Applied Buddhism in Self Cultivation

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APPLIED BUDDHISM INSELF CULTIVATION

ANKUR BARUA, DIPAK KUMAR BARUA,

M.A. BASILIO

Hong Kong, 2009


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Background: Dr. Ankur Barua had graduated with distinction from the

University of Hong Kong (MBuddStud, 2009). He had also completed

two other Master Degrees, one from Sikkim Manipal University (MBAIT,

2007) while the other from Manipal University (MBBS-2000, MD in

Community Medicine - 2003) and presently working as Associate

Professor of Community Medicine at Melaka-Manipal Medical College in

Malaysia.

Dr. Dipak Kumar Barua was the earlier Dean of the Faculty Council

for Postgraduate Studies in Education, Journalism & Library Science in

the University of Calcutta (1987-1991) and the Director of Nava

Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda (1996-1999). He is also the pioneer in

developing the concept of applied Buddhism.

Ms. M.A. Basilio is a nursing professional who has also a keen passion

for conducting research on religion and science.

First Publication on 26th December 2009

Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Hong Kong

Copyright Ankur Barua, Dipak Kumar Barua and M.A.Basilio

Communication Address of Corresponding Author:

Dr. ANKUR BARUA

Block EE, No.-80, Flat No.-2A,

Salt Lake City, Sector-2,

Kolkata - 700091, West Bengal, INDIA.

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: +91-9434485543 (India), +60122569902 (Malaysia)

Applied Buddhism in Self Cultivation Page 2


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Contents

Items Page

No.

Acknowledgements 04

Preface 05

Ignore Self-entity: Cultivate the Mind

06

Applied Buddhism: Phenomenal and Mental Cultivation

24

The Goal to Develop Mirror-like Wisdom 40



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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to Ven.

Dr. Jing Yin, Professor of Buddhist Studies and Director of the

Centre of Buddhist Studies in the University of Hong Kong for

his kind support, inspiration, encouragement and timely advice

during the compilation of this book.

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude and

indebtedness to Prof. Y. Karunadasa and Ven. Dr. Guang

Xing, the eminent professors at the Centre of Buddhist Studies

in the University of Hong Kong for their constant

encouragement, constructive criticism, personal attention and

valuable guidance throughout this work.



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Preface

Applied Buddhism is the foundation of our true

understanding of all the events occurring in nature. The

term Applied Buddhism explains how every person can

relate Buddhist ideas in his or her daily life and in

profession.This book provides guidance on how to apply

the principles of the Doctrine of the Buddha in our day to

day life in an effective manner to enrich our phenomenal

and mental cultivation.



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IGNORE SELF-ENTITY:

CULTIVATE THE MIND

Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Hong

Kong

Hong Kong, 2009



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IGNORE SELF-ENTITY: CULTIVATE THE

MIND

Abstract

Buddhism is the only world religion which does

not recognize nor non-recognize the presence

of any soul or self-entity. Whether a soul or a

self-entity is present or absent was neveranswered by the Buddha. These questions are

categorized as unanswered questions in

Buddhism which the Buddha had insisted to be

put aside (thapaniya) as they always lead to

suffering and never address the issue of

cessation of suffering.



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The Anatta teaching in Buddhism is not a

doctrine of no-self, but a not-self strategy for

shedding suffering by letting go of its cause

that leads to the highest level of unlimited

happiness. Without viewing anything as

pertaining to self or other, we should

recognize each phenomenon simply for what it

is, as it is directly experienced and then

perform the duty appropriate for it.

Key words: Self, Entity, Soul, Cultivation,

Mind, Four Noble Truths.



