An Aspect of Becoming in Early Buddhism

In “An Aspect of Becoming in Early Buddhism,” the author explores the philosophical shift from static notions of being to a dynamic conception of becoming in Indian thought. The essay opens by noting that the great age of the Vedas, with its poetic hymns to natural forces, was over; attention had turned to the problem of the self and its relation to reality. Upaniṣadic thinkers focused on the ātman and proclaimed that one’s true self is identical with the highest reality (“Tat tvam asi” and “Aham brahma asmi”), but Buddhism arose by emphasising change and process rather than ontological identity. Drawing on the Pāli canon, the author argues that primitive Buddhism supplemented the Upaniṣadic viewpoint by substituting the concept of becoming (bhāva or bhava) for static being. Buddhism taught that individuals can train themselves to ‘become’ awakened rather than realising an already existing identity. This emphasis on personal development, according to the paper, permeates early Buddhist texts. To illustrate the point, the author examines the Vinaya Piṭaka’s listing of the four Pārājika offences. While unchastity, stealing and murder are grave offences in any society, the fourth Pārājika—falsely claiming a spiritual attainment—can only be understood in a milieu where becoming is paramount. A monk who pretends to have reached a stage of higher spiritual development commits a serious transgression because he assumes an attainment that must be earned through disciplined practice. The article contrasts this Buddhist insistence on becoming with the more static metaphysics of the Upaniṣads. The famous verse “From the unreal lead me to the real, from darkness lead me to light, from death lead me to immortality” suggests that the Upaniṣadic goal is to shift perspective to the unchanging real. Buddhism, by contrast, presents a path of gradual cultivation: one must increase one’s faculties, conquer defilements and become a ‘further‑man’ through effort. The author suggests that the Buddhist emphasis on karma as dynamic action, the doctrine of dependent origination, and the Vinaya’s concern with training rules all reflect this orientation. In concluding, the paper suggests that the distinction between being and becoming has profound implications for ethics and soteriology. Early Buddhism does not deny that ultimate reality is ineffable, but it insists that liberation requires active transformation rather than mere intellectual assent. The article highlights how this teaching informed monastic discipline and warns against claims of spiritual attainment unsubstantiated by practice. By focusing on a single concept, it illuminates the distinctive character of early Buddhist thought and its divergence from the Upaniṣadic tradition.

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