DOCSLIB.ORG

Anatta in the Prose of the Nikayas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

C h a p te r 5 A natta in the prose of the N ikayas Sectaon 1: The negation by the formula of three negative phrases {n’ etam mama, n'eso ahum asmi, na m ’ eso atti) Section 2: The negation by the formula of four ontological relations {rupam attato, rupavantam attanam, attaairupam, rupasmim attanani) Section 3: Anatta in the prose of the Nikayaa 235 Section 1: The negation by the formula of three negative phrases in'etam mama, n'eso aham asmi, na m*eso atti) 5-l-lj Connectioii with the preceding discussioii We have observed, in the previous chapter, various usages of the term 'atta, and some other concepts related with the meaning of atta, such as citta, vinnana, puggala, satta, jiva and sara. Some of them are said by the Buddha to be searched for, others are said not to be regarded falsely as eternal or substantial existence by the bhikkhus. At the same time, we notice the negative statements repeatedly stated in the Nikayas in various ways of expression. Now, in this chapter, we shall examine the teachings expressed by the negative ways with respect to the notion of self and the self-like concepts. Our main question is how these negative ways of teaching are related with the term atta-s, and other self­ like concepts observed in the previous chapter, i.e., concepts which should be negated by the teaching represented in negative way of expressions. This will offer a key to an understanding of‘not-self doctrine. When we look into the Nikayan hterature written in prose, it must be noted that some stock passages, besides the term anatta, are repeatedly used for explaining the non-self doctrine. The statements presented to attack the improper self and the wrong 236 notions about the self are repeatedly emphasized by a form of stock passages, which can be classified in the following ways: (1) The stock passage: "n’etarii ma m a , n ’eso ah a m asmi, na m ’eso atta. (2) The stock passage: 'rupam attato, rupavantam attanarh, attani rupaih, rupasmim attanarri. (3) The statements containing the word ‘anatta. (4) A set of terms used with a view to negating the attachment to the self, such as mama, mamatta, mamayita, mamamkara, ahamkara, asmi-mana, etc. (5) The statement for criticizing the false idea of the self held by the bhikkhus, or the some heretics. The refutation of the heretic’s criticism of Buddha’s teaching. Our concern is to consider what exactly is negated by the above mentioned statements and to understand what Buddha really intended to negate. We will begin by considering the formulas which seem to denote not-self doctrine without using the term anatta} 5-l-2j The toTTOMlaL: n'etam ma m a , n ’esq ah a m asmi, na m ’eso atta — the basic model or the context in which this formula is used — A glance at the Nilayas shows clearly that the three types of negation, i.e. n' etarh ma m a , n ’ eso a h a m asmi, na m ’ eso atta are used in many places, in different contexts. The Sequent utilization of these formulaic negations shows ‘ These formulas can be understood as the underdeveloped forms of the not-self 237 the importance this teaching has been given by the compilers of the Nikayas. Though the contexts and usages of these are varied, they can be classified from the viewpoint of the form by which the three phrases are given in the Nikayas: (A) The three negative phrases appeared in a process of the teaching on anicca- dukkha-viparinamadhamma in a form of dialogue. (B) The three phrases appeared in a process of the teaching on anicca-dukkha-anatta in related series. (C) The three phrases appeared in other forms. The following are the examples for the first and the second types. Some notable phrases belonging to the third group will be examined later (A) Tarn kirn mannatha bhikkhave, rupaih niccam va aniccam va. (Bhikkhus, what do you think of this? Is rupa permanent or impermanent?) Aniccam bhante. (Impermanent, Venerable Sir.) Yam pananiccarh dukkham va tarn sukharh va. (That which is impermanent, is it painful or pleasant?) Dukkham bhante. (Painful, Venerable Sir.) Yam pananiccarh dukkharh viparinamadhammarii kaUaih nu tarii samanupassitum Etarh mama eso ham asmi eso me atta. (Is it proper to consider what is impermanent, painful and subject to change, as ‘This is mine. This is 1. This is my self?) No etam bhante. doctrine, anatta{ci. J.P. Remon, Self and Non-self in Early Buddhism, p. 158). 