佛的声音The Voice of the Buddha.doc

The燰oice爋f爐he燘uddha Although biographies of the Buddha appear only after two centuries following his Parinirvana, their importance cannot be underestimated. It was probably through this genie that the teaching and practice of Buddhism became popular for those common folk who did not have the educational background to understand the finer points of Buddhist doctrine. Thus it was that the story of the Buddha took on mythical proportions, exalting him to a level that was transhuman and unique. Within this context also was the establishment of the venue through which the fundamental teachings and practices of Buddhism be presented by the biographers. It is little wonder, therefore, that biographies, birth stories (jatakas), and parses or edifying stories remained popular among teachers of the lay Buddhist population. In addition, many of the series at Buddhist centers (for instance, on the gates and railings of tumuli or stupas or at cave temple sites) exhibit scenes of the Buddhas life, another indication of the centrality of the life of the Buddha. This confluence of art and literature helped to make Buddhism a vibrant and meaningful religion to the lay majority. Since bibliographies of the Buddha evolved in different schools, it is little wonder that variations appear. The earliest complete biography (2nd century B.C.E.), the Mahavastu, reflects the philosophy of the school from which it derived, the Lokotaravada. This Mahasamghika school emphasized the supramundane (lokotara) nature of the Buddha, emphasizing that the body of the Buddha is not of this world, and that his actions are performed merely for conventions sake. On the other hand, the Nidanakatha of the Sthaviravadins (1st c.B.C.E.) reflects the Buddhas more human qualities. In some ways, the most readable of the biographies, the Lalitavistara, is a product of both the Sthaviravada and Mahaayana traditions: originally a product of the Sarvastivaada (belonging to the Sthaviravada tradition ) but later