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IGNORE SELF-ENTITY: CULTIVATE THE

MIND

Introduction

A unique feature of Buddhist teachings is the

emphasis on Anatta, which is often translated

as no-self. Buddhism is the only world religion

which does not recognize nor non-recognize the

presence of any soul or self-entity.1,2 In fact,

Buddhism holds a neutral position in this

context. Many modern scholars misinterpret

the teachings of the Buddha and believe that

Buddhism does not believe in soul or self-

entity. But the fact is that, whether a soul or a

self-entity is present or absent was never

answered by the Buddha.1,2,3



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These questions are categorized as

unanswered questions in Buddhism which the

Buddha had insisted to be put aside

(thapaniya) as they always lead to suffering

and never address the issue of cessation of

suffering.1,2,3 Thus, the Buddhist philosophy is

similar to modern science where the scientists

also hold a neutral position in this aspect as no

one has ever discovered a soul or a self-entity

till date.4

The word self is a misnomer in

Buddhism

Buddhism trains us not to identify ourselves

with the soul or self-entity as these would lead

to ego problems and discrimination in our



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minds. But it never regards or disregards the

presence or absence of soul or self-entity.

This creates confusion in the minds of the

religious practitioners belonging to other

religious backgrounds. This concept does not fit

well with the Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Muslim

and Jain background which assumes the

existence of an eternal soul or self as a basic

presupposition. There is often an argument on

the issue that if there is no-self then what is

transmitted from one life to the other. If there

is no soul or self-entity then what is the

purpose of a spiritual life. Also, the idea of

there being no-self does not fit well with other

Buddhist teachings such as the doctrine of

Karma and Rebirth. If there is no self then what

experiences the results of Karma and takes

rebirth is a debatable issue.1,2,4



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While understanding the background why the

Buddha had observed silence to address this

issue, we must remember that Buddhism never

interfered with existing local socio-cultural

practices and laws of the country. Wherever

Buddhism had spread, it had recognized and

incorporated the existing socio-cultural

practices of the community and modified its

own rules and regulations accordingly. This is

an important reason why Buddhism has

become a world religion without inflicting any

harm or exerting any force on anyone. As the

concepts of soul and self-entity were deep-

rooted in Indian culture and society since

ancient times and the fundamental block for

existing Brahmanism, Buddhism did not want to

go for an outright clash on this issue and



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disturb the peace and harmony of the society.

Buddhism had assumed a neutral position and

never supported or disregarded the ancient

Indian beliefs of soul and self-entity.4,5

The Concept of No-Self (Anatta) in

Buddhism

If we explore the Pali Canon, the earliest extant

record of the Buddha's teachings, we find that

the Buddha had never addressed the issues

related to soul or self-entity. In fact, when the

Buddha was asked whether or not there was a

soul or self, he refused to answer. He urged

that to hold either that there is a self or that

there is no self is to fall into extreme forms of

wrong view that make the path of Buddhist

practice impossible (Samyutta Nikaya XLIV.10).

Thus, the question should be put aside



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(thapaniya) as these types of questions do not

lead to the end the suffering and stress.1,2,3

There are some basic ground rules for

interpreting the Buddha's teachings. The

Buddha said that there are two types of people

who misrepresented him. The first category of

people comprised of those who drew inferences

from statements that should not have

inferences drawn from them. The second

category included those who did not draw

inferences from those which needed. But if we

look at the way most scholars had addressed

the Anatta doctrine, we find these ground rules

being ignored. Some of the scholars tried to

qualify the no-self interpretation by saying that

the Buddha denied the existence of an eternal

self or a separate self. If we accept this view



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then this means to give an analytical answer to

a question that the Buddha insisted to be put

aside.1,2,3

Some other scholars however, tried to draw

inferences from the few statements in the

discourse that implied that there is no-self. In

this case, they forced those statements to give

an answer to a question that should be put

aside. Here, one was drawing inferences where

it should not be drawn in the first place. These

were attempts to refer the teachings of the

Buddha out of context. We need to examine

under what circumstances the Buddha gave his

discourses. Quoting the Buddha out of context

in order to win an argument is itself an example

of our attachment of the minds to cling on to a

dogmatic view.1,2,3



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Parable of the Poisoned Arrow3

