Upload
aadad
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
1/20
THE JOURNAL
OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
BUDDHIST STUDIES
E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F
A.K. Narain
University of Wisconsin, Mad ison, USA
E D I T O R S
tL .M.Joshi Ernst Steinkellner
Punjabi University Universityoj Vienna
Patiala, India Wien, Austria
Alexander W. Macdon ald Jikido Takasaki
Universile deParis X Universityof Tokyo
Nanterre, France Tokyo, Japan
Bardw ell Smith Robert Thurma n
Carleton College
Amherst
College
Northfield Minnesota, USA Amherst Massachusetts, USA
A S S I S T A N T E D I T O R
Roger Jackson
Fairfield U niversity
Fairfield
Connecticut, USA
Volume 9
1986
Number 1
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
2/20
C O N T E N T S
I . A R TI C LES
T h e M ean in g o f Vijnaptiin Va sub and hu ' s C once p t o f
M ind ,
by
Bruce
Cameron
Hall 7
Signless M edi ta t ions in Pali Bud dh ism ,
by
Peter Harvey 2 5
Do gen Casts Off W hat : An Analysis of Shinjin
Datsuraku,
by
Steven Heine 53
Buddhism and the Cas te Sys tem,
by
Y. Krishan 71
T h e Early Chinese Buddh is t Un der s tan d ing o f the
Psyche : Ch en Hui ' s Co m m enta ry on the
Yin Chihju Ching byW halen Im 85
The Specia l Theory ofPratityasamutpdda: T h e Cycle
o f D e p en d en t O r ig in a ti o n ,
by Geshe
Lhundub
Sopa
105
I I . B O O K R E V I E W S
Chinese
Religions in W estern Lang uages: A
Comprehensive
and
Classified Bibliography
of Pub lications in Eng lish,
FrenchandGermanthrough 19 80, by L au ren ce G.
T h o m p s o n
(Yves H er vo ue t) 121
The
Cycle
of
Day
andNight by Na mk hai No rbu
(A.W. H an son -B arb er) 122
Dharma and
Gospel:
Two
Ways
of
Seeing
edited by Rev.
G .W. Hous ton
(Ch r i s topher Cha pp ie ) 123
Meditation
on
Em ptiness,by Jeffrey H op kin s
Q.W. de Jo ng ) 124
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
3/20
5.
Philosophy
of Mind in Sixth Century China, Paramdrtha 's
'Evolution of Consciousness, ' by D ian a Y. Pau l
(J.W.deJong) 129
D iana Paul Replies 133
J .W.deJong
Rep lies 135
6.
SevenWorksofVasubandhu: The BuddhistPsychological
Doctor by Stefan A nac ker
(A . W. Ha nson-B a rbe r ) 136
7. TsongKhapa s SpeechofGoldintheEssense of T ru e
Eloque nc e :Reason and Enlightenment in the Central
Philosophyof
Tibet
t ransla te d by Rober t A.F.
T h u r m a n
(Jan et Gyatso) 138
I I I . N O T E S A N D N E W S
1. Elec tion Re sults, IAB S 143
2. C o n f e r en c e A n n o u n c e m e n t s 1 44
8th Conference, I ABS 144
32ndICANAS 145
7th World Sanskrit Conference 145
3.
AAR B u ddh i sm G rou p 146
O B I T U A R I E S
L I S T O F C O N T R I B U T O R S
147
156
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
4/20
The Meaning of
Vijnapti
in V asub and hu's
Concept of Mind
by Bruce Cam eron Hall
For the Mahayana it is determined that the whole of the three
realms isv ijnapti-on\y (vijnapti-mdtra), according to the sutra: It
is thou ght-only (citta-matra), You Sons of the Conqueror, that is
the whole of the three realms. Th ou gh t
(citta),
mind(manas),
awareness
(vijndna),
and
vijnapti
are synonyms. He re thoug ht
(citta) implies [thou ght itself] along with its concom itants. T h e
[word] only serves to rule ou t [external] referents(artha).
So begin s the Vimsatikd-vrtti(VV),
1
V a s u b an d h u ' s au to -co m
menta ry on the Vimsatikd-kdrikd (VK). The first stanza of VK
r e a d s :
2
Th is [universe] is certainly vijnapti-only,since there a re app ear
ances of non-existent [external] referents, as when someone with
an eye diseaseseesa non-existent knot of hair andsoon . /VK 1/
VK (with VV) and the TrimJikd-kdrikd (TK) tog eth er ma ke
up the Vijnaptimdtratd-siddhi, or Es tabl ish ing T ha t T h e re isVi-
jnapti-On\y
5
Clearly, vijnapti-mdtra is being equ ate d h ere wi th
citta-matra( m ind-only or thou ght-on ly ) , which is an a l tern ate
t it le for V asu ba nd hu 's Vi jnanavada phi losop hy. While theTrirh-
sika presents Vasubandhu 's own doctr ine in some deta i l , the
Vimsatikd (VK an d VV) is a polem ical w ork in the fo rm of a
d ia logue be tween Vasubandhu and an imag inary opponen t .
This opponent is a fel low Buddhis t , but a real is t or , one might
say, a literalist.
T h e vijnapti-mdtra of the Vijnaptimdtratd-siddhi has be en v ari
ous ly t rans la ted as repres enta t io n-on ly ,
4
ideat ion-only ,
5
7
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
5/20
8
J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1
pe rcep t i on -on ly ,
b
an d so on . A l thou gh no ne of these glosses
is completely sat isfactory, the purpose of the present essay is
not to suggest another Engl ish equivalent , but ra ther to analyze
the t e rm
vijnapti,
i ts usage, and the concept i t des ignates . Such
analys is may help clar i fy the general concept ion of mind in the
so-called Yog acara ideal ism as pre sen ted by V as ub an dh u. Th is
ana lys i s amounts to a commentary on the f i r s t paragraph of
VV. The elements to be expl icated in th is commentary are: (1)
the t e rm vijnapti itself, (2) i ts equation with other terms for
m ind , (3) th e significance of th e only in m ind -on ly, an d (4)
how it is tha t th e wh ole of th e th re e rea lm s can be identified
as m ind-on ly . In add i t ion to the
Vijnaptimdtratd-siddhi
itself,
reference wi l l be made to four o ther works ascr ibed to Vasuban
d h u : Abhidharmakoia-kdrikd (AKK) , Abhidharmarkosa-bhasya
(AKB), Karmasiddhi-prakarana (KSP), and Pancaskandha-pra-
karana (PSP) .
7
T h e con t roversy over whe ther these works were
wri t ten by on e o r mo re Va sub an dh us is he re igno red : the a u th or
of the Vijnaptimdtratd-siddhi is ev ide ntly fluent in th e Sarv astiva-
din A bh id ha rm a, which is ou t l ined in AKK an d t rea ted cri tically
in AKB, KSP, and PSP.
