Theravada-Mahayana compatibility: Pali Canon discourses discussing the Buddha's Bodhisattva status and how his ultimate enlightenment is more perfect than a regular arahat.
This post came out of the recent discussion about Mahayana versus Theravada, and my effort to show how they are more compatible than often is assumed.
A key difference often cited is the Bodhisattva path in Mahayana, whereas in Theravada ostensibly the path ends at the arahat stage.
However, there are key indications in the Pali Canon that support a notion that the Buddha went through his own Bodhisattva path.
One sutta showing this is MN 123 - Acchariya-abbhūta:
“I heard and learned this, venerable sir, from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘Mindful and clearly comprehending, Ānanda, the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita heaven.’ That mindful and clearly comprehending the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita heaven—this I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘Mindful and clearly comprehending the Bodhisatta remained in the Tusita heaven.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘For the whole of his lifespan the Bodhisatta remained in the Tusita heaven.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘Mindful and clearly comprehending the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita heaven and descended into his mother’s womb.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita heaven and descended into his mother’s womb, an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and human beings. And even in those abysmal world intervals of vacancy, gloom, and utter darkness, where the moon and the sun, mighty and powerful as they are, cannot make their light prevail, there too an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared. And the beings reborn there perceived each other by that light: “So indeed, there are also other beings reborn here.” And this ten-thousand-fold world system shook, quaked, and trembled, and again an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother’s womb, four young devas came to guard him at the four quarters so that no humans or nonhumans or anyone at all could harm the Bodhisatta or his mother.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother’s womb, she became intrinsically virtuous, refraining from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from sexual misconduct, from false speech, and from wines, liquors, and intoxicants, the basis of negligence.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.…
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘Other women give birth after carrying the child in the womb for nine or ten months, but not so the Bodhisatta’s mother. The Bodhisatta’s mother gave birth to him after carrying him in her womb for exactly ten months.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘Other women give birth seated or lying down, but not so the Bodhisatta’s mother. The Bodhisatta’s mother gave birth to him standing up.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, first devas received him, then human beings.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, he did not touch the earth. The four young devas received him and set him before his mother saying: “Rejoice, O queen, a son of great power has been born to you.”’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, he came forth unsullied, unsmeared by water, humors, blood, or any kind of impurity, clean and unsullied. Suppose there were a gem placed on fine cloth, then the gem would not smear the cloth or the cloth the gem. Why is that? Because of the purity of both. So too when the Bodhisatta came forth … he came forth clean and unsullied.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, two jets of water appeared to pour from the sky, one cool and one warm, for bathing the Bodhisatta and his mother.’ This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘As soon as the Bodhisatta was born, he stood firmly with his feet on the ground; then he took seven steps facing north, and with a white parasol held over him, he surveyed each quarter and uttered the words of the leader of the herd: “I am the highest in the world; I am the best in the world; I am the foremost in the world. This is my last birth; now there is no renewed existence for me.”’8 This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.
“I heard and learned this from the Blessed One’s own lips: ‘When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, with its devas and human beings. And even in those abysmal world intervals of vacancy, gloom, and utter darkness, where the moon and the sun, mighty and powerful as they are, cannot make their light prevail—there too an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world. And the beings reborn there perceived each other by that light: “So indeed, there are also other beings reborn here.” And this ten-thousand-fold world system shook, quaked, and trembled, and there too an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world.’ That when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother’s womb, an immeasurable great radiance surpassing the divine majesty of the devas appeared in the world … this too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.”
“That being so, Ānanda, remember this too as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Tathāgata: Here, Ānanda, for the Tathāgata feelings are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear; perceptions are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear; thoughts are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear.9 Remember this too, Ānanda, as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Tathāgata.”
“Venerable sir, since for the Blessed One feelings are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear; perceptions are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear; thoughts are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear—this too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One.”
That is what the Venerable Ānanda said. The Teacher approved. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Venerable Ānanda’s words.
The tone is very supernatural and pompous, quite unlike other parts of the Canon (which, admittedly, I much prefer) and really reminds me of Mahayana Sutras such as the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra. It's worth noting that there's another story of the Buddha's birth that is decidedly less supernatural. Once you realize all this, your view of Theravada and Mahayana and what Buddhists consider "scripture" and "truth" may become less rigid. This is especially instructive to modern / "secular" Theravadins, I suspect.
The only objection to this description as a "Bodhisattva path" is that in another place in the Canon the Buddha refers to his Bodhisatta stage as "unenlightened":
“Monks, before my enlightenment, while I was still only an unenlightened bodhisatta, I too, being myself subject to birth, sought what was also subject to birth; being myself subject to aging, sickness, death, sorrow, and defilement, I sought what was also subject to aging, sickness, death, sorrow, and defilement.
-- MN 26: Ariyapariyesana Sutta
However, isn't it just a somewhat arbitrary definition? Perhaps he meant "perfect enlightenment" versus a state approaching it. It is abundantly clear from the first sutta (MN 123) that as a "mere" Bodhisattva the Buddha possessed many supernatural powers and a very high degree of enlightenment. It even seems that to just take "unenlightened Bodhisatta" at face value would be a contradiction:
A "mindful and clearly comprehending" being residing in the Tusita heaven and seemingly at will "descending" to a blessed human birth seems like an enlightened state. I haven't studied the Mahayana Bodhisattva path much, but the little I know seems highly compatible with this narrative.
In another place:
“Monks, before my enlightenment, while I was still a bodhisatta, not yet fully enlightened
-- SN 12:65
Seems like we can consider that the Buddha was working towards a more perfect enlightenment than the regular arahats, and when he finally achieved it, he states that he has surpassed all other arahats:
‘I am one who has transcended all, a knower of all,
Unsullied among all things, renouncing all,
By craving’s ceasing freed. Having known this all
For myself, to whom should I point as teacher?
‘I have no teacher, and one like me
Exists nowhere in all the world
With all its devas, because I have
No person for my counterpart.
‘For I am the arahant in the world,
I am the teacher supreme.
I alone am a Perfectly Enlightened One
Whose fires are quenched and extinguished.
‘I go now to the city of Kāsi
To set in motion the wheel of Dhamma.
In a world that has become blind
I go to beat the drum of the Deathless.’
-- MN 26: Ariyapariyesana Sutta
In short, the Suttas above seem to support a view that the Pali Canon describes something like a Bodhisattva path that the Buddha has undergone, that lead to his attainment of perfect enlightenment that surpassed the arahatship that his followers attained.
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