Icchantika

Icchantika (Chinese一 阐提, Pinyin yīchǎntí, W.-G. i- ch'an -ti, . Hgl 일 천제, ilcheonje; Jap.一 阐 堤, issendai; . Viet Nhat Xien DJE ) is a Sanskrit term and referred to in Mahayana Buddhism beings who - for whatever reason - can never attain enlightenment (referred to in a weaker and narrower sense of the term, only those beings to whom these reasons - for example, lack of belief in or lack of insight in Buddhist principles, character flaws and moral deficits, lack of interest in enlightenment, etc. - to come ). In particular, in the East Asian schools of Mahayana was the question of whether there is Icchantika at all (or if her condition was only temporarily ), and whether they zukomme Buddha Nature, repeatedly discussed controversially since the 5th century.

In the relevant scriptures of Theravada Buddhism ( Pali Nikāyas ) and the Chinese AAgamas the term does not occur. In the Mahayana sutras it is discussed mainly in the Angulimala - sūtra and the Mahaparinirvana - sūtra.

The existence of Icchantika was mainly postulated by the schools of Yogacara, as well as in the Japanese Hosso shū who understood such an assumption in one, formulated in terms of Abhidharma teachings on the foundations of the world as simply realistic, because virtually Get the overwhelming majority of people never enlightenment.

Schools such as the Tendai Shuu and the Huayan rejected the existence of Icchantika and pointed out that all EXISTING Buddha nature and therefore the possibility to enlightenment zukomme. Those schools that represented the existence of Icchantika were defamed as hinayanistisch because they exclude certain individuals improperly or groups of redemption.

The position that the assumption of the existence of Icchantika is only realistic, also played a special role in Amitabha Buddhism. Based on the theory of the three ages showing that there is humanity in the period of decline of the Dharma located, the Jōdo Shinshu sent, for example, where those beings for which the path to enlightenment was not a viable option, another spiritual provide objective: the admission to the pure land of the Buddha Amida is possible even the most evil and depraved individuals with appropriate trusting faith because of his infinite compassion.

As Icchantika were eventually called bodhisattvas, who - in contrast to the hedonistic Icchantika - so full of compassion for the suffering beings in samsara are that they had made ​​a vow not likely to reach the Nirvana until they have redeemed all suffering beings. These include, in some interpretations, inter alia, Avalokiteshvara and Ksitigarbha, they are considered Icchantika great compassion (Chinese大悲 阐提, Pinyin doing chǎntí; hgl 대비 천리, daebi cheonje; . Jap. daihi sendai, . Dai viet bi Xien DJE ) denotes.

• Mahayana