/. The Term Itself
Vijnapti is a technical term of the Sarvas t ivadin A bh idh ar m a,
which Vasubandhu has here appropr ia ted and used in a spec ia l
sense. An invest igation of this term can i l lustrate in miniature
the widespread appropr ia t ion and redef in i t ion o f the
Abhidharma in Vi jnanavada ph i losophy . An in te rpre ta t ion o f
such a technical term shou ld con sider i ts ord ina ry use, i ts e tym ol
ogy, and its technical use (both in specific contexts and also in
relat ion to a c lus ter of o ther technical terms) . This ought to
revea l Vasubandhu ' s p rec i se in ten t ion in reapp ly ing the t e rm.
In o rd inary par lance vijnapti (Palivinnatti) me ans i n fo rma
t ion or the act of info rm ing som eo ne , that is re po rt or proc
lam at ion, especial ly a re po rt to a sup erio r , an d he nc e, req uest
o r en t rea ty .
Vijnapti
is a noun of act ion derived from the
causative stem (jnapaya-o rjnapaya-) of the verbroot jnd ( know )
with the prefix vi-.
H
Etymologically the term vijnapti would mean
the act of causing [someone] to know [something] d is t inct ly , or
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
6/20
V A S U B A N D H U 9
in a concrete sense, that which causes [one] to know dist inct ly .
Ano the r impor t an t t e rm de r ived f rom the causa t ive oi'jnd (with
the prefixpra-) isprajnapti (Palipannatti), which m ean s dec lara
t ion or m ani fes ta tion in w ords , an d hen ce , verba l o r conv en
t ional des ig nat ion , o r pe rh ap s even conc ept .
9
An o t h e r p a ra l
le l form ation which wou ld be well kno w n to a B ud dh ist m on k
is the unpref ixed form jnapti o rjnapti (Pali natti), the technical
te rm for a formal m ot ion or pro po sa l in a m eet in g of the
monast ic communi ty , for example : the mot ion to orda in a new
m o n k .
1 0
These th ree t e rms sha re the sense of a public act of
ma k i n g k n o wn .
In the Sa rvast ivad in A bh idh arm a bo th
vijnapti
and i t s oppo
site, avijriapti, appear as technical terms, part icularly in the dis
cussion of karma. Here karma specifical ly means ethical ly s ig
nificant act ion: acts or deeds.
1 1
In chapter 4 of the Abhidha-
rmakosa V asu ba nd hu def ines karm a as : vo li tion an d tha t de
rived from it ,
1 2
qu ot i ng a sut ra: the re ar e two [kinds of] kar-
ma s :
vol it ion an d t he act sub seq ue nt to vol i t ion.
1 3
This two-fold
ka rm a is ex pa nd ed in to th ree types : m en ta l (co r respon d ing to
vol i tion ) , an d vocal or bodily (co rre sp on din g to post-vol i
t ion al actio n). Vocal an d bodily ka rm a is fu rth er classified as
inc luding bothvijnapti- a n d avijnapti-karma, man i fes t and un -
m anifest acts , that is , ka rm a manifest or no t m anifest to som e
consciousness.
One should note tha t , f rom an Abhidharmic perspec t ive ,
the co m m on -se ns e not io n of an act is analyzed into a succes
sion of momentary dharmas. In the case of vocal and bodi ly
ac ts the dharmas would be moments of sound or co lor-shape .
These audib le or v i s ib le forms are unders tood to be dharmas
inc luded in the aggr egate of m ater ia l forms (rupa-skandka),
s ince , g iven the m om en ta r ine ss o f ph en om en a , the A bh idha rm a
allows no real dist inct ion betw een acts an d thin gs . So far
th e A bh id ha rm ic analysis is clear. Difficulty arises in tha t th e
unm anifes t ac t is a lso inc luded as on e of the 75 dh ar m as
accepted by the Sarvas t ivadins , and th is dharma, avijnapti-rupa,
is a lso includ ed in the agg reg ate of m aterial for m s.
1 4
Contrary to what one might assume at f i rs t g lance, th is
unm ani fes t karm a is no t som e k ind of pr iva te ac t no t observed
by others, since an act is vijnapti (for the Sarvastivadins) if it
could be ma ni fes t to an ot he r consc iousness . [For the Vi-
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
7/20
10
JIABSVOL.9NO.
jnanavadinsvijnaptimeans manifest to any consciousness, in
cluding that of the agent, and in this sense mental karma would
be entirely vijnapti since consciousness is, by definition,
self
manifesting.] Instead,avijnapti-rupa is used to explain karmic
continuity in certain contexts. A manifest vocal or bodily act
is karmic, in the sense of ethically significant, because of its
dependence on volition. But, since it is also dharmic, that is,
a momentary event, how can one account for the connection
between this momentary act and its future consequence? The
explanation of karmic continuity is a general problem for the
Sarvastivadins, and
it is
in this context thatavijnapti-rupa
is
added
to the list of dharmas. Th e following sequence is postulated: (1)
[manifest, mental] volition, (2) [manifest, m aterial] vocal or bod
ily act, (3) [unmanifest, material]avijnapti-rupa (4) [manifest,
material] consequence [that
is,
a
later, consequent manifestation
ofrupa].Since both the preceding vijnapti)act and the succeed
ing vijnapti) consequence are material, it follows that the in
tervening avijnapti) dharmas, although imperceptible, are also
material that is, they belong to the rupa-skandha.
This notion of
avijnapti-rupa
is filled with difficulties, and
Vasubandhu presents it with considerable qualms in the
Abhidharmakoia. In
the
Karmasiddhi-prakarana the whole concept
of
vijnapti- Iavijnapti- rupa
is rigorously criticized and finally
rejected, and all karma is reduced to volition.
15
Given this, it is
tempting to see the title
Vijnaptimdtrata-siddhi
as Vasubandhu's
proclamation that he has solved this problem by eliminating the
category ofavijnapti.In any case, theVijnaptimdtratdsystem re
fers the problem of karmic continuity to the concept ofalaya-vi-
jnana the store-consciousness which contains the residue
vdsand) of past acts and the seeds bija) of future ones. The
new meaning assigned tovijnaptican best be explained by con
sidering next the other three terms equated with it in the open
ing passage of VV.
//.
The Other
Terms for
Mind
The translation of
citta manas
and
vijnana
above as
thought, mind, and awareness should be understood as
merely tentative. In fact, much argument has been devoted to
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
8/20
VASUBANDHU 11
the problem of t ransla t ing these terms. Brian Gal loway, for
exam ple , has a rg ue d tha t the correc t t rans la t ion is m ind
(citta),
consciousness
(manas),
and pe rcep t ion
{vijriana),
and
tha t the former ly preva i l ing t rans la tions a re w ro ng .