It is against this background that we need to

understand why Buddhism has set aside

(thapaniya) certain questions as undetermined

(avyakata). Nothing illustrates this situation

better than the parable of the poisoned arrow

(sallupama). When the monk Malunkyaputta

wanted to know from the Buddha the answers

to these ten questions, the Buddha told him

that these questions are undetermined, set

aside, and rejected by the Blessed One. The

answers to these questions were not relevant to

understanding the fact of suffering and its

elimination. It was as irrelevant as the need to

know the name of the person who shot the

arrow in order to remove it from the body. But



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suffering and stress. The notion of self is thus

an attachment that leads to ego and thus

culminates in suffering.

If we identify ourselves with all of nature, then

we feel pain by the death of every creature or

plant on earth. If we do not identify with

anything at all in nature, then it holds for an

entirely "other" universe. In this case, the

sense of alienation would become so

debilitating as to make the quest for happiness,

whether for one's own or that of other, as

impossible. Considering these reasons, the

Buddha advised paying no attention to such

questions as "Do I exist?" or "Don't I exist?" for

whatever manner we answer them; they lead

to suffering and stress. We must remember

that the prime goal of Buddhism is to end



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suffering for all sentient beings through the

phenomenal and mental cultivations.

To avoid the suffering implicit in questions of

"self" and "other," the Buddha had offered an

alternative way of dividing up experience. This

is through his preaching of the Four Noble

Truths that includes Dukkha our sufferings,

cause of suffering, its cessation, and the path

to cessation of suffering. Stress should be

comprehended. Its cause should be

abandoned. Its cessation should be realized

and the path to its cessation should be

developed. The main cause of our suffering is

the attachment of our mind either to material

forms or dogmatic views. We need to shed

these clinging or attachments and keep our

mind wide open all the time. Without viewing



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anything as pertaining to self or other, we

should recognize each phenomenon simply for

what it is, as it is directly experienced and then

perform the duty appropriate for it.



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Conclusion

Through the cultivation of mind if we are able

to comprehend the inner meanings of the Four

Noble Truths, then the common questions that

earlier occurred in our minds as "Is there a self?

What is my self?" would cease to occur.

Instead, our mind would reframe these

questions as "Am I suffering stress because I'm

holding onto this particular phenomenon? Is it

really me, myself, or mine? If it is stressful, but

not really me or mine, then why should I hold

on?" This would help us in comprehending

suffering and help us to abandon our

attachment and clinging with regard to the

residual sense of self-identification.



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This would finally lead to the limitless freedom

until ultimately all traces of self-identification

are gone. In this context, we must remember

that the Anatta teaching in Buddhism is not a

doctrine of no-self, but a not-self strategy for

shedding suffering by letting go of its cause

that leads to the highest level of unlimited

happiness. Once there is an experience of such

total freedom, there would be no concern about

who is experiencing it or whether there is any

self or not.1,2



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References

1. Bhikkhu, T. 2009.Anatta: The Concept of

No-self in Buddhism [serial online]. [cited

2009 October 26]; [4 screens]. The

Wanderling. Available from: URL:

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakeni

ng101/noself.html

2. V, Jayaram. 2009. The Buddhist Concept

of Anatta or No-self (Anatma) [serial online].

[cited 2009 October 31]; [2 screens].

Available from: URL:

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/buddhism/ana

tta.asp

3. Karunadasa, Y. 2008. The Unanswered

Questions: Why were they left unanswered?



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A New Interpretation based on a Re-

examination of the Textual Data. Hong Kong:

The Centre of Buddhist Studies, the University

of Hong Kong.

4. Barua, A., Testerman, N., Basilio, M.A.

2009. Applied Buddhism the Foundation of

Our True Understanding. Hong Kong:

Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen & Unibook

Publications.

5. Barua, D.K. 2005. Environment & Human

Resources: Buddhist Approaches. Applied

Buddhism: Studies in the Gospel of Buddha

from Modern Perspectives. . Varanasi, India:

Centre for Buddhist Studies, Department of

Pali & Buddhist Studies, Benaras Hindu

University: 90-6.



