Mario D’Amato
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195381559
- eISBN:
- 9780199869244
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter argues that there is indeed an important sense in which the Buddha never utters a word, that is, in which he never uses language in the way that language is ordinarily used. Drawing from ...
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This chapter argues that there is indeed an important sense in which the Buddha never utters a word, that is, in which he never uses language in the way that language is ordinarily used. Drawing from the Yogācāra account of the awareness of a buddha, the chapter argues that the way to understand this apparently paradoxical statement is through drawing the distinction between a referential and a use semantics for natural language. If one takes it that to “utter a word”—to use language—just is to refer and to characterize, the Buddha fails to do that. But that is not the semiotic theory preferred by Buddhist philosophers of language. Instead, enlightened language use is precisely use, not reference. And the Buddha can use words to undermine a natural semantics.Less
This chapter argues that there is indeed an important sense in which the Buddha never utters a word, that is, in which he never uses language in the way that language is ordinarily used. Drawing from the Yogācāra account of the awareness of a buddha, the chapter argues that the way to understand this apparently paradoxical statement is through drawing the distinction between a referential and a use semantics for natural language. If one takes it that to “utter a word”—to use language—just is to refer and to characterize, the Buddha fails to do that. But that is not the semiotic theory preferred by Buddhist philosophers of language. Instead, enlightened language use is precisely use, not reference. And the Buddha can use words to undermine a natural semantics.
Jonardon Ganeri
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199652365
- eISBN:
- 9780191740718
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199652365.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, History of Philosophy
Buddhist thinkers after Dignāga and Dharmakīrti will form the argument that reflexivism cannot solve the conceptual problem of other minds, the problem of explaining how it is possible to form a ...
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Buddhist thinkers after Dignāga and Dharmakīrti will form the argument that reflexivism cannot solve the conceptual problem of other minds, the problem of explaining how it is possible to form a conception of a mental life distinct from one's own or conceive that there can be a plurality of minds. Reflexivism, argues Ratnakīrti out of a suggestion made earlier by Jñānaśrīmitra, entails that there are no phenomenal or intentional boundaries between oneself and others within a stream of experience. The idea that reflexivism entails conceptual solipsism is confirmed by Kashmiri Śaiva philosophers, who appropriate Buddhist Yogācāra reflexivism but transform it into a constitutive theory of self: the self just is that which consists of reflexive self‐representation. Abhinavagupta shows clearly that this view leads to solipsism, an implication he actually seems to welcome. This chapter includes a full translation of Ratnakīrti's closely argued text. These difficulties with reflexivist analyses of subjectivity constitute a partial vindication of the earlier mental files theory.Less
Buddhist thinkers after Dignāga and Dharmakīrti will form the argument that reflexivism cannot solve the conceptual problem of other minds, the problem of explaining how it is possible to form a conception of a mental life distinct from one's own or conceive that there can be a plurality of minds. Reflexivism, argues Ratnakīrti out of a suggestion made earlier by Jñānaśrīmitra, entails that there are no phenomenal or intentional boundaries between oneself and others within a stream of experience. The idea that reflexivism entails conceptual solipsism is confirmed by Kashmiri Śaiva philosophers, who appropriate Buddhist Yogācāra reflexivism but transform it into a constitutive theory of self: the self just is that which consists of reflexive self‐representation. Abhinavagupta shows clearly that this view leads to solipsism, an implication he actually seems to welcome. This chapter includes a full translation of Ratnakīrti's closely argued text. These difficulties with reflexivist analyses of subjectivity constitute a partial vindication of the earlier mental files theory.
Douglas S. Duckworth
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190883959
- eISBN:
- 9780190883980
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190883959.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
This book offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. It shows the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice across various Tibetan traditions in ways that ...