1 6
Unfor
tuna te ly, the correc t t rans la t ion is no t so easy to com e by. N ot
only do the Sanskri t te rms have severa l meanings and various
uses ,
but the suggested equivalents are a l l imprecise terms in
Engl ish. Any t ransla t ion wil l thus mean something different
de pe nd in g on wha t a vague wo rd such as consc iousness
suggests to each t rans la tor or rea de r. On ce again, w hat is need ed
is not s imply another Engl ish equivalent , but an explanat ion of
the ac tua l usage of the Sanskr i t t e rm. Fur thermore , one should
not forget tha t , in any case , these three terms are here s ta ted
to be synonyms.
VV pre suppo ses tha t :
citta, man as,
a n d
vijndna
have a single
m e a n i n g .
1 7
All three are terms for mind, not as a substant ia l
en t i ty , but a s a s t ream of momenta ry menta l dharmas . Al l three
s igni fy the same dharma or dharmas . Why, then , does Vasuban-
dhu use three different terms for the same real i ty? One might
answer that , as a member of the Buddhis t scholast ic t radi t ion
tha t em ploys these three te rm s , V asu ba nd hu is obl iged to ex
pla in them. One might a l so sugges t tha t us ing three words , and
thus point ing a t the same real i ty from severa l perspect ives , pro
vides a depth of descript ion that a s ingle word could not . The
Abhidharma l i tera ture consis ts largely of intersect ing and cross-
re fe renced lis ts of t e rm s . T h e three m ain te rms for mind ap pe ar
tradit ionally in different l ists , with a different connotation and
context .
Citta
is pe rh ap s the mo st basic te rm for m ind or tho ug ht .
It is the term that signifies a single thought, or better, a single
t h o u g h t - m o m e n t .
Citta
is also used to designate a particular
m ind as op pos ed to o th er min ds , tho ug h in th is sense the pr op er
technical term is
citta-samtdna,
thou ght -se r ies , a synony m for
vijndna-srotas,
st ream of consciou sness .
Citta
is the mental as
contrasted with the materia l
(rupa),
and bare consciousness as
contrasted with menta l s ta tes
(caitasika, caitta,
o r
citta-sam-
prayukta-samskara).
[In the present passage, however, i t i s s ta ted
tha t
citta
h er e m ean s consciousness a lon g with i ts concom it
an ts , the m enta l s ta tes ; it is m ind or consciou sness in th e
most genera l sense to which the equat ion ofcitta,
manas, vijndna,
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
9/20
12
J IABSV OL.9N O. 1
a n d
vijnapti
refers . ] In the Sarvas t ivadin Abhidharma, the older
classification of th e five ag gr eg at es
(skandhas)
is replaced
(schemat ically a t leas t) by the tabu lat ion of the 75 dh ar m as u n de r
the five hea ding s of m ater ia l form
(rupa),
consciousness
(citta), disposi tions conjoined wi th consciou sness
(citta-sarh-
prayukta-samskdra),
disposi t ions dis jo ined from consc iousness
(citta-viprayukta-sarhskdra),
and t he uncon d i t i oned
{asamskrta).
In th is context , the s ingle dharma,
citta,
takes the place of the
aggrega te o f awareness
(vijnana-skandha).
Manas,
on the oth er ha nd , is the term for m ind as the
sixth of. the six or ga ns o r facult ies of per ce pti on (sensory or
m en tal) in th e list of twelve sense -fields
(dyatana):
th e six sen se
o r g a n s
{indriya)
an d six sense objects (vi$aya).H e r e , m e n t a l
is con tras ted not wi th m ater ia l bu t ra th er wi th sensory. Per
ception can also be analyzed into three aspects: the object of
cogni t ion (dlambana), the organ of cogni t ion (dsraya), an d the
corr esp on ding act o f awareness
(vijndna).
In this way, the twelve
sense-f ie lds become the eighteen
dhdtus
(e lements o f percep
t ion) ,
with the addit ion of visual , auditory, olfactory, gustatory,
tact i le , and mental vijndna (per cep t ion or aw areness) . M ental
perc ep t ion s a re s tr i ct ly -menta l perce p t ions that is , perc ep
t ions of
ideas,
con cep ts , or men tal objects , w he the r der ive d from
prev ious sensory percep t ion o r no t . Vasubandhu ( in AKK-AKB
1.16-17) f inds no dh arm ic dis t inct ion betw een m ind
(manas
as an o rgan ) an d m enta l perc ep t io n
(mano-vijndna).
Al
tho ug h the log ic o f the schem e requ i res a cor resp ond ing orga n
(dsraya
o r
indriya)
for each object an d pe rce pt io n, the org an
for m enta l pe rce pt io n is s imply previo us mo m en ts of aw arene ss ,
which serve as a causal basis for the arisal of the present mental
percept ion. Once again , mind is not a substant ia l or quas i -ma
ter ia l ent i ty , bu t a s t ream of causal ly re lated tho ug ht- m om en ts .
Vijndna
may be t rans la ted as aw arene ss , consciousness ,
cogni t ion , perce p t ion , an d so on . V asu ba nd hu g ives the
following defini t ion (AKK1.16): Vijndna is ' respe ctive'vijnapti.
(AKB:) T he ap pre he ns io n tha t is the
vijnapti
with respect to
th e v ariou s sense objects is cal led t he
vijnana-skandha.
18
Vijndna
occurs as a term in a great number of Abhidharmic l i s ts ; for
example, the fifth of the five skandhas and six of the eighteen
dhdtus
are called
vijndna.
T h e
vijnana-skandha
has al ready be en
equated wi th
citta
abo ve. In A KB on A KK 1.16, i t is also eq ua te d
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
10/20
VASUBANDHU
13
with manas and with the last s ix of the eighteen dhatus. In this
last case,vijnana qui te c learly m ea ns per cep t ion . T o t rans la te
caksur-vijndna a n dsrotra-vijndna, for ex am ple , as eye-conscious
ness an d ear-co nsciou sness (with the plu ral conscious
nesses ) ra the r tha n v isual pe rce pt io n an d audi tory pe rce p
t ion is not s imply pecular Engl ish; i t might even suggest a
st rangely animist ic not ion of consciousness.
H ow ever , per cep t ion or even cogni t ion does no t qu i te
fit som e of the o th er usesof vijnana. Such , for ex am ple , isvijnana
as the sixth of the sixdhatusa different setof dhatusthe other
five be ing ea rth , a i r , w ater , f ire, andafewa (here me an in g eth er
ra th er than space , as it usua lly does in B ud dh ism ). T h e re is
also the third of the twelve l inks in the chain of dependent
aris ing (pratltya-samutpdda): a vijnana tha t a r i se s in dependence
on sarhskaras, an d in de pe nd en ce on which the re a r ises na m e
and fo rm (ndma-rupa). This is re lated to the use of vijnana as
a ter m for tha t wh ich passes ove r in re bir th . T h e specifically
Yogacara te rm dlaya-vijndna ( store-con sciousn ess ) ha s also
been men t ioned above . In these in s t ances , where vijnana
sugges t s someth ing p r io r t o o r more gene ra l t han pe rcep t ion
or cogni t ion , aw arene ss or consc iousness would seem to be
a bet ter t ranslat ion.
