THE BODHISATTA CONCEPT IN THERAVĀDA

There are broadly two types of Bodhisatta in the nikāyas. One is the Bodhisatta referring to the state before the attainment of enlightenment in the life of Gotama Buddha and the other is Bodhisatta used as a generic term referring to the previous existences of any Buddha in the past.In Khuddaka Nikāya the word 'Bodhisatta' does not occur as often as in the other four nikāyas. However, it is in this nikāya, particularly in those texts which are said to be of a late origin in the chronology of the Pāli canonical texts (like the Cariyāpiṭaka and Buddhavaṃsa). Thus we find a further development in the concept of Bodhisatta in Theravāda Buddhism. While in the commentary Ācariya Dhammapāla classified the Bodhisattas into three classes as 

1. Mahā-Bodhisatata
2. Pacceka-Bodhisatta
 3. Sāvaka-Bodhisatta
 this suggests three kinds of enlightenment or sambodhi, namely:

1. The full enlightenment (sammā sambodhi)
 2. The enlightenment of a private (pacceka) Buddha (pacceka sambodhi)
3. The enlightenment of a disciple (sāvaka-sambodhi).

The first one is defined to be the realization and causing the realization of all dhammās rightly and by oneself while the second is the realization of truth not known before, through self-awakened knowledge. The last is the realization of the truth by the disciples, who became enlightened after hearing the Buddha's preaching. This implies an ideal interpretation of the distinction among Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and Sāvakas regarding the mode of attaining the final goal. This development is no doubt the result of a clear distinction the Theravādins tried to make among the enlightened.Emphasis is laid on the supremacy of Buddhahood. Eight conditions (atthadhammā) are reckoned as preconditions for anyone to aspire to be a Bodhisatta. Further, ten perfections (pāramī) have to be practiced and fulfilled. The Jātaka stories illustrate as far as 547 accounts of the pāramīs that Gotama Buddha practiced in his previous existences. Although the basic perfection s are ten in number, the commentarial texts (the Petavatthu Aṭṭhakathā and the Aṅguttara Nikāya Aṭṭhakathā) reckon 30. To the ten basic perfections (pāramī) are added the degrees of the 'higher' ten perfections (upa-pāramī) plus the degrees of the 'ultimate' ten perfections (paramatthapāramī). Thus these are the adaptation of the ten basic perfection into three levels of intensity. Furthermore, the ten basic perfections are sometimes specified as sāvaka-pāramī (VvA.2) when implying to thse fulfilled by the sāvaka-bodhisatta or the disciples. Though it is generally noticed that the term 'Bodhisatta' in early Buddhism is to designate either the pervious existence of Gotama Buddha, or of those of the past and furture, which are of theoretical outcome, the disciples too came to be recognized as Bodhisattas. This may have been derived of the influence and interaction among new overall elaboration of the Buddha concept and the Bodhisatta doctrine, particularly of the commentarial tradition.

                                                                                          -Periya Ulukkulame Nandawimala-