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APPLIED BUDDHISM:

PHENOMENAL AND

MENTAL CULTIVATION

Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Hong

Kong

Hong Kong, 2009



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APPLIED BUDDHISM:

PHENOMENAL AND MENTAL

CULTIVATION

Abstract

In Buddhist perspective, the phenomenal and

mental cultivations refer to the successful

eradication of greed, hatred and delusion. There is

also no cultivation without discipline, concentration

and wisdom. Although the mind is the dominant

factor of all, yet only through the body and the

mouth can its activities be manifested. Thus, all the

three aspects are indivisible and inseparable from

one another. Since, the body and the mind are

correlated and inseparable from each other, the

cultivation of the one aspect necessarily involves

that of the other.



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Key words: Cultivation, Integration,

Phenomenal, Mental, Applied,Buddhism.

APPLIED BUDDHISM:

PHENOMENAL AND MENTAL

CULTIVATION

Introduction

The Phenomenal and mental cultivation in

Buddhist perspective are numerous and

diversified. Some of the common practices

include sutra-reading, ritual worship, abundant

offering and charitable practices, strict

observance of the Canons of Discipline, Name-

reciting, Ch'an Meditation, taking a journey to

visit venerable monks living in secluded places

and so forth. But by practicing some of these



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activities out of mere faith and following them

routinely and meticulously in our day to day life

will not lead to salvation or liberation from

suffering. We must make every effort to

understand the inner meanings of the

teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha wanted

to live through his teachings or the Dhamma.

Thus, idol worship, offerings and rituals were

never advocated by the Buddha and he never

encouraged them either during his lifetime.1,2,3

The first and foremost priority in Buddhism is

the true interpretations of the Dhamma. The

faith and practice are secondary and are not

mandatory. The success to end suffering lies in

the internalization of the teachings of the

Buddha. We must train and retrain our bodies,

mouths and minds to attain grand-mirror-like



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wisdom in order to visualize all the phenomena

as truly as they are.4



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Integration of Phenomenal and Mental

Cultivation

In Buddhism, cultivation is classified into two

aspects (1) the phenomenal aspect of

cultivation such as sutra-reading, ceremonial

worship etc. which are referred as visible

outward cultivation and (2) the mental aspect

of cultivation which is subtle intangible inward

cultivation such as self-introspection and

looking into the mind. Since, the body and the

mind are correlated and inseparable from each

other, the cultivation of the one aspect

necessarily involves that of the other. So, in the

mental aspect there is the phenomenal and in

the phenomenal aspect there is the mental.

The better we understand the principle of

cultivation, more serious would be our

cultivation. In other words, more serious our



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cultivation, the better is our understanding of

the principle. From this it may be seen that

principle and practice should go together and

there is no need to lean against one and

neglect the other. As long as we can integrate

the two aspects of cultivation harmoniously and

are always mindful of the Law of Karma

operating the process of cause and effect at all

times.1,3,4

Applied Buddhism in Phenomenal and

Mental Cultivation2,3,5

At the initial stage, we can start leaning the

Buddhist teachings without developing any

faith or belief at the beginning or performing

any Buddhist rituals. Once, we understand the

true meanings of Buddhist teachings and able



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to relate them to our own life, then

automatically we shall start applying them in

our daily practice.

Believe and faith in Buddhism would develop

gradually as our mind starts accepting the

Dhamma. But we should always remember that

blind faith without proper interpretation of

Dhamma is never encouraged in Buddhism.

The teachings of the Buddha should always be

accepted with critical evaluation and analytical

reasoning for our true understandings.

Buddhism should be adopted and applied in

daily practice as a philosophical, Psychological

and moral foundation of our society and a way

of life rather than a religion. As we often

present Buddhism wrapped up in a cover of

religion, the followers of other religious faiths



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often feel uncomfortable to learn Buddhism.