T h e s e t e r m s ,citta, manas, a n d vijnana, al l i l luminate a con
cept of mind as a s t ream of causa l ly re la ted thought -moments ,
each of which is a specific act of bare awareness. What is i t that
vijndpti, which V asu ba nd hu he re g ives as the fou r th synon ym ,
adds to the p ic ture?
Vijndpti
here s ignifies more than
vijnapti-
karma,
but retains a sense of activity or function.
Vijfiapti
desig
na tes the bas i c phenomenon o f consc ious exper i ence , wi thou t
re qu irin g i ts sep ara t ion into object , subject , an d act of cog ni t ion.
What then i s vijnapti-or \\y }
HI. The Significance of Only
T h e w o r d
mdtra
m eans m eas ure or ex ten t . I t is f re
quen t ly adde d as the second m em be r of co m po un ds (wh ich may
be un ders tood asbahuvrihisbased on apposi t iona lkarmadhdrayas)
in the form of X-mdtra m ea ni ng hav ing X as its full ex ten t ,
he nc e only X . O ften th e sense is pejora t ive: m er e X. I t is
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
11/20
14
J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1
clear , however, tha t in the present context no pejora t ive sense
is requ i red . M ind-only m ean s cons is t ing only of m ind , no
th ing bu t m ind , ba re m ind , shee r m ind , an d so on .
1 9
A
mdtra
compound, then , a f f i rms one fac tor whi le denying a l l
others that might apply. The passage i tse l f makes c lear what is
denied here : objects as external substant ia l ent i t ies . Yet citta-
matra, the term used in the sutra passage c i ted, would suffice
to de ny e xte rn al objects. W ha t is th e po in t of specifically affirm
in g vijnapti b y u s i n g t h e c o m p o u n d vijnapti-mdtra?
T h e t e r m vijnapti s ignif ies a ph en om en on of consc ious
ne ss ,
2 0
a m ani fes ta t ion to consc iousness , or a pe rc ept
2 1
s o
long as one bears in mind tha t these te rms should not be taken
in a naively realist ic o r a naively idealistic sen se. T h e tran slati on
pe rce pt io n is no t bad , especia lly con side ring the am bigu i ty of
the Eng l ish w ord. Pe rcep t ion can d en ot e a qual i ty , a facul ty,
a process , or the apparent ly object ive aspect of that process: i t s
con tents . Ho w ever , it m ight be be t te r to re ta in pe r cep t ion for
t rans la t ing pratyak$ao r vijndna (at least in some of its senses).
To t rans l a t e vijnapti he re by rep rese nta t io n conveys its pu b
lic
aspec t , but seems to imply representa t ion of something ,
presumably of an external object or referent , which suggests a
rep re sen ta t iona l t heory o f know ledge . O n the con t ra ry , t he
p u r p o s e o f t h e a r g u m e n t t h r o u g h o u t t h e Virhiatika is to show
tha t th e con cept of vijnapti suffices to make sense of percept ion,
and tha t the concept of an exte rna l re fe rent (artha) is logically
su pe rfl uo us . It is specifically s tated in the init ial qu ot atio n th at
the [word] 'only ' serves to ru le ou t [external] ref ere nts . Clearly,
t h e n , w h e n
vijnapti
is qualified as
vijnapti-only,
i t cannot be
meant as a representa t ion of anything e lse , especia l ly not of an
external object .
This would seem to imply tha t the theory of knowledge
involved here , i f not representa t ional , i s some sort of subject ive
or absolu te idea l i sm.
2 2
T his has , in fact , been th e most com m on
outs ide in te rp re ta t ion of Vi jnanavada , not only by m od er n
wri te rs , but by its anc ient opp on en ts , both H in du an d Bu ddh is t .
Any s ta te m en t to the effect tha t the wo rld is m ind -on ly seems
to imply that , given a se t of materia l and menta l fac tors , the
former a re denied and the la t te r a re a f f i rmed, or the former
are red uc ed to the la t te r . Even the t rans la t ion idea t ion-only
for vijnapti-matra seems to suggest tha t mat ter is unreal whi le
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
12/20
VASUBANDHU
15
consciousness alone is real .
It is one thing to accuse the Vijnanavadins of fall ing into a
reif icat ion of mind, and qui te another to assume that such is
their in ten t ion . T h e form er posi t ion is certainly arg ua ble , an d
was st rongly argued by their Madhyamika rivals . If anything, i t
is the concept ofdlaya-vijndna, ra the r than tha t of vijnapti-matra,
which most exposes the Vi jnanavadins to the charge of tu rn ing
consciousness into some kind of substance orself. Here I would
argue that , as is so often the case in Buddhist phi losophy, Vas-
ub an dh u is consc ious ly n aviga t ing be tween two ex t rem es , which
in this case may be called realism and idealism.
In negat ive te rms,
vijnapti-matra
rules out the realist ex
t re m e: substant ia l ex tern al objects of cogn i t ion are de nie d. H ow
ever ,
vijnapti-matra
has also a posi t ive connotat ion, and the fact
tha t Vasubandhu here a ff i rms prec ise ly vijnaptirather than
vijndna o r citta, which might more eas i ly be misunders tood
seems to indicate an intent to avoid the idealist extreme as well .
What is exclusively affirmed is not consciousness as an abiding
ent i ty , but the content of momentary acts of consciousness.
When th i s
vijnapti
is eq ua ted with
citta, manas,
a n d
vijndna,
it
follows that mind itself is vijnapti-matra: it consists of nothing
else tha n the con ten ts of m om en tary m enta l acts . T h e in ten t ion
here is not to reduce the material to the mental , but to deny
the dichotomy, while affi rming that the basic real i ty is more
useful ly discussed in the terms belonging to a correct under
s tanding of the menta l .
IV. The Whole of
the
Three Realms
T h e c o m p o u n d vijnapti-matra involves a denial and an affir
mat ion. The extent of this denial /affi rmat ion is t ruly universal .
The term used in the passage is traidhdtukam, which may be
un de rs to od , g ramm at ica l ly and contex tua lly , as m ea nin g idam
traidhdtukam: this [universe] consist ing of th re edhdtus
2
H e r e
we meet a third , cosmological , sense of the term
dhdtu
in the
A bh idh arm a lex icon . T h er e a re th re e cosmologica l rea lm s.