238 (Indeed, no, Venerable Sir.) Tasmatiha bhikkhave yarn kind rupam atitanagatapaccuppannam ajjhattam va bahiddha va olarikaih va sukhumarii va hinaih va panitam va, yam dure santike va sabbaih rupam netarh mama neso ham asmi na me so attati, evaih etam yathabhutarii sammapanimaya datthabbarh.” (Therefore, btukkhm, any kind of rupa whatever, whether past, future, or present, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, whether far or near, all rupa should be perceived with insight wisdom, as it really is, thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not I, this is not my self) [ The same is repeated for all the other aggregates : vedana / sanna / sankhara! vinnaaa]. Evam passam bhikkhave sutava ariyasavako rupasmim pi nibbindati, vedanaya pi nibbindati, saMaya pi nibbindati, sankharesu pi nibbindati, viiiiianasmim pi nibbindati. Nibbindam virajjati, viraga vimuccati, vimuttasmirii vimuttam iti iianam hoti. Khina jati vusitam brahmacariyam katam karaniyam naparam itthattayati pajanati. {Bhikkhus, on perceiving this, the well-informed ariya disciple becomes disgusted with rupa, with vedana, with sanna, with sankhara, with vinnana. On being disgusted [thus], he is free from attachment. On being free form attachment, he is Uberated. On being hberated, the knowledge of liberation arises. He knows distinctly, ‘Rebirth is no more, fulfilled is the Noble ^ A sentence in Sanskrit text, the Catusparsatsutra (Teil III, S. 448-449), basically coincides with that in the Pali Nikaya. It reads as foUows: Rupam bhiksavo ’natma. RupaH ced atma syan na rupam abadbaya duhkhaya samvartteta. Labhyeta ca rupasyai ’varii me rupaiii bhavatv evam ma bhud iti. Yasmat tarhi bhiksavo rupam anatma tasmad rupam abadhaya duhkhaya samvartate. N a ca labhyate 239 Practice of Purity, done is all there is to be done to realize Magga, there is nothing more to do for such realization.)^ (B) Next, let’s see the formula of the second type, which is given in the statement of an explanatory sentence, not in a form of dialogue. Rupam bhikkhave aniccarii, ya aniccam tarn dukkharh, yarn dukkharii ta anatta, ya anatta tarn netam mama neso ham asmi na meso atta ti. Evam etaiti yathabhutaiti sammappafiiiaya datthabbarii. (Rupa is impermanent, rupa which is impermanent is painful, rupa which is painful is anatta, rupa which is anatta is: ‘This is not mine. This is not I. This is not my self.’ Should be thus perceived, with insight wisdom, as it really is.) Evam passarh bhikkhave sutava ariyasavako rupasmim pi nibbindati, vedanaya pi nibbindati, saiinaya pi nibbindati, sankharesu pi nibbindati, viiiiianasmim pi nibbindati. nibbindarh virajjati, viraga vimuccati, vimuttasmiiti vimuttam iti iianam hoti. Khina jati vusitarh brahmacariyarh katarh karaniyam naparam itthattayati pajanati. {Bhikkhus, on perceiving this, the well-informed ariya disciple becomes disgusted with rupa, with vedana, with sanna, with sankhara, with vinnana. On being disgusted [thus], he is free from attachment. On being free form attachment, he is hberated. On being hberated, knowledge of hberation rupasyai ’vaih me rupaiii bhavatveverii ma bhuditi. 240 arises. He knows distinctly, ‘Rebirth is no more, fulfilled is the Noble Practice of Purity, done is all there is to be done to realize Magga, there is nothing more to do for such realization.) Comparing these two statements, in the form of dialogue (A) and in the form of explanatory sentence (B), the difference to be noted is that the term anatta\s used only when it is explained in the form of explanatory sentence, not in a form of dialogue. The point of differences between the two can be summarized in the following way; (A) anicca = dukkha = viparinamadhamma -> n ’etaih mama, n ’eso ah a m asmi, na m ’eso atta. (B) anicca dukkha-^ anatta n ’ etam mama, n ’ eso ah a m asmi, na m ’ eso atta. As for this difference between two forms, Shoji Mori states^ that the texts in which the three phrases are mentioned in a form of dialogue is older in compilation than those in a form of explanatory sentence in which the word anatta can be found. He also points out that the fact that the word anatta used as a technical term shows the fixation of this doctrine among the people in early SN.XXII.79 (vol.3, pp. 88-90). ^ Shoji Mori, A Study of Buddhist Doctrines from Early Buddhism to Abhidhamma Buddhism, Chapter IV, ‘Anicca - Dukkha = Anattn and Its Doctrinal Development’, p.341. In this book, he has collected carefuUy all the materials regarding the anicca = dukkha = anattan doctrine, and classified them into the following various types: ® the type of anicca = dukkha = anattan in dialogue; 'D the type of anicca (that is) dukkha —► (that is) anattan in related series; ® the type of anicca, dukkha, anattan in juxtaposition; J) the type of anicca, dukkha, sunria, anattan in juxtaposition; the type of catur-dharmamudra and tri-dharmaudra (pp.281-348; Summary in Enghsh, 241 Buddhism, and that it can be said that the form of dialogue is older than that of explanatory sentences because it is more artless. O.H. De. A. Wijesekera notices an important difference between two patterns of expression to teach the same non-self doctrine, that is, (A) anicca = dukkha = yipfin etaih ma m a , n ’eso ah a m asmi, na m ’eso atta, and (B) anicca -> dukkha-^ anaMa n tarn mama, n eso a h am asmi, n a ’ eso atta.
Recommended publications
  • Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna's Middle

    Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna's Middle

    Thinking in Buddhism: Nagarjuna’s Middle Way 1994 Jonah Winters About this Book Any research into a school of thought whose texts are in a foreign language encounters certain difficulties in deciding which words to translate and which ones to leave in the original. It is all the more of an issue when the texts in question are from a language ancient and quite unlike our own. Most of the texts on which this thesis are based were written in two languages: the earliest texts of Buddhism were written in a simplified form of Sanskrit called Pali, and most Indian texts of Madhyamika were written in either classical or “hybrid” Sanskrit. Terms in these two languages are often different but recognizable, e.g. “dhamma” in Pali and “dharma” in Sanskrit. For the sake of coherency, all such terms are given in their Sanskrit form, even when that may entail changing a term when presenting a quote from Pali. Since this thesis is not intended to be a specialized research document for a select audience, terms have been translated whenever possible,even when the subtletiesof the Sanskrit term are lost in translation.In a research paper as limited as this, those subtleties are often almost irrelevant.For example, it is sufficient to translate “dharma” as either “Law” or “elements” without delving into its multiplicity of meanings in Sanskrit. Only four terms have been left consistently untranslated. “Karma” and “nirvana” are now to be found in any English dictionary, and so their translation or italicization is unnecessary. Similarly, “Buddha,” while literally a Sanskrit term meaning “awakened,” is left untranslated and unitalicized due to its titular nature and its familiarity.
  • The Meaning of “Zen”

    The Meaning of “Zen”

    MATSUMOTO SHIRÕ The Meaning of “Zen” MATSUMOTO Shirõ N THIS ESSAY I WOULD like to offer a brief explanation of my views concerning the meaning of “Zen.” The expression “Zen thought” is not used very widely among Buddhist scholars in Japan, but for Imy purposes here I would like to adopt it with the broad meaning of “a way of thinking that emphasizes the importance or centrality of zen prac- tice.”1 The development of “Ch’an” schools in China is the most obvious example of how much a part of the history of Buddhism this way of think- ing has been. But just what is this “zen” around which such a long tradition of thought has revolved? Etymologically, the Chinese character ch’an 7 (Jpn., zen) is thought to be the transliteration of the Sanskrit jh„na or jh„n, a colloquial form of the term dhy„na.2 The Chinese characters Ï (³xed concentration) and ÂR (quiet deliberation) were also used to translate this term. Buddhist scholars in Japan most often used the com- pound 7Ï (zenjõ), a combination of transliteration and translation. Here I will stick with the simpler, more direct transliteration “zen” and the original Sanskrit term dhy„na itself. Dhy„na and the synonymous sam„dhi (concentration), are terms that have been used in India since ancient times. It is well known that the terms dhy„na and sam„hita (entering sam„dhi) appear already in Upani- ¤adic texts that predate the origins of Buddhism.3 The substantive dhy„na derives from the verbal root dhyai, and originally meant deliberation, mature reµection, deep thinking, or meditation.
  • Training in Wisdom 6 Yogacara, the ‘Mind Only’ School: Buddha Nature, 5 Dharmas, 8 Kinds of Consciousness, 3 Svabhavas

