depending on the
Sravaka-pit aka, prac t ising major and minor qualit ies, born at a t ime when t here is
no Buddha in the world and gradually puts an end to suffering. A Mahayanika (one
who t akes t he Great Vehic le) is a person who, living ac c ording t o t he law of t he
Bodhisattvas, by nature having sharp fac ulties, bent on the liberation of all beings,
depending on the Canon of the Bodhisattvas, matures other beings, c ultivates the
pure Buddha-domain, rec eives predic t ions or dec larat ions (Vya-Karana) f ro m