T h e rea lm of des i res (kdma-dhdtu) is th e w orld of ord i
na ry exp erie nce , tha t is to say the world exp erie nc ed by beings
in he l l , ghosts , an imals , most humans , and the lower orders
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
13/20
16
J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1
am on g the d ivin it ies . T h e two h igh er rea lms may be en te re d
th ro ug h e i ther me di ta t ion o r appa r i t iona l b i r th . T h e rea lm of
fo rms (rupa-dhdtu) corresponds to the re f ined exper iences o f
those in the first four levels of meditation (the four dhyanas)
and the analogous experiences of cer ta in c lasses of gods . The
realm of formlessness (drupya-dhdtu) consists of the experi
ences of those meditators and divinit ies abiding in the formless
medi ta t ions . These are g iven as four: inf in i te space, inf in i te
awaren es s (vijndna), no th ingness , and ne i ther concep t ion nor
non-concept ion (with sometimes a f i f th added: the cessat ion of
concept ion and feel ing) .
Ta ken toge ther , these th r ee rea lms com prise the whole
cosmo s. T he who le of the thr ee realm s is syn ony m ous with
sam sara an d with a ll con di t ion ed (samskrta)d h a rm as . I f Vas-
ubandhu ' s s ta tement tha t the whole o f the th ree rea lms i s no
th in gbu tvijnapti is tak en in th e idealist sense , th en this implies
that ther e is really no thi ng out the re the whole unive rse is
in the mind . Among o ther consequences , th i s in te rp re ta t ion
inevitably raises th e pr ob le m of solipsism: the wh ole unive rse
is in my mind . O n the con t ra ry , t ak ing the in te rp re ta t ion a r
gued in th i s paper , Vasubandhu ' s s ta tement means tha t the
who le universe is no thi ng bu t the con tents of consciousness
(that is , al l the contents of everyone's consciousness). Does this
am ou nt to the t ru i sm th a t we can no t conceive o f any th ing tha t
we ca nn ot conceive of? I wou ld arg ue , ins tead, that the in ten t ion
of the vijnapti-mdtra doct r ine i s no t to d raw bou nda r ies a r ou nd
reali ty but ra th er to point a t the na tu re of specif ic exp erien ces .
Vasubandhu himself s ta tes the purpose of th is doctr ine in
VK-VV 7-10 . His imaginary opponen t poses the sc r ip tu ra l ob
ject io n th at , if consciousness a lone exists, why does the B ud dh a
speak of al l twelve sense-fields (objects and organs of percep
t ion)? V asu ban dhu rep l ies tha t the B ud dh a taugh t wi th a spe
cial in ten t ion, de pe nd in g on the need s of a specif ic aud ien ce.
Both the teaching of the twelve dyatanas and the teach ing o f
vijnapti-mdtra involve such a special intention, being two stages
in the teaching of no-self.
T h e p u rp o se o f t h e dyatana doctr ine (and, by implicat ion ,
o f the whole Ab hid ha rm a analysi s in to dha rm as) i s to in t ro duc e
pudgala-nairdtmya ( the fact that there is no self in persons ).
2 4
Analysis in to dh ar m as can dissolve the substantia l ity of th in gs
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
14/20
VASUBANDHU 17
an d be ings , ye t dh arm as too can be re if ied . T h e pu rpo se of
th e vijnapti-matra doctr ine is to introduce the second s tage in
u n d e r s t a n d i n g
no-self:
dharma-nairdtmya ( the fact that there
is no se lf in dharmas ) . The opponent objects tha t this seems
to den y the ex istence of dh arm as a l toge ther , which would m ean
tha t vijnapti-matra too is non-ex is ten t . V asu ba nd hu rep l ies tha t
wha t i s denied i s no t the ex is tence of dharmas as moments of
ex pe r ien ce , bu t ra th er tha t me nta l ly con stru cted self tha t is the
in t r ins ic na ture of dharmas imagined by na ive people as ob jec t ,
subject , and so on.
2 5
Th i s doe s no t de ny tha t the dha rm a s
themselves, as perceived by the Buddha, exis t . However , the
dharmas as pe rce ived by the Buddha a re inexpress ib le
(anabhildpya)
by ph i losophy . F u r th e rm ore , Va sub a nd hu po in t s
out tha t this teaching
of dharma-nairatmya
works only when
vi
jnapti-matra i tse lf is un de rst oo d to be vijnapti-only. Clearly, n o
re ifica tion of consciou sness is in ten de d he re .
O n e fur the r passage may c la rify V asu ban dh u ' s in ten t ion .
To the repeated asser t ion that dreams prove the possibi l i ty of
percept ion wi thout ex te rna l re fe ren ts , the opponent ob jec ts :
S om e one no t ye t a wa ke ne d doe s no t unde r s t a nd the non-e x i s
tence of a sense object seen in a dream.
2 6
Va suba ndhu r e p l i e s
that , on the contrary, we are a l l as leep:
2 7
In this way, the worldasleep with a sleep that is the residue of
the imposition of false conceptualizingis seeing, as in a dream,
a non-existent [external] referent. Not having been awakened,
it does not understand, as it is, the non-existence of that [refe
rent]. But, when one has been awakened through obtaining the
transcendental non-conceptual cognition that is the antidote to
that [sleep], then throu gh the direct realization of the purified
mundane cognition that
is
obtained after thatone understands,
as it is, the non-existence of the [sense] object.
V, Con clusion
I f ind it m isleading to cal l V as ub an dh u's ap pr oa ch abso lute
idea li sm. Ins tead , I would see V asu ban dh u ' s a rg um en t in the
Virhsatikd
as on e mo re a t tem pt to find the Bud dhis t midd le
way betw een posi t ive an d negat ive extre m es, in this case the
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
15/20
18
J I A B S V O L . 9 N O .
1
ex trem es of re if ication
and
reduc t i on i s m. C om m on s ens e t akes
the objects
of
pe rcep t i on
to be
substant ia l external ent i t ies , that
is, thing s . Analyt ical con cep ts such as a t o m s or d h a r m a s are
powerful tools that can dem ol i sh such th ings , but a t o m s or
d h a r m a s
can
themselves
be
rei fi ed . V as ub and hu ' s a rg um en t
den ies
the
necessity
to
posit
any
ent i t ies external
to
pe rcep t i on
itself, and
rejects, successively,
the
reification
of
th ings , a toms ,
d h a r m a s ,andeven
vijnapti
itself. InVa s uba ndh u ' s V i jnanavada ,
vijnaptis,in effect, takethep l ace of dh a rm asin the A b h i d h a r m a :
as conceptual devices to p r e v e n t the reification of objects . The
doc t r i ne
of
vijnapti-mdtra
is not the
metaphysical asser t ion
of a
t ranscendental real i ty consis t ing
of
mind -on ly .
