Step 1: Definition of the two āvaraṇas.
Mahāyāna philosophy identifies two types of hindrances:
- Kleśāvaraṇa: Hindrance caused by mental afflictions.
- Jñeyāvaraṇa: Hindrance caused by incomplete understanding.
Step 2: Mahāyāna doctrinal stance.
Mahāyāna posits that nirvāṇa eradicates kleśāvaraṇa but not jñeyāvaraṇa. The latter is overcome solely by a Bodhisattva advancing towards Buddhahood.
Step 3: Evaluation of schools.
- Mahāyāna: Accurate. This aligns with their teachings.
- Hinayāna: Focused exclusively on individual liberation, without differentiating these two āvaraṇas.
- Sautrāntika: Characterized by their rejection of Abhidharma, not by adherence to this specific theory.
- Ājīvika: A non-Buddhist sect of ascetics.
Step 4: Final determination.
Therefore, this doctrine originates from the Mahāyāna school.