They often suffer from a feeling of guilt and

injustice in having wrong notion of deceiving

their own religion and accepting another new

one. As a result, some religious communities

still possess a hostile attitude towards

Buddhism.

Eradication of Three Poisons1,4,5



eradication of greed, hatred and delusion.

These are the three poisons which are the main

cause for our attachments either to material

forms or dogmatic views. It is the attachment

of mind to material forms or dogmatic views

that is responsible for all our sufferings in life.



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So, all the Buddhist teachings are directed

towards achieving the goal of eradication of the

three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion.

However, the phenomenal and mental

cultivation in Buddhism advocates intensive

and incessant practice. It is only by cultivating

on regular and repeated occasions that we

could advance nearer the goal of

Enlightenment.

If someone argues against the phenomenal and

mental cultivations, he would be unaware of his

own greed, hatred, stupidity, passions,

prejudices and subjective thoughts and also

ignorant of the objective reality of those

phenomena. He would be as foolish as a patient

in serious condition refusing to take medical

treatment.



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Purification of the Activities Involving

Body, Mouth and Mind

All human activities generally involve the use of

three aspects of the human anatomy as the

body, mouth and mind. Although the mind is

the dominant factor of all, yet only through the

body and the mouth can its activities be

manifested. Thus, all the three aspects are

indivisible and inseparable from one another.

This is same as the case of wave which is

inseparable from water and itself is also water.

So, illusion is also inseparable from truth. All

activities, including the cultivation of mind, are

manifestations of the True Nature. It is also

appropriate to refer that all Dhammas are

related to the cultivation of the True Nature.

Hence, more the cultivation more is the



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manifestation of the True Nature and more the

benefits of mankind.1,4,5

Practice of Discipline, Concentration and

Wisdom

The phenomenal and mental faculties need to

be trained and retrained to become pure and

stainless. This is known as Mental Purification.

In Buddhism there is no cultivation without

discipline, concentration and wisdom. There is

no Dhamma without discipline, concentration

and wisdom. These three-fold studies are the

basic tenet for learning and cultivating

Buddhism. When the phenomenal and mental

faculties are morally restrained, it is Discipline.

When the phenomenal and mental faculties are

calm and still, it is Concentration. When the

phenomenal and mental faculties illuminate

unobtrusively and freely, it is Wisdom.1,4



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Discipline, Concentration and Wisdom are the

triple functions inherent in the True Nature. In

other words, these are the three aspects of the

same thing. The fundamental objective of

cultivation is to orient the body, mouth and

mind to the True Nature by evoking these three

functions.1,4

It is only by cultivating Buddhism in accordance

with this fundamental principle that the

beneficial effects of turning the mind from

defilement into purity, from chaos into stability

and from delusion into understanding may be

achieved. We should finally realize that there is

neither purity nor impurity; neither motion nor

stillness; neither wisdom nor attainment of any



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sort. This is the fundamental expression of the

True Nature.1,4

Conclusion



eradication of greed, hatred and delusion.

Although the mind is the dominant factor of all,

yet only through the body and the mouth can

its activities be manifested. Thus, all the three

aspects are indivisible and inseparable from

one another. Since, the body and the mind are

correlated and inseparable from each other, the

cultivation of the one aspect necessarily

involves that of the other. So, in the mental

aspect there is the phenomenal and in the

phenomenal aspect there is the mental. In



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Buddhism there is also no cultivation without

discipline, concentration and wisdom.1,4

With this background of the benefits of

phenomenal and mental cultivations, it is now

time to send a clear message to everyone for

the eradication of all unwarranted

apprehensions related to Buddhism. It has to

be borne in mind that Buddhism never

interferes with the socio-cultural or religious

practices of any community. So, any person

belonging to any other religious community can

feel free to learn Buddhism and apply the

Buddhist teachings in his daily life to end

suffering, without changing his own religion or

getting converted into Buddhism.2,3,5



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Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen & Unibook

Publications.