It is a
practical
in junct ion
to
s u s p e n d j u d g m e n t : S t o p
at the
ba re pe rcep t ;
no
n e e d to posit any en t i ty beh ind it.
R athe r than asser t ing m ind-on ly as the t r u e n a t u r e of
uncon d i t i oned r ea lit y, Va s uba ndh u p res en t s mind -on ly
as a
descr ip t ion
of our
de lu s ion :
the
d r e a m s
of
this s leep from which
t h e B u d d h ahasa w a k e n e d .Itis,after al l, sarhsara th at is dec lare d
tobevijnapti-mdtra. Yetif m ind-o nly is m erely skept ic ism ab ou t
reified external enti t ies ,howdoesitavoid the oppos i t e ex t r eme
of reduct ion i sm ?
The
w or ld
is
ne i th er com ple te ly rea l ,
nor
c o m
pletely unreal ,
but
like
a
d r e a m .
A
d r e a m
has its own
p res ence
and con t inu i ty ,but its objects lack the substantial i ty of ex terna l
ob j ec t s . Whe the r common-s ens e t h ings or A b h i d h a r m i c d h a r
mas ,
dream-objec t s are ba re pe rcep t s . If the d ream-wor ld
sarhsara
is
mind -on ly t hen f r eedom
and the
Bud dh i s t p a th
are poss iblewe
can
c h a n g e
our
m i n d s .
If the
rea lms
of
m e d i
tat ion are mind -on ly t hen one can c rea t e a c o u n t e r - d r e a m
within
the
d r e a m
of the
wor ld ' s de lus ion . Mos t impor tan t ,
one
can awaken from a d r e a m .
Is
it
then cor rec t
to
call
the
Yogacara ,
as
p r e s e n t e d
by
Vas
ub an dh u , Budd h i s t i dea li sm ?The te rm idea li sm des igna tes
a n u m b e r of d i f fe ren t ph i losoph ies .At the leastone s hou ld be
aware t ha t the idea l is m tha t Va s ub and hu a t t em p t s to assert
a n d
the
ideal ism
for
which
his
opponents cr i t ic ize
him may
be d i f fe ren t ide a l i sm s
The
a r g u m e n t o v e r w h e t h e r
Vi
j n a n a v a d a is idealistic or realisitic bears a m arked r e s emb lance
to the con t roversy as to w h e t h e r M a d h y a m a k a is nihil ism or
t ranscenden ta l abso lu t i sm.
Mis tak ing t axonomyfor u n d e r s t a n d i n g is afault not l imited
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
16/20
VASUBANDHU
19
to m od er n wri ters on B ud dh ism . A similar excessive conc ern
for and trust in doctrinal labels can be seen in ancient Indian
philosophers and Tibetan scholast ics , and even in the
A b h i d h a r m a
itself.
Instead of seeking the correct label for Vas-
ubandhu 's ph i losophy , we would do be t te r to t ry to unders tand
it in its own term s. T h e identif icat ion of on e school with an ot he r
(such as that of Vijnanavada with some Western form of
idealism) is not only likely to be misleading; it is all too often
the po in t a t which the a rg um en t s tops . A m ore frui tful ap pro ach
to comparat ive phi losophy would begin by tentat ively accepting
several co m pa rab le ph i losop hies as co he re nt systems in thei r
own terms, and would proceed to apply their several v iewpoints
to specif ic problems of phi losophy.
N O T E S
1. All t ranslat ions are my own unless otherwise noted. For the sources
of Sanskri t texts here translated see below, notes 3 and 7. The passage from
VV translated h er e is missing from the Sanskri t M S, and was reco nstru cted
by Sylvain Levi as follows (1925, p.3):
Mahdydne traidhdtuham vyavasthdpyate I cittamatram bho jinaputrd yad u ta
traidhdtukam iti sutrdl I
citiarh
mano vijndnarh vijnaplis ceti parydydh I cittam atra
sasarhprayogam abh ipretam I rndtram ity arthaprati$edh drtham I.
2.
The first kdrikd of VK is still quoted or translated by some writers
as i t was f irst reco nstru cted an d pr in ted in Levi 1925. As em en de d in Levi
1932 (on the basis of new MSS of VK) the stanza reads:
vijnaptimdtram evedam asadarthdvabhdsandt I
yadvat taimirikasydsatkesotidrakddidarsanam II.
3.
Sources used here for the
Vijnaptimdtrata-siddhi
are :
Louis de La Vallee Poussin , V as ub an dh u, Virhga kakarikap rakarai ia:
Trai te des vingt slokas, avec le commentaire de l 'auteur , Museon (New Series)
13 (1912): 53 -9 0. [Rom anized T ibe tan text of VV, with Fre nch translat ion .]
Sylvain Levi, Vijnaptimdtratdsiddhi: Deux trates de Vasubandhu, Vimsatikd et
Trimsikd, Bibliotheque de I 'Ecole des Hautes Etudes (sciences histor iques et
philologiques) fascicule 245 (Paris: Librair ie Ancienne Honore Champion,
1925).
[Sanskri t text of VK, VV, TK, and TB (Sthiramati 's commentary on
TK).]
Sylvain Levi, Mate'riaux pour Vetudedu systeme Vijnaptimdtra, Bib l io theque
de I 'Ecole des Hautes Etudes (sciences historiques et philologiques) fascicule
260 (Par is : L ibra i r ie Ancienne Honore Champion , 1932) . [ Inc ludes Sanskr i t
emendations and French translat ion for Levi 1925.]
Cla r en ce H . Hami l to n , Wei Shih Er Shih Lun: TheTreatisein Tw enty Stanzas
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
17/20
2
J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1
on Representation-only, by Vasubandhu (Translatedfrom the
Chinese Version
ofHsuan
Tsang, TripHaka Master oftheTang
Dynasty),
Am erican Or ienta l Series , 13 (New
Haven: American Oriental Society, 1938). [Hsi ian-tsang's Chinese text of VV
with English t ranslat ion. ]
S i tamsu Sekhar Bagchi , Vi jnapt im at ra tas iddhi ,
Nava-Nalanda-
Ma havihara Research Publication 1 (1957): 367- 389 + Sanskri t pages 1-12).
[Sanskri t text of VK-VV (Levi 1925 without emendat ions), with English t rans
la t ion of VK-VV embedded in Bagchi ' s in terpre ta t ion . ]
Wing- ts it Ch an, Th e Thi r ty Verses on the Mind-O nly Do ct r ine , in
Sarvepat l i Radhakr i shnan and Char les A. Moore ed i tors , A Source Book in
Indian Philosophy(Princ eton: P rinceton Universi ty Press , 1957), pp . 333 -3 37 .
[English t ranslat ion of TK from Hsuan-tsang's Chinese version, along with
(pp . 328-333) a part ial reprint of Hamil ton 1938.]