    Training in Wisdom 6 Yogacara, the ‘Mind Only’ School: Buddha Nature, 5 Dharmas, 8 Kinds of Consciousness, 3 Svabhavas

    Training in Wisdom 6 Yogacara, the ‘Mind Only’ School: Buddha Nature, 5 Dharmas, 8 kinds of Consciousness, 3 Svabhavas The Mind Only school evolved as a response to the possible nihilistic interpretation of the Madhyamaka school. The view “everything is mind” is conducive to the deep practice of meditational yogas. The “Tathagatagarbha”, the ‘Buddha Nature’ was derived from the experience of the Dharmakaya. Tathagata, the ‘Thus Come one’ is a name for a Buddha ( as is Sugata, the ‘Well gone One’ ). Garbha means ‘embryo’ and ‘womb’, the container and the contained, the seed of awakening . This potential to attain Buddhahood is said to be inherent in every sentient being but very often occluded by kleshas, ( ‘negative emotions’) and by cognitive obscurations, by wrong thinking. These defilements are adventitious, and can be removed by practicing Buddhist yogas and trainings in wisdom. Then the ‘Sun of the Dharma’ breaks through the clouds of obscurations, and shines out to all sentient beings, for great benefit to self and others. The 3 svabhavas, 3 kinds of essential nature, are unique to the mind only theory. They divide what is usually called ‘conventional truth’ into two: “Parakalpita” and “Paratantra”. Parakalpita refers to those phenomena of thinking or perception that have no basis in fact, like the water shimmering in a mirage. Usual examples are the horns of a rabbit and the fur of a turtle. Paratantra refers to those phenomena that come about due to cause and effect. They have a conventional actuality, but ultimately have no separate reality: they are empty. Everything is interconnected.
  • The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara

    The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara

    Aspects of Buddhist Psychology Lecture 42: The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara Reverend Sir, and Friends Our course of lectures week by week is proceeding. We have dealt already with the analytical psychology of the Abhidharma; we have dealt also with the psychology of spiritual development. The first lecture, we may say, was concerned mainly with some of the more important themes and technicalities of early Buddhist psychology. We shall, incidentally, be referring back to some of that material more than once in the course of the coming lectures. The second lecture in the course, on the psychology of spiritual development, was concerned much more directly than the first lecture was with the spiritual life. You may remember that we traced the ascent of humanity up the stages of the spiral from the round of existence, from Samsara, even to Nirvana. Today we come to our third lecture, our third subject, which is the Depth Psychology of the Yogacara. This evening we are concerned to some extent with psychological themes and technicalities, as we were in the first lecture, but we're also concerned, as we were in the second lecture, with the spiritual life itself. We are concerned with the first as subordinate to the second, as we shall see in due course. So we may say, broadly speaking, that this evening's lecture follows a sort of middle way, or middle course, between the type of subject matter we had in the first lecture and the type of subject matter we had in the second. Now a question which immediately arises, and which must have occurred to most of you when the title of the lecture was announced, "What is the Yogacara?" I'm sorry that in the course of the lectures we keep on having to have all these Sanskrit and Pali names and titles and so on, but until they become as it were naturalised in English, there's no other way.
  • Some Reflections on the Place of Philosophy in the Study of Buddhism 145