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This book offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. It shows the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice across various Tibetan traditions in ways that integrate competing and complimentary perspectives on the nature of mind and reality. The book draws upon a contrast between phenomenology and ontology to highlight distinct starting points of inquiries into mind and nature in Buddhism and to illuminate central issues confronted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It argues that these starting points share a common ground and can be seen to be actually inseparable. This thematic study raises some of the most difficult and critical topics in Buddhist thought, such as the nature of mind and the meaning of emptiness, across a wide range of philosophical traditions, including the “Middle Way” of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra (a.k.a. “Mind-Only”), and tantra. This book provides a richly textured overview that explores the intersecting nature of mind, language, and world depicted across Tibetan Buddhist traditions. It also puts Tibetan philosophy into conversation with texts and traditions from India, Europe, and America, exemplifying the possibility and potential for a transformative conversation in global philosophy.Less
This book offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. It shows the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice across various Tibetan traditions in ways that integrate competing and complimentary perspectives on the nature of mind and reality. The book draws upon a contrast between phenomenology and ontology to highlight distinct starting points of inquiries into mind and nature in Buddhism and to illuminate central issues confronted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It argues that these starting points share a common ground and can be seen to be actually inseparable. This thematic study raises some of the most difficult and critical topics in Buddhist thought, such as the nature of mind and the meaning of emptiness, across a wide range of philosophical traditions, including the “Middle Way” of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra (a.k.a. “Mind-Only”), and tantra. This book provides a richly textured overview that explores the intersecting nature of mind, language, and world depicted across Tibetan Buddhist traditions. It also puts Tibetan philosophy into conversation with texts and traditions from India, Europe, and America, exemplifying the possibility and potential for a transformative conversation in global philosophy.
Roy Tzohar
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190664398
- eISBN:
- 9780190664428
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190664398.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book is about what metaphors mean and do within Buddhist texts. More specifically, it is about the fundamental Buddhist ambivalence toward language, which is seen as obstructive and yet ...
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This book is about what metaphors mean and do within Buddhist texts. More specifically, it is about the fundamental Buddhist ambivalence toward language, which is seen as obstructive and yet necessary for liberation, as well as the ingenious response to this tension that one Buddhist philosophical school—the early Indian Yogācāra (3rd–6th century CE)—proposed by arguing that all language use is in fact metaphorical (upacāra). Exploring the profound implications of this claim, the book presents the full-fledged Yogācāra theory of meaning—one that is not merely linguistic, but also perceptual.Despite the overwhelming visibility of figurative language in Buddhist philosophical texts, its role and use have received relatively little attention in scholarship to date. This book is the first sustained and systematic attempt to present an indigenous Buddhist philosophical theory of metaphor. By grounding the Yogācāra’s pan-metaphorical claim in its broader intellectual context, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, the discussion reveals an intense Indian philosophical conversation about metaphor and language that reached across sectarian lines, and it also demonstrates its potential contribution to contemporary philosophical discussions of related topics. The analysis of this theory of metaphor radically reframes the Yogācāra controversy with the Madhyamaka; sheds light on the school’s application of particular metaphors, as well as its unique understanding of experience; and establishes the place of Sthiramati as an original Buddhist thinker of note in his own right, alongside Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.Less
This book is about what metaphors mean and do within Buddhist texts. More specifically, it is about the fundamental Buddhist ambivalence toward language, which is seen as obstructive and yet necessary for liberation, as well as the ingenious response to this tension that one Buddhist philosophical school—the early Indian Yogācāra (3rd–6th century CE)—proposed by arguing that all language use is in fact metaphorical (upacāra). Exploring the profound implications of this claim, the book presents the full-fledged Yogācāra theory of meaning—one that is not merely linguistic, but also perceptual.Despite the overwhelming visibility of figurative language in Buddhist philosophical texts, its role and use have received relatively little attention in scholarship to date. This book is the first sustained and systematic attempt to present an indigenous Buddhist philosophical theory of metaphor. By grounding the Yogācāra’s pan-metaphorical claim in its broader intellectual context, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, the discussion reveals an intense Indian philosophical conversation about metaphor and language that reached across sectarian lines, and it also demonstrates its potential contribution to contemporary philosophical discussions of related topics. The analysis of this theory of metaphor radically reframes the Yogācāra controversy with the Madhyamaka; sheds light on the school’s application of particular metaphors, as well as its unique understanding of experience; and establishes the place of Sthiramati as an original Buddhist thinker of note in his own right, alongside Asaṅga and Vasubandhu.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198732662
- eISBN:
- 9780191796876
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198732662.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book gives a concise account of one of the most vibrant episodes in the history of ancient Indian thought, the development of Buddhist philosophy from the composition of the Abhidharma works ...
