Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

After the Parinibbāna of the Buddha, the concept of the Buddha in the Buddhist community has been divided. On the one hand, there was a human Buddha, on the other hand, there was a supramundane Buddha. In other words, some put emphasis upon the historical Buddha while others on the deified Buddha. However, whether they preferred the supramundane Buddha or the historical Buddha, all Buddhist schools faced a problem of interpreting some ambiguities in the biography of the Buddha. At the same time, these ambiguities gave them a chance to establish their own theories. Most ambiguities of his biography were related to inconsistent statements about and by the Buddha in the early canons. In the early canons, the Buddha not only performs miracles and is endowed with physically distinctive marks but also suffers from illnesses and torments. Finding a consistent interpretation of the Buddha was very important to all Buddhist schools. To justify their doctrine, they even seemed to have modified the early canon. That is why we now have different versions of the same story. In the meantime, regardless of their doctrines, Buddhist schools seemed to have been required to provide their own interpretation of the Buddha who suffered from very worldly afflictions. Especially, the question often arises, as much in the canonical texts as in the postcanonical, of the illnesses and torments endured by the Buddha: 1. Injury to his foot; 2. Thorn prick; 3. Return with an empty bowl; 4. Sundarī’s slander; 5. Ciñcā’s slander; 6. Barley eating; 7. Six years of austerities; 8. Dysentery; 9. Head and backache, etc. Collectively, these are called, in Pāli, Pubbakammapiloti. How can a being as perfect as the Buddha be subject to sufferings? The problem drew the attention of Buddhist schools, and various answers were given. This article aims to understand the concept of the Buddha through the debates on the nature of the Buddha in Theravāda Buddhism. This article tries to understand, especially, why the idea of the Pubbakammapiloti is specific to Theravāda Buddhism.