Philosophy remixed: Suppose Mary is raised in a web of saṃsāra and never encounters a buddha; she meditates, reads everything that has been written about meditative attainments, and follows the 8-fold path. Would Mary learn something new if she became an arhat?
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Replying to @IntoTheBlues @NeuroYogacara
But seriously, I’m not as familiar with the Theravada path. Do you have to meet a Buddha physically to become enlightened? If she’s following the 8-fold path hasn’t she technically encountered Buddha?
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Replying to @IntoTheBlues
I was playing around with the idea of a pratyekabuddha, who attains enlightenment on their own, without a teacher or a guide. I think this is a status that’s discussed across traditions—I’m most familiar with it from Mahāyāna texts, where it’s discussed as a lesser vehicle
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Replying to @NeuroYogacara @IntoTheBlues
If she reads all that's been written about meditative attainments & follows the 8-fold path, she's encountered enough of a buddha's echoes to qualify as a śrāvaka (sound-hearer, echo-encounter-er) or even a bodhisattva if she so vows. A pratyekabuddha has no access to any trace!
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Replying to @NoaidiX @IntoTheBlues
According to Asaṅga, a pratyekabuddha can have access to the śrāvakapiṭaka...I don’t know where he gets that from though, as it does seem a bit strange
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Replying to @NeuroYogacara @IntoTheBlues
I'd wager it helped distribute the weight of non-bodhisattvas evenly across the other two vehicles for polemical purposes. Otherwise, his frequent references to pratyekabuddhas would amount to mere strawmen, as they're usually absent while the Dharma is still alive & well.
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That, or they have access to the Śrāvaka Piṭaka but have completely misconstrued its meaning and thus have no access to the [correct] Dharma.
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Replying to @NoaidiX @IntoTheBlues
That seems like roughly the view he pushes...
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