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This book gives a concise account of one of the most vibrant episodes in the history of ancient Indian thought, the development of Buddhist philosophy from the composition of the Abhidharma works before the beginning of the Common Era up to the time of Dharmakīrti in the sixth century CE. This period was characterized by the development of a variety of Buddhist philosophical schools and approaches that have shaped Buddhist thought up to the present day: the scholasticism of the Abhidharma, the Madhyamaka’s theory of emptiness, Yogācāra idealism, and the logical and epistemological works of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti. The book attempts to describe the historical development of these schools in their intellectual context, with particular emphasis on three factors that shaped the development of Buddhist philosophical thought: the need to spell out the contents of canonical texts, the discourses of the historical Buddha and the Mahāyāna sutras; the desire to defend their positions by sophisticated arguments against criticisms from fellow Buddhists and from non-Buddhist thinkers of classical Indian philosophy; and the need to account for insights gained through the application of specific meditative techniques. While the main emphasis of our presentation is the period up the the sixth century CE, we will we also discuss some important selected figures who influenced Buddhist thought between this time and the decline of Buddhist scholastic philosophy in India at the beginning of the thirteenth century.Less
This book gives a concise account of one of the most vibrant episodes in the history of ancient Indian thought, the development of Buddhist philosophy from the composition of the Abhidharma works before the beginning of the Common Era up to the time of Dharmakīrti in the sixth century CE. This period was characterized by the development of a variety of Buddhist philosophical schools and approaches that have shaped Buddhist thought up to the present day: the scholasticism of the Abhidharma, the Madhyamaka’s theory of emptiness, Yogācāra idealism, and the logical and epistemological works of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti. The book attempts to describe the historical development of these schools in their intellectual context, with particular emphasis on three factors that shaped the development of Buddhist philosophical thought: the need to spell out the contents of canonical texts, the discourses of the historical Buddha and the Mahāyāna sutras; the desire to defend their positions by sophisticated arguments against criticisms from fellow Buddhists and from non-Buddhist thinkers of classical Indian philosophy; and the need to account for insights gained through the application of specific meditative techniques. While the main emphasis of our presentation is the period up the the sixth century CE, we will we also discuss some important selected figures who influenced Buddhist thought between this time and the decline of Buddhist scholastic philosophy in India at the beginning of the thirteenth century.
Douglas S. Duckworth
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190883959
- eISBN:
- 9780190883980
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190883959.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
The relationship between Madhyamaka and Mind-Only is configured in different ways among Tibetan traditions, and how their relationship is configured informs the shape of the distinct contemplative ...
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The relationship between Madhyamaka and Mind-Only is configured in different ways among Tibetan traditions, and how their relationship is configured informs the shape of the distinct contemplative practices there. The conclusion here reiterates how understanding the interplay of these two traditions, in conversation with the discourses of ontology and phenomenology, can illuminate some of the issues at stake in Tibetan thought and connect them to contemporary issues. Like Mind-Only and Madhyamaka, ontology and phenomenology represent divergent modes of thought and practice that can be seen to offer unique lenses on the world, yet they can also be seen to overlap, or even mutually entail each other.Less
The relationship between Madhyamaka and Mind-Only is configured in different ways among Tibetan traditions, and how their relationship is configured informs the shape of the distinct contemplative practices there. The conclusion here reiterates how understanding the interplay of these two traditions, in conversation with the discourses of ontology and phenomenology, can illuminate some of the issues at stake in Tibetan thought and connect them to contemporary issues. Like Mind-Only and Madhyamaka, ontology and phenomenology represent divergent modes of thought and practice that can be seen to offer unique lenses on the world, yet they can also be seen to overlap, or even mutually entail each other.
Jonathan Gold
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231168267
- eISBN:
- 9780231538008
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231168267.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, ...
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The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, influential Yogācāra-Vijñānavāda texts. This book reveals another dimension of his legacy: his integration of several seemingly incompatible intellectual and scriptural traditions, with far-ranging consequences for the development of Buddhist epistemology and the theorization of tantra. Most scholars read Vasubandhu's texts in isolation and separate his intellectual development into distinct phases. Featuring close studies of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośabhāsya, Vyākhyāyukti, Vimśatikā, and Trisvabhavanirdeśa, among other works, this book identifies recurrent treatments of causality and scriptural interpretation that unify distinct strands of thought under a single, coherent Buddhist philosophy. In Vasubandhu's hands, the Buddha's rejection of the self as a false construction provides a framework through which to clarify problematic philosophical issues, such as the nature of moral agency and subjectivity under a broadly causal worldview. Recognizing this continuity of purpose across Vasubandhu's diverse corpus recasts the interests of the philosopher and his truly innovative vision, which influenced Buddhist thought for a millennium and continues to resonate with today's philosophical issues.Less
The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, influential Yogācāra-Vijñānavāda texts. This book reveals another dimension of his legacy: his integration of several seemingly incompatible intellectual and scriptural traditions, with far-ranging consequences for the development of Buddhist epistemology and the theorization of tantra. Most scholars read Vasubandhu's texts in isolation and separate his intellectual development into distinct phases. Featuring close studies of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośabhāsya, Vyākhyāyukti, Vimśatikā, and Trisvabhavanirdeśa, among other works, this book identifies recurrent treatments of causality and scriptural interpretation that unify distinct strands of thought under a single, coherent Buddhist philosophy. In Vasubandhu's hands, the Buddha's rejection of the self as a false construction provides a framework through which to clarify problematic philosophical issues, such as the nature of moral agency and subjectivity under a broadly causal worldview. Recognizing this continuity of purpose across Vasubandhu's diverse corpus recasts the interests of the philosopher and his truly innovative vision, which influenced Buddhist thought for a millennium and continues to resonate with today's philosophical issues.