T h o m a s A . K o c h u m u t t o m ,
A Budd hist Doctrine of Experience: A New Trans
lation and Interpretation of
the
Works of Vasubandhu the Yogacarin (Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass , 1982). [Includes English t ranslat ions of VK-VV and TK.
Kochumut tom seems to have depended ent i re ly for the Sanskr i t t ex t of VK,
VV, TK, and TB on an ext remely unrel iab le ed i t ion: Svami Mahesvarananda,
Acdrya vasubandhu pranita I vijnapti matratdsiddhih I
pancds atikd
I savrttikd trirh-
satikd kdrikd I acdrya sthiramati pranltam trimsikd bhds,yanca [sic\] (VaranasI :
GI tadh arm a K aryalaya, 1962) . Some of the new de pa r tu res in Ko chu m ut tom 's
t rans la t ion seem to be based on Mah esvar anan da ' s m ispr in t s . T he mispr in t
on M ahesv arana nda ' s t it le page has app aren t ly mis led Ko chu mu t tom in to
consis tent ly cal l ing TK the
Trimsatika. }
Stefan Anacker, Seven Wo rks of Vasuband hu: The Buddhist Psychological
Doctor,Religion of Asia Series, 4 (De lhi: Motilal Ba nar sida ss, 1984). [Inc lud es
English t ranslat ions of Vddavidhi, Pancaskandhaprakarana (PSP), Karmasiddhi-
prakarana (KSP) , VK-VV, TK, Madhyantavibhdgabhds.ya (MVB ), an d Tris-
vabhavanirdesa (TSN ), and repr in t s Sanskr i t ed i t ions of VV, TK , M VB, and
TS N. ]
4. E.g. , H am il ton (1938).
5. E.g. , Ch an (1957).
6. E.g. , Anacker (1984).
7.
For AK K-AK B I have used the Sanskr i t ed i t ion of Prahlad Pra dh an ,
Abhidharmakosabhdsyam
of Vasubandhu, Tibetan Sanskri t Works Series , 8 (Patna:
K.P.Jayaswal R esearch Inst i tu te, 1967; re pr int ed 1975). I have also consul ted
the French t ranslat ion of Louis de LaVallee Poussin,
L'Abhidharmakosa de Vas
ubandhu, 6 volumes , Melanges chinois et bouddhiques, 16 (Bruxel les: Inst i tut
Beige des Hautes Etudes Chinoises , 1971 repr in t ; l s ted . Par i s : PaulGeuthner ,
1923-31) .
KSP is lost in Sanskri t , but survives in one Tib eta n t ran slat ion (T oh ok u
4062 = O tan i 5563) and two Ch inese t ranslat ion s (Taish o 16 08, 1609). T h er e
is an En glish t ranslat ion (from T ibe tan ) in An ack er (1984), an d a Fren ch
translat ion (with the Ch inese and Ti be tan texts) in Et ie nne La m otte, Le
Tra i t e de l ' ac t e de Vasubandhu , Karmas iddh ip rakarana , Melanges chinois et
bouddhiques 4 (1935-36 ) (Bruxel les : Ins t itu t Beige des Hau tes Etud es
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
18/20
V A S U B A N D H U
21
PSP is a lso lost in Sansk r i i , surviving in one 'Tibetan transla t ion (To ho ku
405 9 = O tani 5560) and o ne Chin ese transla t ion (T aisho 1612) . There is an
English transla t ion (IVom Tibetan) in An acker (19 84) , and a Frenc h transla t ion
(with Ch inese and Tibetan texts) in Je an D an tin ne ,U Traite des cing aggregals
(Paficaskandhaprakararia de Vasubandhu),
Publica t ions de l ' lnst i tut Beige des
Ha utes Etudes Bo ud dh iqu es, Ser ie Etu des e t Texts , 7 (Bruxelles: Inst i tut
Beige des H aut es E tude s Bou dd hiq ue s, 1980) . PSP is discussed in V.V.
G okh a le , Th e P a nc a ska ndha ka by V a s uba n dhu a nd i ts C om me n ta r y by
Sth i ramat i , Annals of the Bhandarhar Research Institute (Poona) 18.3 (1937):
27 6- 28 6. There is a discussion a nd a Sanskr i t re tran sla t ion of PSP in Shanti
B h ikshu S ha s tr i, P a nc a ska nd ha p r a k a r a na of V a su ba nd hu , Indian Historical
Quarterly32 (1956) : 36 8- 38 5 . A noth e r work by Shant i Bhikshu Shas t r i, which
I have seen cited but have not been able to find, isPancaskarui/iaprakararia of
Vasuban dhu: A Restitution into San skrit from the Tibetan Version together with an
Introduction, English translation, Notes, a Tibetan-Sanskrit vocabulary and an Index
of important Sanskrit Words (Kelan iya, 1969).
8 . C ompa r e F r a nk l in Edge r ton , Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and
Dictionary, V olu m e II : Dic t ionary (New H av en: Yale Universi ty Press, 1953:
reprints Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1970, etc.) , s.v. vijnapli.
9. C om pa re Edg er ton (1953) , s.v . prajfiapli.
10 .
C om pa re Edg er ton (1953), s.v . jnapli, a nd the doc u m e n t s de a l ing
with upasampada ( ordination ) in the collection of official acts of a Sangha
known as the Karmavdcand (Pali Kammavdca).
11.
The c lassic sources for the discussion of karma are AKK -AKB c ha p
ter 4, and KSP.
12 . AKK 4 .1b: cetand tatkrtam ca tat.
13 .
AKB on AKK 4 .1b: dve karmani cetand karma celayitvd ca.
14. Avijnapti-rupa is discussed in deta i l a t AK K-A KB 1.11 and 4. 1- 22 ,
an d in KSP. See a lso Tho mas Lee Dowling, Vasuband hu on the Avijnapti-rupa :
A Study in Fifth-Century Abhidharma Buddhism (Ph .D. Disse r ta t ion , Columbia
University: 1976).
15 .
AKB on AKK 4 .4 presents the cont roversy be tween the Saut ran t ika
posi t ion that avijrmpti does not exist as a substantial entity (dravya) and the
Sarvastivadin or Vaibhasika position that it does. For KSP see especially
Anacker 's (1984) t ransla t ion and notes .
