The Contact Point between the Āgamas and the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras: Focusing on Contradictory Expressions in the Pāsādika-sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya

Abstract

This paper attempts to locate points of contact between the Āgamas and the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras via contradictory expressions in the Pāsādika-sutta. The Pāsādika-sutta, likely complied in the later period of the Āgamas, appears to influence Mahayana literature in several points. In the Pāsādika-sutta, the Buddha answers criticisms from non-Buddhist ascetics through the following contradictory expressions.

(1) According to the Buddha, the contradictory expression “a person who sees doesn’t see” cannot work in non-Buddhist traditions, but can be properly established in Buddhism.

One also often finds such contradictory expressions in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

(2) The ascetics criticized the Buddha’s disciples for indulging in pleasure, but he accepts this criticism on a literal level after reinterpreting the word “pleasure” to mean “joy.” Such reinterpretations are common in Māhāyana literature.

Meanwhile, the Pāsādika-sutta does not always accept non-Buddhists’ statements. The ascetics criticize the Buddha’s teachings for being “unstable” (P. aṭṭhita-dhamma), and he outright rejects this criticism, saying that they are stable like a deeply-rooted pillar.

On the other hand, the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras do not appear to reject this particular criticism, and they positively reinterpret the word “unstable” by accompanying it with the word “immovable” (P. acala), with its negative “a” prefix.