Jonathan C. Gold
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231168267
- eISBN:
- 9780231538008
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231168267.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Vasubandhu is famous for converting from Śrāvakayāna to Mahāyāna between writing his Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośabhāsya, AKBh) and his Yogācāra works. This chapter ...
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Vasubandhu is famous for converting from Śrāvakayāna to Mahāyāna between writing his Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośabhāsya, AKBh) and his Yogācāra works. This chapter considers the doctrinal shift that comes with the adoption of the interpretive perspective of the Scripture on the Clarification of the [Buddha's] Intent (Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra, SNS)—a shift that accounts for not just the validity of Mahāyāna scriptures and treatises, but for the adoption of many specific doctrines within those scriptures. It shows just what this transition would have entailed by illuminating in detail Vasubandhu's distinctive Yogācāra philosophy. Vasubandhu's transition to Yogācāra and his transformative contribution to it were prefigured, if not yet fully enacted, in the AKBh passages already discussed.Less
Vasubandhu is famous for converting from Śrāvakayāna to Mahāyāna between writing his Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakośabhāsya, AKBh) and his Yogācāra works. This chapter considers the doctrinal shift that comes with the adoption of the interpretive perspective of the Scripture on the Clarification of the [Buddha's] Intent (Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra, SNS)—a shift that accounts for not just the validity of Mahāyāna scriptures and treatises, but for the adoption of many specific doctrines within those scriptures. It shows just what this transition would have entailed by illuminating in detail Vasubandhu's distinctive Yogācāra philosophy. Vasubandhu's transition to Yogācāra and his transformative contribution to it were prefigured, if not yet fully enacted, in the AKBh passages already discussed.
Justin R. Ritzinger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190491161
- eISBN:
- 9780190491185
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190491161.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter examines the development of the “Maitreya School” from the eve of its founding to its peak of activity in 1937. This occurred in two phases. In the first, the school was closely ...
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This chapter examines the development of the “Maitreya School” from the eve of its founding to its peak of activity in 1937. This occurred in two phases. In the first, the school was closely associated with Yogācāra and served as the “house cult” of Taixu’s seminaries, forming an important part of the educational and ritual lives of these institutions. In the second phase, the school came to be seen in more expansive terms as an all-inclusive teaching and pure land elements overshadow Yogācāra. In this phase, active propagation grew and Taixu’s students and associates began to assume a more prominent role. Liturgies were composed, lay associations were organized, and the landscape was inscribed with the cult.Less
This chapter examines the development of the “Maitreya School” from the eve of its founding to its peak of activity in 1937. This occurred in two phases. In the first, the school was closely associated with Yogācāra and served as the “house cult” of Taixu’s seminaries, forming an important part of the educational and ritual lives of these institutions. In the second phase, the school came to be seen in more expansive terms as an all-inclusive teaching and pure land elements overshadow Yogācāra. In this phase, active propagation grew and Taixu’s students and associates began to assume a more prominent role. Liturgies were composed, lay associations were organized, and the landscape was inscribed with the cult.
Justin R. Ritzinger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190491161
- eISBN:
- 9780190491185
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190491161.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter offers an analysis of Taixu’s Maitreyan theology through a close reading of his commentaries on the Three Essentials—the texts he identified as the cult’s foundation. These were the ...