    Some Reflections on the Place of Philosophy in the Study of Buddhism 145

    Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies ^-*/^z ' '.. ' ' ->"•""'",g^ x Volume 18 • Number 2 • Winter 1995 ^ %\ \l '»!#;&' $ ?j On Method \>. :''i.m^--l'-' - -'/ ' x:N'' ••• '; •/ D. SEYFORT RUEGG £>~C~ ~«0 . c/g Some Reflections on the Place of Philosophy in the Study of Buddhism 145 LUIS O. G6MEZ Unspoken Paradigms: Meanderings through the Metaphors of a Field 183 JOSE IGNACIO CABEZ6N Buddhist Studies as a Discipline and the Role of Theory 231 TOM TILLEMANS Remarks on Philology 269 C. W. HUNTINGTON, JR. A Way of Reading 279 JAMIE HUBBARD Upping the Ante: [email protected] 309 D. SEYFORT RUEGG Some Reflections on the Place of Philosophy in the Study of Buddhism I It is surely no exaggeration to say that philosophical thinking constitutes a major component in Buddhism. To say this is of course not to claim that Buddhism is reducible to any single philosophy in some more or less restrictive sense but, rather, to say that what can be meaningfully described as philosophical thinking comprises a major part of its proce­ dures and intentionality, and also that due attention to this dimension is heuristically necessary in the study of Buddhism. If this proposition were to be regarded as problematic, the difficulty would seem to be due to certain assumptions and prejudgements which it may be worthwhile to consider here. In the first place, even though the philosophical component in Bud­ dhism has been recognized by many investigators since the inception of Buddhist studies as a modern scholarly discipline more than a century and a half ago, it has to be acknowledged that the main stream of these studies has, nevertheless, quite often paid little attention to the philosoph­ ical.
  • The Real Christ Is Buddhi-Manas, the Glorified Divine Ego V

    The Real Christ Is Buddhi-Manas, the Glorified Divine Ego V

    The real Christ is Buddhi- Manas, the glorified Divine Ego The real Christ is Buddhi-Manas, the glorified Divine Ego v. 13.13, www.philaletheians.co.uk, 21 March 2018 Page 1 of 61 THE REAL CHRIST IS BUDDHI-MANAS ABSTRACT AND TRAIN OF THOUGHTS Abstract and train of thoughts Was Jesus as Son of God and Saviour of Mankind, unique in the world’s annals? The real Saviours of Mankind all descend to the Nether World, the Kingdom of Darkness, of temptation, lust, and selfishness. And, after having overcome the Chrēst condition or the tyranny of separateness, their astral or worldly ego is enlightened by Lucifer, the Glorified Divine Ego (Buddhi-Manas), who is the real Christ in every man. 5 Pythagoras, Buddha, Apollonius, were Initiates of the same Secret School. 7 The Sun is the external manifestation of the Seventh Principle of our Planetary System while the Moon is its Fourth Principle. Shining in the borrowed robes of her Master, she is saturated with and reflects every passionate impulse and evil desire of her grossly material body, our earth. 9 Jesus as “Son of God” and “Saviour of Mankind,” was not unique in the world’s annals The “infallible” Churches made up history as they went along. 11 Building up the Apostolic Church on a jumble of contradictions. 12 See how the Fathers have falsified Jesus’ last words and made him a victim of his own success. 12 “My God, my Sun, thou hast poured thy radiance upon me!” concluded the thanksgiving prayer of the Initiate, “the Son and the Glorified Elect of the Sun.” 14 And thus his Father’s name was written on his forehead.
  • A Buddhist Inspiration for a Contemporary Psychotherapy

    A Buddhist Inspiration for a Contemporary Psychotherapy

    1 A BUDDHIST INSPIRATION FOR A CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOTHERAPY Gay Watson Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. 1996 ProQuest Number: 10731695 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731695 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT It is almost exactly one hundred years since the popular and not merely academic dissemination of Buddhism in the West began. During this time a dialogue has grown up between Buddhism and the Western discipline of psychotherapy. It is the contention of this work that Buddhist philosophy and praxis have much to offer a contemporary psychotherapy. Firstly, in general, for its long history of the experiential exploration of mind and for the practices of cultivation based thereon, and secondly, more specifically, for the relevance and resonance of specific Buddhist doctrines to contemporary problematics. Thus, this work attempts, on the basis of a three-way conversation between Buddhism, psychotherapy and various themes from contemporary discourse, to suggest a psychotherapy that may be helpful and relevant to the current horizons of thought and contemporary psychopathologies which are substantially different from those prevalent at the time of psychotherapy's early years.
  • Four NOBLE TRUTHS

