Section B: Buddhist Philosophy

Part II
A Presentation
by
Mahendra Ratna Shakya
2074-12-28/11th April, 2018
 Section B: Buddhist Philosophy
Unit 3. Four Philosophical Schools
 3.1. Vaibhāsika
1.Meaning, Sub-schools and etymology
2.Theory of Dharmas in Sarvastivāda
3. Concept of Pratisnakhyānirodha and Apratisanshyānirodha, Prāpti, Aprāti, Avijnapti
3.2. Sautrāntric
1.Meaning, Sub-schools and etymology
2.Kshanikavāda (Theory of Momentariness)
3.Concept of Perception and Apperception
3.3. Mādhyamika
1.Meaning, Sub-schools and etymology
2.Two Truths: Sambriti Satya and Paramārtha Satya
3.Concept of Sunyatā, Anutpāda and Catuskoti
3.4. Yogācāra
1. Meaning, Sub-schools and etymology
2. Theory of Mind only
3. Concept of Ālayavijnāna, Klistamanovijnāna, and Pracritivijnāna
4. Three nature of objects: Parikalpita, Paratantra and Parinispanna nature
 3.3. Madhyamaka Philosophy dWods
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Meaning
Madhyamaka (also known as Śūnyavāda) refers primarily to a Mahāyāna
Buddhist school of philosophy founded by Nagarjuna.
According to Madhyamaka, all phenomena mental or physical are empty
(z"Go) by nature. All things of the world has no "substance" or "essence" (:jefj
svabhāva) or inherent existence, because they are dependently originated.
The philosophy of sunyatā (z"Gotf_ has already appeared on the
Prajnapāramitāsutra sutra. Nāgārjuna, a south Indian monk scholar, reinterpreted
the doctrine of emptiness (sunyatā) in a particularly clear manner in the second
century AD. Thus he is known as the founder of this doctrine.
This doctrine is called Middle Way, or Madhyamaka philosophy or the doctrine
of insubstantiality of things (nisvabhāvavāda lg:jefjjfb). Madhyamaka-thought had
a major influence on the subsequent development of the Mahayana Buddhist
tradition
 Nāgārjuna explained the theory of emptiness on the basis of law of dependent
origination (pratityasamutpāda k|tLTo;d'Tkfb).
Pratityasmutpāda explains that all things exist depending on a combination of
causes and conditions.
Nāgārjuna states that if the things are dependently originated or cannot exist
inherently, then they have no independent self-existence and therefore empty. For
example the sprout, which exists dependent on the seed, earth, water, air and
sunlight, it has no self-existence and thus empty.

Etymology
Madhyamaka= Madhya+ma+ka. Madhya is a Sanskrit word meaning "middle".
The -ma suffix is a superlative, giving madhyama the meaning of "mid-most" or
"medium". The -ka suffix is used to form adjectives, thus madhyamaka means
"middleling".
Madhyamaka refers to the school of thought associated with Nāgārjuna and
his commentators. Some scholars use the term Mādhayamika which refers to
adherents or followers of the Madhyamaka school.
 In a Buddhist context these terms refer to the "middle path" (madhyama
pratipada dWod k|ltkbf ) between the extremes of annihilations (pR5]bjfb
ucchedavāda) and eternalism (zf:jtjfb śassatavāda). Buddha teaches the Dharma
by a middle path avoiding both these extremes. But the name of the school is
perhaps related to its close adherence to Nāgārjuna’s main work, the
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā d"ndWodsfl/sf. The term Madhyamaka is related to
'madhyadWo' ('the middle').
Although the concepts of middle path and sunyatā have existed earlier, the
credit was given to Nāgārjuna as the founder of Madhyamaka school because he
proved the doctrine of sunyatā by using pramānas (means of knowledge).
His pupil Āryadeva worked a lot for the propagation of Madhyamaka School.
 According to Baladeva, the mind only school (vijñānavādalj1fgjfb) flourished
in the fifth century. But in the sixth century Madhyamaka was reestablished and
flourished around South India. Two scholars were prominent during this time, they
were Ācārya Bhabya (Bhāvaviveka cfrfo{ eJo jf efjljj]s) and Ācārya Buddhapālita
(470–550 a'4kflnt). Bhabya propagated Madhyamaka doctrine to Orissa, whereas
Buddapālita to Ballavi (Gujrat). But both scholars have different views regarding the
doctrine of sunyatā.
Sub-schools
Madhyamaka philosophy has two sub-schools namely 1. Prāsangika
Madhyamika (k|f;lËs dWolds) and 2. Svātantrika Madhyamika (:jftlGqs
dWolds).
Prāsangika Madhyamika is propounded by Ācārya Buddhapālita, and later followed
by Ācārya Candrakirti and Ācārya Shāntideva. Similarly, Svātantrika Madhyamika is
founded by Ācārya Bhabya and followed by Ācārya Shāntarakshita zfGt/lIft.