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This chapter offers an analysis of Taixu’s Maitreyan theology through a close reading of his commentaries on the Three Essentials—the texts he identified as the cult’s foundation. These were the “Chapter on Knowing Reality,” the Yoga Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa, and the Sutra of Maitreya’s Ascent. It argues that Taixu found in these texts, and in his interpretations augmented, indigenous analogues to the key values that inspired him as a young anarchist: science, a revolutionary ethic, and utopia. These texts further allowed him to bring these values into meaningful relationship with the core Buddhist good of Buddhahood.Less
This chapter offers an analysis of Taixu’s Maitreyan theology through a close reading of his commentaries on the Three Essentials—the texts he identified as the cult’s foundation. These were the “Chapter on Knowing Reality,” the Yoga Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa, and the Sutra of Maitreya’s Ascent. It argues that Taixu found in these texts, and in his interpretations augmented, indigenous analogues to the key values that inspired him as a young anarchist: science, a revolutionary ethic, and utopia. These texts further allowed him to bring these values into meaningful relationship with the core Buddhist good of Buddhahood.
Stephen Cross
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824837358
- eISBN:
- 9780824871048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824837358.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This book explores Arthur Schopenhauer’s encounter with Indian thought, with particular emphasis on his doctrine of representation and his account of the genesis of the will. It considers the extent ...
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This book explores Arthur Schopenhauer’s encounter with Indian thought, with particular emphasis on his doctrine of representation and his account of the genesis of the will. It considers the extent and nature of the affinities between Schopenhauer’s thought and the philosophical and religious ideas of India by concentrating on the schools associated with Hinduism and Buddhism: the Advaita Vedānta and the Mādhyamika and Yogācāra schools. The book is divided into four sections. The first section provides the background to Schopenhauer’s interest in Indian thought and the growth and extent of his knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist ideas. The second section deals with the doctrine of representation and related views found in India, while the third section discusses the doctrine of the will and its relation to Indian thought. The fourth and lasr section focuses on the ontological status of the will and the nature of final reality.Less
This book explores Arthur Schopenhauer’s encounter with Indian thought, with particular emphasis on his doctrine of representation and his account of the genesis of the will. It considers the extent and nature of the affinities between Schopenhauer’s thought and the philosophical and religious ideas of India by concentrating on the schools associated with Hinduism and Buddhism: the Advaita Vedānta and the Mādhyamika and Yogācāra schools. The book is divided into four sections. The first section provides the background to Schopenhauer’s interest in Indian thought and the growth and extent of his knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist ideas. The second section deals with the doctrine of representation and related views found in India, while the third section discusses the doctrine of the will and its relation to Indian thought. The fourth and lasr section focuses on the ontological status of the will and the nature of final reality.
Stephen Cross
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824837358
- eISBN:
- 9780824871048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824837358.003.0012
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter examines how the arising of the empirical world is understood in Buddhism by focusing on the Yogācāra teaching. The Buddhist tradition shares with Hinduism essentially the same ...
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This chapter examines how the arising of the empirical world is understood in Buddhism by focusing on the Yogācāra teaching. The Buddhist tradition shares with Hinduism essentially the same understanding of karmic impressions, formative forces, and “seeds.” The formative forces arise out of ignorance and lead to cognition as a subject aware of objects. This chapter first provides a background on the Yogācāra school before explaining what brings the formative forces into being from a Buddhist perspective. It then considers the Yogācāra doctrine of “mind only” (cittamātra), along with the concept of the store-consciousness or ālaya-vijñāna as the source of suffering. It also discusses the two aspects of karman, dubbed paripūraka and āksepa-karman.Less
This chapter examines how the arising of the empirical world is understood in Buddhism by focusing on the Yogācāra teaching. The Buddhist tradition shares with Hinduism essentially the same understanding of karmic impressions, formative forces, and “seeds.” The formative forces arise out of ignorance and lead to cognition as a subject aware of objects. This chapter first provides a background on the Yogācāra school before explaining what brings the formative forces into being from a Buddhist perspective. It then considers the Yogācāra doctrine of “mind only” (cittamātra), along with the concept of the store-consciousness or ālaya-vijñāna as the source of suffering. It also discusses the two aspects of karman, dubbed paripūraka and āksepa-karman.
José Ignacio Cabezón
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199958603
- eISBN:
- 9780199980819
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199958603.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The Madhayamaka or Middle Way School is the subject of chapter 12. As in the other chapters of Part II, Rogben is concerned with the views of the Madhyamaka school in general, as well as with the ...