4. Chatterjee, A.K. 1975. The Yogcra

Idealism. Varnasi, India: Bhargava Bhushan

Press, the Banaras Hindu University Press.

5. Barua, D.K. 2005. Environment & Human

Resources: Buddhist Approaches. Applied

Buddhism: Studies in the Gospel of Buddha

from Modern Perspectives. . Varanasi, India:

Centre for Buddhist Studies, Department of

Pali & Buddhist Studies, Benaras Hindu

University: 90-6.



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THE GOAL TO DEVELOP MIRROR-LIKE

WISDOM

Abstarct

The most famous innovation of the Yogcra Schoolwas the doctrine of eight consciousnesses and it

upheld the concept that consciousness (vijna) is

real, but its objects of constructions are unreal. The

key emphasis of Yogcra is on insight meditation

which is actually considered to be a means of

abandoning delusions about the self and about the

world. When the storehouse consciousness is finally

transformed into the grand-mirror-like wisdom, it

reflects the entire universe without distortion. This

wisdom can perceive many objects accurately and

simultaneously.



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Key Words: Mind, Manas, laya,

Consciousness, Insight,Meditation.



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THE GOAL TO DEVELOP MIRROR-LIKE

WISDOM

Introduction

The Yogcra school of Buddhist thought was

founded by the two brothers, Asanga and

Vasubandhu in the fifth century. Yogcra was

a synthesis created in response to all existing

schools of Buddhism during the third century

BC. Yogcra extracted the common teachings

from all the Buddhist traditions and made an

attempt to resolve the problems that most of

them were facing. The key epistemological and

metaphysical insights of Yogcra evolved from

the common Buddhist belief that knowledge

comes only from the senses (vijnapti). With a

new insight, Yogcra proposed that the mind,

itself, was an aspect of vijnapti.1,2,3,4



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Asanga further recognized that though the

mind can sense its own objects, which are

known as thoughts (apperception), but it

cannot verify its own interpretation. As the

senses are constantly misinterpreted, our

thoughts (apperceptions) are also

misinterpreted in the same way. These

misconceptions are instinctive and nearly

universal because they are caused by the

desires, fears and anxieties that come with

animal survival. This results in an automatic

assumption of substance for self and objects

(atman and dharma) which are created to

suppress our fears.1,3,4,5



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Various Types of Consciousness in

Yogcra

The most famous innovation of the Yogcra

School was the doctrine of eight

consciousnesses. Early Buddhism and

Abhidhamma described six consciousnesses,

each produced by the contact between its

specific sense organ and a corresponding sense

object. Thus, when a functioning eye comes

into contact with a color or shape, visual

consciousness is produced. Consciousness does

not create the sensory sphere, but is an effect

of the interaction of a sense organ and its true

object. If an eye does not function but an object

is present, visual consciousness does not arise.

The same is true if a functional eye fails to

encounter a visual object.5,6,7,8,9



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Arising of consciousness is dependent on

sensation. There are altogether six sense

organs (eye, ear, nose, mouth, body, and mind)

which interact with their respective sensory

object domains like visual, auditory, olfactory,

gustatory, tactile, and mental spheres. Here,

the mind is considered to be another sense

organ as it functions like the other senses. It

involves the activity of a sense organ (manas),

its domain (mano-dhtu) and the resulting

consciousness (mano-vijna).