Prāsangikas does not assert that phenomena exist by way of their own nature even
conventionally. In other words, they believe that the things do not exist
conventionally (;+j[lt) and ultimately (k/dfy{ ;Qf). But Svātantrika asserts that
phenomena exist by only conventionally not ultimately.
In the field of logic, Svātantrika use pramāna to establish the doctrine of
emptiness. But Prasangikas use Prasanga-vākya or dialectical method where
prove their point using logical questions.
Two Truths
Madhamakas explains two truths.
Samvriti Satya (;+j[lQ ;To, conventional truth, relative truth)
Paramārth Satya (k/dfy{ ;To ultimate truth, absolute truth)

 Peter Della Santina pointed that Samvriti Satya and Paramārth Satya are not

contradictory but they are complementary. Nagarjuna said that without relying on
the conventional truth, the ultimate truth cannot be taught, and without arriving at
the ultimate truth, nirvana is not achieved.
Two truths are already established doctrine in Buddhism. Pali Abhidhamma
mentions about sammutisacca and paramatthasacca (;Dd'lt;Rr, k/dTy;Rr) i,e,
conventional truth and ultimate truth. These are two kinds of realities.
Conventional (Sammutisacca or Samvriti Satya in Skt.) is also called Pannatti k~`lQ
(Prajnapti k|1lKt in Sanskri). It is commonly accepted truth.
Prajnaptisare the names of living and non- living things, like man, dog, table, house
and personal names etc. Though they seem to exist, do not really exist. Names are
not ultimate realities.
Ifwe discriminate the parts of a house, there will remain only bricks, mud, wood,
cement, stone, iron rods etc. House will disappear because it has not separate
entity. In the case of a dog, if we take each part such as hair, nails, skin, flesh, blood,
bones etc. there will remain no dog because in reality dog is not exist. But we see
the dog in day to day life, so it is exist conventionally not ultimately. The ultimate
truths, according to Theravada, are the mental and physical phenomena's- citta,
cetasika, rupa and nirvāna.

According to the Madhamaka Philosophy there are two types of conventional

truths- Samyaka Sambriti Satya (;Dos\ ;Dj[lt ;To non-defective truth) and Mithyā
Sambriti Sartya (ldYof ;+j[lt ;To defective truth). We see rope as a snake in dark
place. In this example there is no snake but only rope exist. Here rope is Samyaka
Sambriti Satya and the illusory snake is Mithyā Sambriti Satya.

The ultimate truth or paramārtha satya is the unutterable (anabhilāpya cglenfKo),

the unthinkable, unteachable, unconditioned (nirvikalpa and nisprpanca lglj{sNk,
lgik|k~r) and emptiness.
Sunyatā (z"Gotf), Anutpāda (cg'Tkfb),
Sunyata is insubstantiality and relativity of all phenomena, which Madhyamaka
explained through an examination of interdependent origination.
As all things exist dependent on a combination of causes and conditions, they have

no independent self-existence (:jefj), and are therefore empty.

The classical example is that of the sprout, which exists dependent on the seed,

earth, water, air and sunlight. In as much as the sprout depends on these factors for
its existence, it has no self-existence and is therefore without self-existence. And
being without self-existence, it is empty.
This is the simplest and most direct Madhyamaka investigation of causality (sf/0f

sfo{ l;4fGt), and it leads us straight to the notion of emptiness.

But for the Madhyamaka, emptiness also means non-origination, non-production.
In the perfection of wisdom literature, as we saw in the Heart Sutra, the idea of

non-origination and non-cessation (cg'Tkfb clg/f]w) occurs very frequently.

Here, too, in the Madhyamaka philosophy, emptiness means non-origination – the
non-arising of all phenomena in reality .
Nagarjuna explains this particular consequence of emptiness through the dialectic

method.
Catuskoti (rt'isf]6L) Four point analysis of Nagarjuna
There are four possibilities for the origination of phenomena or the relationship
between cause and effect. Products are only possible by conventionally and by
cause and effect. In the Ultimate sense the production is not possible. Four Point
Analysis of Madhyamaka are:
1. Production by itself = :jtM
2. Production by other= k/tM
3. Production by both = peotM
4. Production without cause= cx]t'tM
If things are produced by itself, the question arise "Is it existent or non-existent already? " If
they are exist already, why it should be needed to produce again? The production is senseless.
If it is not exist already, then the production of non-exist things will senseless like 'sky flower',
'horn of hare'. If the things are inherently produce there is no need of cause and effect.
Production by others or say by God. The question raised –that product is already exists or

