UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 75 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Bodhisattva Concept Buddhism
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2016
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectAncient History
- TopicAncient Art, Literature and Culture
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:
1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism.
2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment.
3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: B. 2 and 3 only
Verdict
The answer is 2 and 3 only. A Bodhisattva is a compassionate being on the way to enlightenment who delays his own salvation, but the concept is central to Mahayana, not Hinayana.
Analysis
Statement 2 is CORRECT. A Bodhisattva is one who seeks awakening and is characterised by compassion for others. Statement 3 is CORRECT. In Mahayana teaching a Bodhisattva may postpone his own final liberation in order to help all sentient beings towards it, which is the doctrine's defining feature. Statement 1 is INCORRECT. The Bodhisattva ideal is central to Mahayana Buddhism, whereas the Hinayana or Theravada tradition holds up the arhat, who seeks individual liberation, as its ideal.
Source
NCERT Class XII, Themes in Indian History, and standard reference material.
How to crack it
The doctrinal difference between the two schools is exactly the difference between individual and collective liberation, and statements 2 and 3 describe the collective ideal. Once you see that, statement 1 contradicts them by attaching that ideal to the individualist school, so the three statements cannot all stand. Fix the pairing once: Hinayana with the arhat and personal liberation, Mahayana with the Bodhisattva, compassion and image worship.