The Bhayabheravasuttavaṇṇanā of the Majjhima-nikāya

Abstract

The Bhayabherava-sutta occupies a unique place in the early development of the Saṅgha, when life in monasteries seemed to be still rather uncommon, and the Buddhist monks were often seen to resort to solitary dwellings. The sutta advocates the ideal of a solitary spiritual life, as exemplified by the Buddha’s own example. However, it underscores that in the Buddha’s case, his preference for the solitary life is for a two-fold purpose: for his own abiding in peace, and by way of inspiring the future generation to follow his example of spiritual striving. In this context, it offers profound insight into the nature and causes of fear, both in the psychological sense and in the existential sense of spiritual insecurity (akkhema). It teaches by the Bodhisatta’s own example that these fears and anxieties cannot be escaped, but can be and must be transcended through moral and spiritual transformation.

The sutta also elucidates on what may be called the Buddhist ideal of the role model of a Spiritual Master. Equally importantly, in an autobiographical form, it provides a very ancient and therefore valuable description of the path leading to the attainment of liberating insight and of the Buddha’s own Enlightenment itself. These themes are critically examined in Part I of the present thesis in several chapters. Notwithstanding that the Bhayabherava-sutta has been well translated several times into English, for the purpose of my discussion I have made another translation of my own, collating with the Chinese Āgama version made by Venerable Anālayo; and a comparative table of the whole content is included in Part II.

The commentary on the sutta, entitled the Bhayabheravasuttavaṇṇanā, provides valuable, and often indispensable, information on the themes discussed in this thesis. In particular, it substantially offers illustrative commentaries on the nature and causes of bhaya-bherava, clarifying their root in conceptual superimposition on the part of those who are not fully ethically aligned and are devoid of equipoise and wisdom. It elaborates on the different essential components—including ethical preparation, vigour, mindfulness, samādhi, and the achievement of jhāna (particularly the fourth jhāna) and spiritual insight into the Four Noble Truths and the āsavas—of the path leading to the Buddha’s Enlightenment. For the first time, this commentary is translated into English, with annotations in Part III.