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The Madhayamaka or Middle Way School is the subject of chapter 12. As in the other chapters of Part II, Rogben is concerned with the views of the Madhyamaka school in general, as well as with the views of the particular subschools, but he begins by discussing the major works of Madhyamaka thought. After outlining the basic tenets of Madhayamaka—including a long discussion on the different types of Madhyamaka syllogisms—he refutes the school, chiefly from the viewpoint of tantra.Less
The Madhayamaka or Middle Way School is the subject of chapter 12. As in the other chapters of Part II, Rogben is concerned with the views of the Madhyamaka school in general, as well as with the views of the particular subschools, but he begins by discussing the major works of Madhyamaka thought. After outlining the basic tenets of Madhayamaka—including a long discussion on the different types of Madhyamaka syllogisms—he refutes the school, chiefly from the viewpoint of tantra.
John Makeham (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199358120
- eISBN:
- 9780199358205
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199358120.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
The Western roots of many aspects of modern Chinese thought have been well documented. Far less well understood, and still largely overlooked, are the influence and significance of the main exemplar ...
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The Western roots of many aspects of modern Chinese thought have been well documented. Far less well understood, and still largely overlooked, are the influence and significance of the main exemplar of Indian thought in modern China: Yogācāra Buddhist philosophy. This situation is all the more anomalous given that the revival of Yogācāra thought among leading Chinese intellectuals in the first three decades of the twentieth century played a decisive role in shaping how they engaged with major currents in modern Chinese thought: empirical science; “mind science” or psychology; evolutionary theory; Hegelian and Kantian philosophy; logic; and the place of Confucian thought in a modernizing China. The influence and legacy of Indian thought have been ignored in conventional accounts of China’s modern intellectual history. This volume sets out to achieve three goals. The first is to explain why this Indian philosophical system proved to be so attractive to influential Chinese intellectuals at the very moment in Chinese history when traditional knowledge systems and schemes of knowledge compartmentalization were being confronted by radically new knowledge systems introduced from the West. The next goal is to demonstrate how the revival of Yogācāra thought informed Chinese responses to the challenges of modernity, in particular modern science and logic. The third goal is to highlight how Yogācāra thought shaped a major current in modern Chinese philosophy: New Confucianism.Less
The Western roots of many aspects of modern Chinese thought have been well documented. Far less well understood, and still largely overlooked, are the influence and significance of the main exemplar of Indian thought in modern China: Yogācāra Buddhist philosophy. This situation is all the more anomalous given that the revival of Yogācāra thought among leading Chinese intellectuals in the first three decades of the twentieth century played a decisive role in shaping how they engaged with major currents in modern Chinese thought: empirical science; “mind science” or psychology; evolutionary theory; Hegelian and Kantian philosophy; logic; and the place of Confucian thought in a modernizing China. The influence and legacy of Indian thought have been ignored in conventional accounts of China’s modern intellectual history. This volume sets out to achieve three goals. The first is to explain why this Indian philosophical system proved to be so attractive to influential Chinese intellectuals at the very moment in Chinese history when traditional knowledge systems and schemes of knowledge compartmentalization were being confronted by radically new knowledge systems introduced from the West. The next goal is to demonstrate how the revival of Yogācāra thought informed Chinese responses to the challenges of modernity, in particular modern science and logic. The third goal is to highlight how Yogācāra thought shaped a major current in modern Chinese philosophy: New Confucianism.
Jay L. Garfield and Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190231286
- eISBN:
- 9780190231316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190231286.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The introduction provides a general survey of the subject-matter of the volume and more specific summaries of the individual contributions. It considers the question whether Madhyamaka and Yogācāra ...
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The introduction provides a general survey of the subject-matter of the volume and more specific summaries of the individual contributions. It considers the question whether Madhyamaka and Yogācāra should be considered as rivals or allies. Various other topics arising in the individual chapters are also explored.Less
The introduction provides a general survey of the subject-matter of the volume and more specific summaries of the individual contributions. It considers the question whether Madhyamaka and Yogācāra should be considered as rivals or allies. Various other topics arising in the individual chapters are also explored.
Mattia Salvini
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190231286
- eISBN:
- 9780190231316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190231286.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Madhyamaka and Yogācāra rely on a shared conceptual language, yet they understand the relationship between ineffability and existence in a very different manner. They also share a similar focus on ...
