Pratyekabuddha
From Rigpa Wiki
Pratyekabuddhas (Skt.; Tib. rang sangyé; Wyl. rang sangs rgyas), or 'solitary realisers', are followers of the basic vehicle who attain the level of a pratyekabuddha arhat by themselves, in solitude. They first hear the teachings of the Buddha, then study and reflect upon the twelve links of interdependent origination, and accumulate merit for a hundred kalpas. They pray to be reborn in a world to which no buddha has come, and they attain realization without relying on a teacher. They usually teach visually rather than verbally; for example, by displaying miracles such as transforming the upper part of their bodies into fire, and the lower part into water.
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'Intermediate Buddhas'
They are sometimes referred to as 'intermediate buddhas' and their enlightenment is considered to be a higher form of realization than that of shravakas for two reasons: their accumulation of merit, and their accumulation of wisdom.
The shravakas accumulate merit for up to sixteen lifetimes, whereas pratyekabuddhas accumulate merit for a hundred kalpas. In their accumulation of wisdom, shravakas only realise one type of selflessness – the selflessness of the individual – whereas pratyekabuddhas also realise half of the selflessness of phenomena. For the same reasons, the pratyekabuddhas' realization is considered inferior to the full enlightenment of those following the bodhisattva path. A bodhisattva accumulates merit for three countless aeons and fully realises both types of selflessness.
Types of Pratyekabuddha
There are two kinds of solitary realisers:
- those with duller faculties who live in communities, like parrots,[1] and
- those with sharper faculties who live alone, like rhinoceroses.
Alternative Translations
- hermit buddhas (Gyurme Dorje)
- self-realized ones (Geshe Thupten Jinpa)
Notes
- ↑ They are called ‘parrot-like’ because they remain together in groups, unlike the ‘rhinoceros-like’ pratyekabuddha arhats who stay by themselves.
