Five teachings of Mahadeva
five teachings of Mahadeva
大天の五事 (Jpn Daiten-no-goji )
Five modifications of the Buddhist teachings advanced by Mahadeva about one hundred years after Shakyamuni's death concerning the concept of the arhat; in essence, that even arhats retain certain human weaknesses.On the basis of these, he and his supporters called for a more flexible interpretation of the monastic rules.
The five teachings are as follows:
(1) An arhat may experience sexual orgasm while sleeping, when tempted by a devil in a dream.
(2) An arhat may lack certain knowledge.
(3) An arhat may have doubts.
(4) An arhat may lack a penetrating eye of wisdom and become aware of his level of enlightenment only when it is pointed out by another.
(5) An arhat may cry out under the strain of unbearable trials.
According to The Great Commentary on the Abhidharma, controversy over Mahadeva's interpretations contributed to the first schism in the Buddhist Order, the Sthaviravada (Pali Theravada) school condemning them as false views and the Mahasamghika school hailing them as a new perspective.