not? If exist, there is no need to produce again. If not exist how can they produce? Or if it is
produced according to cause and effect it is not produced by God.
Similarly production by both is not possible, and production without cause is also not

possible. It is just like an apple takeout from wall. Thus the things are non-production
(cg'Tkfb) and non-cessation (clg/f]w).
 3.4. Yogācāra Philosophy of]ufrf/
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1. Meaning and etymology
Yogācāra school of thought is the last achievement of Buddhist philosophy.
It has various names like Vijñānavāda, Vijñapti-mātra, Vijñapti-mātratā, or Cittamātra
(lj1fgjfb lj1lKtdfq lj1lKtdfqtf lrQdfq) or 'the mind only school'.
Yogācāra denied the physical existence of dharmas. They accepted only the existence of
mind. All the phenomena are non-other than the mind.
Theword Yogācāra is composed of Yoga + ācāra. Yoga means yoga meditation and ācāra
means practice. Thus Yogācāra; literally means "yoga practice".
The orientation of the Yogācāra school is largely consistent or similar with the thinking of the
Pāli Nikāyas, the earlier versions of Buddhist doctrines. But the basic principles of Mind Only
School like ālaya-vijnāna cfnolj1fg (the basis-consciousness), vijñapti-mātra lj1lKtdfq
(cognition-only) and the trisvabhāva lq:jefj (three natures) that first appeared in the
Sandhinirmocanasutra (;lGwlgdf]{rg;"q) which might be as early as the first or second
century CE. It is believed that the discourse of Sandhinirmocana was delivered by the Buddha
during his third turning of the wheel of Dhamma. t]>f] wd{rqm k|jt{g
The Mind Only school and the Middle Way school are the two important
philosophical schools of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana tradition attributed to Lord
Maitreya, as a founder of this yogācāra school.
Two brothers, Asanga and Vasuvandhu (c;Ë, j;'jGw'), played a central role in the
formulation and popularization of the philosophy in the fourth century AD. They
were born in North-west India, in what is now Pakistan. It is widely believed that Lord
Maitreya teaches five treatises of Vijñānavāda School to the Asanga.
'Mahāyānasutrālankāra'dxfofg;"qfn+sf/ 'Madhyantabhāga‘ dWoGtljefu,
'Ratnagotravibhāga’ /Tguf]qljefu are three of them.
Although modern scholars have attempted to identify Maitreya with a historical
personality, the Mahayana tradition has no doubt that Maitreya is the future Buddha.

Asanga wrote 'Stages of the Bodhisattva Path' (Bodhisattvabhumi af]lw;Tje"ld),
Compendium of the Abhidharma (Abhidharmasamuchchaya clewd{;d'Rro),
from the Mahayana or Mind Only viewpoint. Vasuvandhu is renowned for his short
treatises on Cognition Only (Vijñapti-mātratāsiddhi lj1lKtdfqtfl;l4) and a treatise
explaining the three natures of the Mind Only philosophy.
2. The Theory of Mind Only (Vijñapti-mātratā)
Yogācāra believes that there is no existence of external objects. Only the mind or
'vijnapti' exists. The apparently real objects (k|ToIf b]Vg] kbfy{) of the world are
none other than mind.
All things are perception (cognition cg'e"lt) only, because of the appearance of non-
existent objects. Just as there may be the seeing of non-existed hair by someone
affected by optical disorder (ltld/ /f]uLn] s]zu'R5f b]Vg]em}), and illusory town
(Gandharva Nagara uGwj{ gu/) in the sky. There is no gandharva nagara in the sky,
but sometimes we see the town like place on the cloud which is actually not exist.
Similarly, we see the external person though he is not really exists. It is only a mind
appearance.
To prove the mind only doctrine, Vasuvandhu gives various examples in his treatise
Vijñapti-mātratāsiddhi. One of them is the view that a single object appears differently
to different sentient beings. For example, a cup of water or milk appears to us as water
or milk, but it would appear as nectar to the gods, as molten iron to the hell beings and
as blood to the hungry ghost. A single object appears differently to different beings of
six realms in samsara;+;f/ according to their karma. If the water exists everybody
must be perceived the same thing. Thus there is no water. It is mind only.
All external things have no inherent existent. They are just like a dream (Svapnavat
:jKgjt\). We eat too much food in dream but still we feel hungry in real. Because it
is not true, it is the illusion of mind. Similarly, all the things of our real life are not
actually real. We are dreaming in real life. Because there exist Vijñapti-mātratā or
Cittamatratā .

3. Concept of Ālayavijñāna, Klistamanovijnāna, and Pravrittivijnāna

cfnolj1fg lSni6dgf]lj1fg k|j[ltlj1fg
Buddha used the term 'Viñññāna' or 'Citta' (lj~`f0f, lrQ) for mind and 'Cetasika'
(r]tl;s) for mental factors.