16 . See two ar t ic les by Brian Galloway, Vijnana, Samjna, and M anas ,
The Middle Way vol. 53 , no. 2 (1978): 72 -7 5 , and A Yogacara Analysis of the
Mind, Based on the Vijnana Sec t ion of Vasubandhu 's Pancaskandhaprakarana
w i th G una ma t i ' s C omme n ta r y
Journal oftheInternationalAssociationof Buddhist
Studies vol . 3 , no. 2 (1980): 7-20. Galloway's very interest ing argument is
un for tu nate ly wea ken ed by the s tr idency of his ton e , which is not just if ied by
the l imited scope of his evidence. The ambiguity of the Sanskr i t and English
terms involved is not exh aus ted by con sider ing the Pancaskandliaprakarana
and the Oxford English D ictionary. For exam ple , Ga l loway 's a rg um en t for t r ans
la t ing
vijnana
as per cep tion ra th er tha n conscio usness re l ies very heavily
on th e PSP an d o the r contexts in whichvijnana c lea rly does me an pe rcep t ion ,
but r a the r ignores o the r uses of the te rm vijnana (discussed in the present
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
19/20
22
J IABSV OL.9NO . 1
essay) for which consciou sness is a t least an argu ab le t ra ns lat ion .
Part icular ly helpful d iscuss ions of these terms are given by Th. Stcher-
batsky in The Central
Conception
of Buddhism and the Meaning of the Word Dharma
(L on do n: R oyal Asiatic Society , 1923; rep rint s Delhi : Mot ilal Ban ars idass ,
1970, e tc .) , and by Shwe Zan Aung in his in t roduct ion to the t rans lat ion of
A n u r u d d h a ' s AhhidhammaUhasangaha in S.Z. Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids ,
The C ompendium of Philosophy,Pali Te xt Society , Tr an slat io n S eries , 2 (L on do n:
Luzac 8cCo. , 1910; rep rin ts by Pali Tex t Society , L on do n).
17 .
A K K 2 . 3 4 a - b l : citlarh man o 'tha vijnanam ekartham . C o m p a r e A K B
and PSP. T h e e qu at in g of these thre e ter m s for min d is a t leas t as ear ly as
Samyutta-nikaya II : 95 {Kindred Sayings II : 66) .
18 . A K K
1.16c:
vijnanam prativijnaptih. A K B :vujayam vujayamprati vijnap-
tir upalabdhir vijndnaskandha ity ucyate.C om pa re th e def in i t ion in PSP, which
Sha nt i Bh ikshu Shast r i (1956: 381), Gal loway (1980 : 10) , and An ack er (198 4:
71) all take as: [vijnanam] dlambanavijnaptih.
19 .
I am in deb ted to Professor M. David Eckel , H arv ard Univers i ty , for
s t res s ing to me the non-negat ive conno ta t ion o f -mdtra in such contexts .
20 .
I have in m ind he re the f irst defini t ion of ph en om en on given in
th e American Heritage Dictionary: an occu rren ce or fact tha t can be perceiv ed
by the senses rem em ber ing tha t fo r Bud dhis t s min d (manas) is, of c ou rse ,
one of the senses .
2 1 . I am fol lowing the excel lent defini t ion of pe rce pt g iven in J .P .
Ch ap l i n ,Dictionary ofPsychology (new revised edi t ion, New York: Del l Publ ish
ing, 1975), p . 376;
percept:
1. that which is perceived. 2 . a perceptual act .
The use o f the t e rm perceptrefers to the conscious exp erie nce a nd not to the
physical object . Physical objects of percept ion are referred to as stimuli.
22.
Th is is the view of Vi jnanava da held by such wri ters as Stcherbatsky
and Dasgup ta , and p resen ted in A.K. Chat t e r j ee , The Yogacara Idealism (2nd
ed. , Delhi : M ot ilal Banars ida ss , 1975). O n e classical source for th is in terp reta
t ion is the host i le and wi ldly inaccurate chapter on Buddhism in the la te
Vedan t in work , SarvadarSana-samgraha. However , those modern wr i t e rs who
interpret Vi jnanavada in th is way usual ly consider i t very s imilar to Vedanta.
K oc hu m utt om (1982) s t rongly cr it ic izes th is idealis tic in te rpr eta t ion , especial ly
in chapter 6 .
2 3 . Ko chu m ut tom (1982 : 165-166) ob jec ts s t renuous ly to the t rans la t ion
of traidhatukam he re as the th re e wor lds . H e dec la res tha t : Th i s trans la t ion
ignores the fact that the term 'traidhdtuka' is an adject ive m ea ni ng 'belon ging
to the thr ee wo rlds ' , an d tha t it is not a substant ive m ea nin g ' the thr ee wo rlds . '
He goes on to say that such an adject ive must modify an unders tood noun,
s u p p l y i n g cittaa n d caittas as the unders tood noun . Accord ing ly (p . 260) , he
t rans la tes the passage : those be long ing to the th ree wor lds a re mere repre sen
ta t ions o f consc iousness , and the su t ra quo ta t ion : those be long ing to the
t h ree w o rl d s a r e me re mi n d t h o s e b e i n gcittasa n d caittas.As evide nce for
cal l ing V asu ba nd hu 's phi los oph y plural is t ic real ism this fai ls to conv ince.
K o ch u mu t t o m co n fu s es e t y mo l o g y w i t h mean i n g an d fo rg e t s t h e g rammar
of the sentence. I t i s t rue that traidhdtuka- is etym olog ically a n adje ctive. It is
a secondary derivat ive in -ka f ro m t h e co m p o u n d w o rd tri-dhdtu, an d mean s
8/10/2019 Meaning of Vijnapti
20/20
V A S U B A N D H U
23
per ta in in g to the three realm s . In the passage, howe ver , we have
traidhatukam,
which seems in context to be a nom inat ive s ingular ne ute r form.
Th eore tically i t could m odify cittam,and theoretica l ly the pa ssage could m ean
tha t the citta that pertains to the tr iple world is mere-citta o r mere-vijnapti,
but this is mere-tautology. In Sanskrit , secondary derivatives are often used
as substantives . A good example is the very term caitta, per ta in ing tocitta.
The interpretation that best f i ts this passage is[idarh]o r[sarvam]traidhatukam
all this [universe] that pertains to the three realms.
24.
Nairatmya is often transla ted selflessness . Al tho ugh the transla tion
is etymologically corre ct , the English wo rd selflessness co nn ote s unself ish
behaviour, which may in fact be encouraged by the philosophical idea of
nairatmya, but is not identical with it. [I am indebted to Professor Luis O.
Gomez, University of Michigan, for pointing out to me the ambiguity of
selflessness. ]
25.
VV on VK 10d2: yo bdlair dharmdndm svabhdvo grdhyagrdhakddih
parikalpitas. . . .
26.
VK 17cd:
svapnadrgvi^ayabhdvam ndprabuddho 'vagacchati.
27.
VV on VK 17cd: evam vitathavikalpdbhydsavdsandnidrayaprasupto lokah
svapna ivabhutam
artharh
paiyan na prabuddhas tadabhdvam yathdvan ndvagacchati
I yadd tu latpratipak$alokottaranin>ikalpajndnaldbhdt prabuddho bhavati tadd
mprMhahbdhcL< uMhalaukikajMnasarhmukhibhdvdd vi$aydbhdvarh yathdvad ava-
gacchailti samanam etat I.