    Four NOBLE TRUTHS

    THE FouR NOBLE TRUTHS THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS Fundamentals of the Buddhist Teachings His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama translated by Geshe Th upten finpa edited by Dominique Side Thorsons An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB Published by Thorsons 1997 21 20 19 18 17 16 ©His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama 1997 His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7225 3550 3 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Martins the Printers Limited, Berwick upon Tweed All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any fonn or by any means. electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior pennission of the publishers. CONTENTS Preface by Kesang Y Takla vii In troduction I Introducing the Four Noble Truths 34 2 The Truth of Suffering 42 3 The Truth of the Origin of Suffering 72 4 The Truth of Cessation 95 5 The Truth of the Path 115 Appendix: Compassion, the Basis for Human Happiness 130 Glossary 15 1 Recommended Reading !58 Notes 160 PREFACE In July 1996, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a series of lectures on Buddhist thought and practice at the Barbican Centre in London. These talks were facilitated by the Network of Buddhist Organisations in U.K. - a national association of Buddhist Centres. The central theme of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's lectures at the Barbican Centre, which form the core of this book, is the Buddhist teaching on the principle of the Four Noble Truths, which is the foundation of all Buddha's teachings.
  • The Yogācāra Theory of Three Natures: Internalist and Non-Dualist Interpretation

    The Yogācāra Theory of Three Natures: Internalist and Non-Dualist Interpretation

    Comparative Philosophy Volume 9, No. 1 (2018): 18-31 Open Access / ISSN 2151-6014 www.comparativephilosophy.org THE YOGĀCĀRA THEORY OF THREE NATURES: INTERNALIST AND NON-DUALIST INTERPRETATION MATTHEW MACKENZIE ABSTRACT: According to Vasubandhu’s Trisvabhāvanirdeśa or Treatise on the Three Natures, experiential phenomena can be understood in terms of three natures: the constructed (parikalpita), the dependent (paratantra), and the consummate (pariniṣpanna). This paper will examine internalist and anti-internalist or non-dualist interpretations of the Yogācāra theory of the three natures of experience. The internalist interpretation is based on representationalist theory of experience wherein the contents of experience are logically independent of their cause and various interconnected cognitive processes continually create an integrated internal world-model that is transparent to the cognitive system that creates and uses it. In contrast, the anti-internalist interpretation begins, not from the constructed nature of experiential objects, but from the perfected nature of mind-world non-duality. This interpretation treats the distinctions between inside and outside, subject and object, mind and world as distinctions drawn within experience rather than between experience and something else. And experience here refers to the continuous dynamic interplay of factors constituting our sentient embodied (nāma-rūpa) existence. Having examined each interpretation, the paper will suggest some reasons to favor the non-dualist view. Keywords: Yogācāra, Buddhist idealism, internalism, non-dualism, three natures of phenomena, Vasubandhu, solipsism 1. INTRODUCTION According to Vasubandhu’s Trisvabhāvanirdeśa or Treatise on the Three Natures, experiential phenomena can be understood in terms of three natures (svabhāva) and three forms of naturelessness (niḥsvabhāvatā). The three natures are the fabricated or constructed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva), the dependent nature (paratantra- svabhāva), and the perfected or consummate nature (pariniṣpanna-svabhāva).
  • Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way

    Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way

    Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way The Essential Chapters from the Prasannapada of Candrakirti Translated from the Sanskrit by Mervyn Sprung in collaboration with T. R. V. Murti and U. S. Vyas Prajfia Press Boulder 1979 Prajflii Press Great Eastern Book Company 1123 Spruce Street Boulder, Colorado 80302 © 1979 G.M. C. Sprung Printed in Great Britain Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Candrakirti. Lucid exposition of the middle way. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Niigiirjuna, Siddha. Madhyamakakiirikii. 2. Miidhyamika (Buddhism) I Sprung, Mervyn. II Murti, Tirupattur Ramaseshayyer Venkatachala. III Vyas, U. S. IV. Title. BQ2868.E5S66 1979 294.3'8 79-13033 ISBN 087773 711 8 Contents Preface: Text and Translation vii Ackntlwledgments xvi The Thought of the Middle Way: Translator's Introduction Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way Candraklrti's Salutation to Nagarjuna 31 Concern, Method and Assumptions of the Middle Way Philosophy 32 I II Attack on the Possibility of Knowledge: Controversy with a Buddhist Epistemologist 53 III Enquiry into Conditions 65 IV Motion and Rest 76 V Vision and the Other Sense Faculties 91 VI Material Objects and the Other Factors of Personal Existence 98 VII The Primal Elements or Character and Characteristic 103 VIII Desire and the Other Afflictions 109 IX The Agent Subject and his Doing 115 X Self as Subject of Perception 125 1 ~ XI Fire and Fuel 132 XII The Absence of Being in Things 144 t:XIII Self-Existence 152 XIV Self and the Way Things Really Are 165 XV Time 187 XVI The Perfectly Realized One 192 XVII The Basic Afflictions and the Four Misbeliefs 207 vi ('ONTI' NTS XVIII Tho Four Buddhist Truths 223 XIX NirJlalJa 247 Glossary 265 Bibliography 279 Preface: Text and Translation This translation of the essential chapters from the Prasannapada rests on the work of several scholars in different ways.
  • 66–95. © Tsering Dorji Objectless Loving-Kindness & Compassion