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Madhyamaka and Yogācāra rely on a shared conceptual language, yet they understand the relationship between ineffability and existence in a very different manner. They also share a similar focus on the dependent arising of sentience and conceptuality, a fact best understood through a careful analysis of their recurrent terminology. In particular, it is important to remain aware of the different senses in which terms related to consciousness and mind (vijñāna, citta) are employed in different layers of Buddhist thought: the Yogācāra position on what exists, and its criticism by the Madhyamaka, cannot be adequately reconstructed without a clear understanding of the contextually specified meanings of vijñāna. Similarly, Abhidharmic considerations about the distinction between different types of existence form a necessary background to interpret the divide between the two systems plausibly. Their debate is ultimately informed by the respective ways in which Madhyamaka and Yogācāra understand what can be said, and what can be said to exist.Less
Madhyamaka and Yogācāra rely on a shared conceptual language, yet they understand the relationship between ineffability and existence in a very different manner. They also share a similar focus on the dependent arising of sentience and conceptuality, a fact best understood through a careful analysis of their recurrent terminology. In particular, it is important to remain aware of the different senses in which terms related to consciousness and mind (vijñāna, citta) are employed in different layers of Buddhist thought: the Yogācāra position on what exists, and its criticism by the Madhyamaka, cannot be adequately reconstructed without a clear understanding of the contextually specified meanings of vijñāna. Similarly, Abhidharmic considerations about the distinction between different types of existence form a necessary background to interpret the divide between the two systems plausibly. Their debate is ultimately informed by the respective ways in which Madhyamaka and Yogācāra understand what can be said, and what can be said to exist.
Dan Lusthaus
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190231286
- eISBN:
- 9780190231316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190231286.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The doxographers tell us that Madhyamaka and Yogācāra hold positions that are incommensurate at the highest levels of analysis, and apparently on the lower levels as well. Two avenues available for ...
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The doxographers tell us that Madhyamaka and Yogācāra hold positions that are incommensurate at the highest levels of analysis, and apparently on the lower levels as well. Two avenues available for evaluating such claims are (1) the writings of the protagonists themselves, and (2) historical information that can be gleaned about the major players.Combining the two approaches, this chapter explores the relation between Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in seventh century India and China through the writings of Xuanzang and his school. Xuanzang's travelogue (Xiyuji, Record of Western Lands) and Biography (DaTang Daciensi sanzang fashi zhuan, by his contemporaries Huili and Yancong) illustrate how Madhyamakans and Yogācāras could be intense debate rivals and yet teammates against non-Mahāyāna opponents. While key Madhyamakans such as Bhāviveka and Candrakīrti harshly criticized Yogācāra, Yogācāra authors fully accepted Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva, but criticized some later Madhyamakans for misunderstanding Nāgārjuna. Kuiji, in his Heart Sūtra Commentary—which explains every line of the sūtra first according to a Madhyamakan interpretation and then a Yogācāra interpretation—especially finds fault with Bhāviveka. Echoing an implicit criticism by Vasubandhu in the Viṃśikā (Twenty Verses), Kuiji accuses Bhāviveka and misguided Madhyamakas of illusionism, treating everything as an illusion, whereas for Yogācāra only parikalpita (erroneous imagining) is illusory. Thus, unlike Yogācāra, Madhyamakans fail to differentiate illusion from reality. Compared to Madhyamaka, Yogācāra is Realism.Less
The doxographers tell us that Madhyamaka and Yogācāra hold positions that are incommensurate at the highest levels of analysis, and apparently on the lower levels as well. Two avenues available for evaluating such claims are (1) the writings of the protagonists themselves, and (2) historical information that can be gleaned about the major players.Combining the two approaches, this chapter explores the relation between Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in seventh century India and China through the writings of Xuanzang and his school. Xuanzang's travelogue (Xiyuji, Record of Western Lands) and Biography (DaTang Daciensi sanzang fashi zhuan, by his contemporaries Huili and Yancong) illustrate how Madhyamakans and Yogācāras could be intense debate rivals and yet teammates against non-Mahāyāna opponents. While key Madhyamakans such as Bhāviveka and Candrakīrti harshly criticized Yogācāra, Yogācāra authors fully accepted Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva, but criticized some later Madhyamakans for misunderstanding Nāgārjuna. Kuiji, in his Heart Sūtra Commentary—which explains every line of the sūtra first according to a Madhyamakan interpretation and then a Yogācāra interpretation—especially finds fault with Bhāviveka. Echoing an implicit criticism by Vasubandhu in the Viṃśikā (Twenty Verses), Kuiji accuses Bhāviveka and misguided Madhyamakas of illusionism, treating everything as an illusion, whereas for Yogācāra only parikalpita (erroneous imagining) is illusory. Thus, unlike Yogācāra, Madhyamakans fail to differentiate illusion from reality. Compared to Madhyamaka, Yogācāra is Realism.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190231286
- eISBN:
- 9780190231316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190231286.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The aim of this chapter is to bring together various passages from Nāgārjuna’s works that refer to what appear to be Yogācāra ideas in order to gain some insight into what Nāgārjuna’s view of ...