Sixtypes of pravritiviñññānas (Vijnāna lj1fg in Skt.) and other cittas are described
in Early Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism is called Early Buddhism in modern
terminology). They are Cakshurvijnāna (rIf'lj{1fg), Srotavijnāna (>f]tlj1fg),
Ghrānavijnāna (3|f0flj1fg), Jivhāvijnāna (lhJxflj1fg), Kāyavijnāna (sfolj1fg) and
Manodvārāvarjan citta (dgf]åf/fjh{g lrQ). The other cittas areJavana citta (hjg
lrQ), Pratisandhi citta (k|lt;lGw lrQ), Bhavanga citta (ejË lRfQ), Chuti citta (Ro"lt
lrQ) etc.
Yogācāra system added two new Vijnānas and categories the Vijnāna into
following three divisions. They also accepted other cetasikas.
1. Vipāka ljkfs,
2. Manana dgg,

3. Visayavigyapti ljifolj1lKt

Here Vipāka is Ālayavijnāna cfnolj1fg, Manana is Klistamanovijnāna

lSni6dgf]lj1fg, and Visayavigyapti is Pravritivijnāna k|j[ltlj1fg.

Therefore eight types of Vijnānas are described in Yogācāra
Ālayavijnāna 1
Klistamanovijnāna 1
Pravritivijnāna 6
 Total 8

Pravritivijnāna
The Six types Pravritivijnāna are 1. Cakshurvijnāna, Srotavijnāna, Ghrānavijnāna,
Jivhāvijnāna, Kāyavijnāna and Manovijnāna. These six vijnāna may be either moral or
immoral or inexplicit (s'zn, cs'zn, cJofs[t).
Klistamanovijnāna
Itis the seventh vijnāna. It is also called Manana. The object ( cfnDag) of this type of
consciousness is the ālayavijnāna itself.
In other words Klistamanovijnāna arises on the basis of ālayavijnāna.
Why is it called Klistamanovijnāna?
Because it is always associated with defilements like selfness, self-delusion, ego or self-pride,
self-love (cfTdb[li6, cfTddf]x, cfTddfg, cfTd:g]x) . Klistamanovijnāna will be
ceased or nirodha, when one realizes the arhat-hood.

Ālayavijñāna

It is the storehouse consciousness. Ālaya+ vijñāna = Ālayavijñāna. Ālaya means house and
vijñāna is consciousness.
It is the base of all other vijñānas. Other vijñāna originates from the base of Ālayavijñāna.

Thus it is also called "the all-base consciousness" or main consciousness. All the moral s'zn,
immoral cs'zn and inexplicit cJofs[t mental formations (;+:sf/ or jf;gf) are stored
in the Ālayavijñāna.
 All the moral, immoral actions done by us are stored on this vijnāna. All the seeds of these
three types of formations are accumulated on this vijñāna.
Ālayavijñāna is also called resultant consciousness (ljkfs lj1fg) which contains all seeds
(;j{jLhs).
Sanskār, Vāsanā and Vipāka are the same thing. When a person eradicates all these
formations then this ālayavijnāna will be transform into pure consciousness
(ljdnlj1fg). This transformation is called āsrayaparāvriti (cf>ok/fj[lt or Joj[lt).
The world and nirvāna both are possible because of Ālayavijñāna. When it flows with
defilement it is world. But when it got ceased that is called nirvana.

4. The Nature of objects – Parikalpita, Paratantra and Parinispanna

According to Yogācāra system the objects or things have three natures.

They are 'parikalpita kl/slNkt ' that is imaginary nature; 'paratantra k/tGq' i,e,
dependent nature and 'parinispanna kl/lgikGg' or the true nature of phenomena.
Unlike Madhyamaks, two types of realities or truths are accepted in Yogācāra- Apparent
reality (Samvriti-satya :f+j[lt;To) and Absolute reality (Paramārth-satya k/dfy{;To).
 Apparent reality is divided into two types, such as (1) Parikalpita svavāva kl/slNkt :jefj
and (2) Paratantra svavāva k/tGq :jefj. Absolute reality is (3) Parinispanna svavāva
kl/lgikGg :jefj which is also called "Tathatā" tytf .
Parikalpita means the illusory or imputed nature. Paratantra means the dependent or
relative nature and Parinispanna means the perfected or accomplished or the real nature.

These three natures can be explained with an example of Mirage d[ut[i0ff. The deer
sometimes sees an illusion of water in the dry field in a sunny day. They run towards the
field but get no water. This is called 'mirage'. Here a) a mistaken belief the water exists in a
mirage; b) the appearance itself of the mirage dependent on atmospheric causes and
conditions; and c) the empty nature of the mirage, these three are compared with a)
parikalpita, b) paratantra and c) parinispanna.