Why Do Śrāvakas Tire of Much Learning and Pratyekabuddhas Tire of Contemplation

Original text of the Upāsaka Precepts Sūtra, Volume Seven: 声闻之人厌于多闻。缘觉之人厌于思惟。佛于是二心无疲厌。故名为佛。

Explanation: Why do those with the spiritual faculties of a śrāvaka grow weary of extensive learning? In the Hīnayāna sūtras, the Buddha once said that śrāvakas were called śrāvakas precisely because they delighted in extensive learning, yet here in the Mahāyāna, the Buddha says that śrāvakas are weary of extensive learning. Does this mean the Buddha's teachings are always contradictory? Actually, no. Every definition has a precondition; it is a definition valid only within a certain scope. Once that scope is exceeded, the previous definition is no longer appropriate, and so the definition must change. The śrāvaka's extensive learning is learning within the scope of the Hīnayāna liberation path, learning within the scope of the worldly truths of the Four Noble Truths. Beyond this scope, they no longer wish to know and learn more; they are content with the status quo, and they also believe that beyond this scope there is no further dharma. This limitation in their cognition stems from their initial aspiration, from the breadth of their mind and their horizons, and also from their not particularly profound wisdom and insight.

By listening to the Buddha's teachings, śrāvakas came to recognize the suffering of the world of the five aggregates. Their aspiration is small; they only wish to be liberated from worldly suffering. As long as they can be liberated from worldly suffering, that is enough. As for the distant buddha-path of three great incalculable kalpas, they are not interested. Some of them even believe that being liberated from the bondage of the three realms is itself becoming a buddha, and that beyond this there is nothing left to cultivate or realize. Due to the limitations of their roots of goodness, merit, and wisdom, when they cultivate the Four Noble Truths, they cannot touch the principle of Mahāyāna prajñā and the tathāgatagarbha, and so they blindly assume that the Four Noble Truths are the ultimate and final word on liberation, with no other dharma beyond. It is precisely on account of such foolish "wisdom" that at the Lotus Sutra assembly, five thousand bhikṣus withdrew from their seats; they neither believed nor listened to the Mahāyāna dharma, let alone contemplated it. From this point alone, it can be seen that śrāvakas in fact do not delight in extensively learning the Buddha-dharma.

The roots of goodness and wisdom of the pratyekabuddhas are somewhat deeper than those of the śrāvakas. They need not follow at the Buddha's side to extensively learn the dharma, but whenever they encounter conditions, they will contemplate on their own the ins and outs of things, tracing matters back to their roots, penetrating to the very source of the dharma. Thus they engaged in contemplation of the dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination, and through repeated forward and reverse deduction, they touched upon the ālayavijñāna, the original source of all dharmas in the world of the five aggregates. Having contemplated up to the ālayavijñāna, due to their faculties and habits, they do not contemplate further, nor do they wish to realize this truth of the ultimate reality of the dharma realm; their wisdom stagnates at the level of being able to attain liberation from the suffering of the three realms of existence. Because they have not made the great bodhi aspiration to accomplish the buddha-way, and only wish to be liberated from the bondage of the world of the five aggregates, seeking nothing else, they are content with the status quo, content with having eliminated the ignorance concerning liberation from the suffering of the world of the five aggregates, without any desire or intention to eliminate deeper and subtler ignorance. Therefore the Buddha says here that pratyekabuddhas are weary of contemplation.

The Buddha differs from śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Throughout the cultivation of three great incalculable kalpas, His aspiration was vast: for immeasurable sentient beings to be freed from suffering, not for His own comfort and ease. With deep roots and a great vessel, His wisdom was vast. In order to investigate the true principle of the dharma realm, He practiced what was difficult to practice and endured what was difficult to endure. He was not content with the small and shallow dharmas obtained at the present stage, but continually contemplated more deeply and continually investigated the ultimate truth. His pursuit of truth never knew weariness, and only thus could He ultimately perfect the wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā) and accomplish the buddha-way.

To summarize: a person's spiritual faculties are extremely important. Only with deep roots and a great vessel will branches flourish and leaves grow lush; only with a mind embracing the entire void will the capacity pervade worlds as numerous as sands. How fortunate a bodhisattva is when he can deliver a sentient being of great faculties! Encountering a sentient being of great faculties is something most precious. Who would be willing to expend extra effort to deliver those useless, selfish śrāvakas, draining one's precious energy for delivering sentient beings? With that energy, delivering one bodhisattva of newly generated aspiration surpasses delivering hundreds of millions of śrāvakas. This bodhisattva of newly generated aspiration, when he attains accomplishment in the future, will be able to rescue immeasurable sentient beings from suffering and lead immeasurable sentient beings toward liberation. If one can deliver a bodhisattva whose roots of goodness have already matured, that is an even more fortunate thing!

Therefore, if you see that I show favoritism, do not be surprised or misunderstand; rather, look at why I show favoritism and where my heart inclines. Wherever my heart inclines, there are Mahāyāna bodhisattvas—whether bodhisattvas of newly generated aspiration or long-cultivating bodhisattvas, in any case they are bodhisattvas, who in the future will become buddhas, and from whom immeasurable sentient beings will receive benefit and liberation. Perhaps even now many sentient beings are quietly receiving benefit. If I had no favoritism, then I would have no mind of equanimity, and unfair things would appear—that kind of mind would truly be biased. For example, if person A contributes one hundred shares and person B contributes only one share, and I give them both the same treatment, this is clearly unreasonable, unfair, and unequal.

The Buddha likewise shows favoritism: the Buddha favors Mahāyāna bodhisattvas, favoring the sons of the Buddha. Who are the sons of the Buddha? Bodhisattvas from the first bhūmi onward are the sons of the Buddha. Although these bodhisattvas, in the wisdom of liberation from the world of the five aggregates, are not the equal of arhats and pratyekabuddhas—even differing from them greatly—the Buddha protects the bodhisattvas on the bhūmis, calls them His own sons, and has them inherit the family enterprise of the Tathāgata; whereas He calls arhats and pratyekabuddhas "scorched sprouts and rotten seeds," and never says that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are His sons, the sons of the Buddha. When the Buddha came to the Sahā world to deliver sentient beings, those accompanying Him were all bodhisattvas of various stages whom He had delivered over immeasurable kalpas. Although these bodhisattvas dwelt in other worlds, they could follow the Buddha to the worlds of the ten directions to deliver sentient beings; among the Buddha's retinue there were no śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. When the Buddha taught the dharma in the Sahā world, He taught the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas for only twelve years, but taught the bodhisattvas for more than thirty years. Among the Tripiṭaka and twelve divisions of the canon, there is only a small amount of śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha dharma; the great majority is Mahāyāna bodhisattva dharma. And among the dharmas not yet spoken, there are even more that are bodhisattva dharmas.