    66–95. © Tsering Dorji Objectless Loving-Kindness & Compassion

    Objectless Loving-Kindness & Compassion: Why anārambaṇā maitrīkaruṇā became unique to bodhisattvas. Tsering Dorji Abstract This paper* analyses why anārambaṇā maitrīkaruṇā became an important and unique concept in early non-tantric Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism. Through the study of early Mahāyāna Sūtras and Śāstras, I explore what the early Mahāyāna Sūtras and Śāstras tell us about ‘objectless loving- kindness and compassion’ in the context of threefold maitrī and karuṇā. By examining these early Mahāyāna Sūtras and Śāstras, and also early non-Mahāyāna Pāli nikāyas, abhidhammas and commentaries, I argue that anārambaṇā maitrīkaruṇā became unique to Mahāyāna because of the fundamental shift of goal from mainstream Buddhism; why śrāvakas or Hīnayānists do not practise anārambaṇā maitrīkaruṇā is not originally because of lack of non-conceptual wisdom or lack of understanding of the emptiness of dharma, but because for śrāvakas and mainstream Buddhists maitrī and karuṇā are not essential in attaining their bodhi. Śrāvakas are those who learn and uphold the teachings taught by the Buddha by actualising the true nature of dharma (dharmatāṃ sākṣātkurvanti).1 *When this paper was submitted for publication, we saw that it proposed an interesting argument, but the Sanskrit quotations were riddled with mistakes. Both we and the author were under lockdown and had no access to most of the texts. We decided to make the many corrections which seemed obvious, and to leave the other mistakes as received, given that they rarely if ever affect the argument. Ed. 1 Mitra 1888:4 Aṣṭasāhasrikā: /śrāvakā bhāṣante...tathāgatena dharmo deśitaḥ, tatra dharmadeśanāyāṃ śikṣamāṇās te tāṃ dharmatāṃ sākṣātkurvanti dhārayanti/ . (18): 66–95.
  • The Co-Arising of Self and Object, World, and Society: Buddhist and Scientific Approaches

    The Co-Arising of Self and Object, World, and Society: Buddhist and Scientific Approaches

    From Buddhist Thought and Applied Psychological Research: Transcending the Boundaries. Ed. D. K. Nauriyal, M. Drummond, Y. B. Lal. RoutledgeCurzon. 2006. pp. 175-208. The Co-arising of Self and Object, World, and Society: Buddhist and Scientific Approaches William S. Waldron Middlebury College The mind is neither within nor without, nor is it to be apprehended between the two. Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra (30). The ways in which the relationship between mind and world have been considered for the last few hundred years in Western thought and science are being radically reconceived and ideas from a wide variety of sources are now being taken more seriously than ever. Philosophical perspectives from the Buddhist traditions of India are of particular interest because they have long addressed issues that are currently in contention: if we are not Cartesian subjects essentially alienated from our bodies and the material world, as many have previously accepted, then who and what are we? And what then is the status of the “world” we purportedly stood against? Or our perceptions of it? Or the consequences of actions within it? And if the line between self and world is not nearly as clear or hard and fast as we have assumed, where or what is it? We propose to address such questions by considering a wide range of ideas from Indian Buddhist traditions and various scientific fields. We shall find thinkers in both areas who have reached surprisingly similar conclusions on a number of key issues: they similarly conclude that (1) the “self” is a designation for interactive processes rather than the name of an autonomous entity, and (2) that cognitive awareness only arises as a result of interaction between subject and object, which are themselves, however, (3) ultimately inseparable.1 These conclusions lead them to the counter-intuitive idea that (4) such awareness occurs neither solely inside nor wholly outside of the brain, but only at the interface of “self” and world.