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The aim of this chapter is to bring together various passages from Nāgārjuna’s works that refer to what appear to be Yogācāra ideas in order to gain some insight into what Nāgārjuna’s view of Yogācāra might have been. The chapter distinguishes three different views of the Madhyamaka-Yogācāra relation. The first, the adversarial view, regards the two systems as opponents. The gradualist view considers Yogācāra as a key step for realizing the truth of Madhyamaka. The final, instrumentalist view sees Yogācāra as embodying a set of meditative techniques indispensable for realizing the goal of the Buddhist path. The chapter argues that Nāgārjuna does not hold an adversarial view of the relation between Madhyamaka and Yogācāra but that his approach is best understood in terms of the gradualist and instrumentalist conceptions.Less
The aim of this chapter is to bring together various passages from Nāgārjuna’s works that refer to what appear to be Yogācāra ideas in order to gain some insight into what Nāgārjuna’s view of Yogācāra might have been. The chapter distinguishes three different views of the Madhyamaka-Yogācāra relation. The first, the adversarial view, regards the two systems as opponents. The gradualist view considers Yogācāra as a key step for realizing the truth of Madhyamaka. The final, instrumentalist view sees Yogācāra as embodying a set of meditative techniques indispensable for realizing the goal of the Buddhist path. The chapter argues that Nāgārjuna does not hold an adversarial view of the relation between Madhyamaka and Yogācāra but that his approach is best understood in terms of the gradualist and instrumentalist conceptions.
Jay L. Garfield
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190204334
- eISBN:
- 9780190204372
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190204334.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General, History of Philosophy
This chapter addresses Buddhist accounts of phenomenology, focusing on that developed in the Yogācāra school. Special attention is paid to the theory of the three natures as developed in Vasubandhu’s ...
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This chapter addresses Buddhist accounts of phenomenology, focusing on that developed in the Yogācāra school. Special attention is paid to the theory of the three natures as developed in Vasubandhu’s Trsivabhānanirdeśa. This account is brought into dialogue with the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger and their recent followers, and an argument is developed that experience is more opaque than it might appear.Less
This chapter addresses Buddhist accounts of phenomenology, focusing on that developed in the Yogācāra school. Special attention is paid to the theory of the three natures as developed in Vasubandhu’s Trsivabhānanirdeśa. This account is brought into dialogue with the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger and their recent followers, and an argument is developed that experience is more opaque than it might appear.
Yaroslav Komarovski
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190244958
- eISBN:
- 9780190245009
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190244958.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, World Religions
This chapter addresses the category of ineffability—the critical point of convergence of studies of mystical experience and Tibetan approaches to realization of reality. It also explores the ...
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This chapter addresses the category of ineffability—the critical point of convergence of studies of mystical experience and Tibetan approaches to realization of reality. It also explores the relationship between mystical experiences and polemics, showing the critical role the latter play in the former. In particular, it focuses on “internalized polemics”: a deconstructive process of contemplation of ultimate reality which consists of using specific types of Madhyamaka reasoning that are “internalized” through analytical meditation. It also demonstrates certain areas where Tibetan thinkers argue for compatibility of realizations and experiences across different traditions while acknowledging their overall diversity. In this context, it outlines the position of Shakya Chokden, who argues that despite contradictory worldviews, different types of contemplative conditioning leading to realization of reality, and conflicting descriptions of that realization, followers of the two major systems of Mahāyāna Buddhism―Niḥsvabhāvavāda and Yogācāra—can access the same direct meditative experience of ultimate reality.Less
This chapter addresses the category of ineffability—the critical point of convergence of studies of mystical experience and Tibetan approaches to realization of reality. It also explores the relationship between mystical experiences and polemics, showing the critical role the latter play in the former. In particular, it focuses on “internalized polemics”: a deconstructive process of contemplation of ultimate reality which consists of using specific types of Madhyamaka reasoning that are “internalized” through analytical meditation. It also demonstrates certain areas where Tibetan thinkers argue for compatibility of realizations and experiences across different traditions while acknowledging their overall diversity. In this context, it outlines the position of Shakya Chokden, who argues that despite contradictory worldviews, different types of contemplative conditioning leading to realization of reality, and conflicting descriptions of that realization, followers of the two major systems of Mahāyāna Buddhism―Niḥsvabhāvavāda and Yogācāra—can access the same direct meditative experience of ultimate reality.