Each domain is discrete and function

independent of the other. Hence, the deaf can

see and the blind can hear. Objects are also

specific to their domain and the same is true of

the consciousnesses like the visual

consciousness is entirely distinct from auditory



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consciousness. There are six distinct types of

consciousness namely, the visual, auditory,

olfactory, gustatory, tactile and mental

consciousness.5,6,7,8,9

The six sense organs, six sense object domains

and six resulting consciousnesses comprise our

eighteen components of experience and are

known as the eighteen dhtus. According to

Buddhism, these eighteen dhtus are the

comprehensive sensorium of everything in the

universe.6,7,8,9

As Abhidhamma grew more complex, disputes

intensified between different Buddhist schools

along a range of issues. In order to avoid the

idea of a permanent self, Buddhists said citta is

momentary. Since a new citta apperceives a

new cognitive field each moment, the apparent



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continuity of mental states was explained

causally by claiming each citta, in the moment

it ceased, also acted as cause for the arising of

its successor. This was fine for continuous

perceptions and thought processes, but

difficulties arose since Buddhists identified a

number of situations in which no citta at all was

present or operative, such as deep sleep,

unconsciousness, and certain meditative

conditions explicitly defined as devoid of citta

(saj-sampatti, nirodha-sampatti). So, the

controversial questions were: from where does

consciousness reemerge after deep sleep? How

does consciousness begin in a new life? The

various Buddhist attempts to answer these

questions led to more difficulties and disputes.

For Yogcra the most important problems



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revolved around questions of causality and

consciousness.6,7,8,9



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Yogcrins responded by rearranging the

tripartite structure of the mental level of the

eighteen dhtus into three novel types of

consciousnesses. Mano-vijna (empirical

consciousness) became the sixth consciousness

processing the cognitive content of the five

senses as well as mental objects (thoughts,

ideas). Manas became the seventh

consciousness, which was primarily obsessed

with various aspects and notions of "self".

Hence, it was called "defiled manas" (klia-

manas). The eighth consciousness, laya-

vijna also known as "warehouse

consciousness," was totally novel.6,7,8,9



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Four Wisdoms from Eight

Consciousnesses7,8,9

(1)The first five perceptual consciousnesses

are transformed into the Wisdom of

Successful Performance. This wisdom is

characterized by pure and unimpeded

functioning (no attachment or distortion) in

its relation to the (sense) organs and their

objects.

(2)The sixth consciousness is the perceptual

and cognitive processing center. It is

transformed into the Wisdom of Wonderful

Contemplation which has two aspects

corresponding to understanding of the

emptiness of self and that of the

emptiness of Dhammas.



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(3)The seventh consciousness defiles the

first six consciousnesses with self and self-

related afflictions. It is transformed into the

Wisdom of Equality which understands the

nature of the equality of self and of all other

beings.

(4) The eighth, the storehouse

consciousness, is transformed into the

grand-mirror-like wisdom. This wisdom

reflects the entire universe without

distortion. Like mirror can reflect many

objects simultaneously, the wisdom can

perceive many objects accurately and

simultaneously. This can be achieved by

proper transformation of the laya-vijna

to this wisdom and is considered to be the

state of the Buddhahood.



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A similar principle is applied in the modern

telescopes for observing the universe. The lens

of a modern telescope is replaced by a mirror in

order to avoid chromatic aberrations. Mirror of

the telescope reflects the true image of the

space and universe.

Conclusion

In Yogcra concept, true knowledge begins

when consciousness ends. Thus,

Enlightenment is considered as the act of

bringing the eight consciousnesses to an end

and replacing them with enlightened cognitive

abilities (jna). Here, the sixth consciousness

(Manas) becomes the immediate cognition of

equality (samat-jna) by equalizing self and



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other. When the Warehouse Consciousness

finally ceases it is replaced by the Great Mirror

Cognition (Mahdara-jna) that sees and

reflects things truly as they are (yath-

bhtam).5,6,8

Thus, the grasper-grasped relationship ceases

and the mind projects the things impartially

without exclusion, prejudice, anticipation,

attachment, or distortion. These "purified"

cognitions remove the self-bias, prejudice and

obstructions that had previously prevented a

person from perceiving beyond his selfish

consciousness. Since enlightened cognition is

non-conceptual, its objects cannot be

described. So, the Yogcra School could not

provide any description regarding the outcome

of these types of enlightened cognitions except



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for referring these as 'pure' (of imaginative

constructions).3,5,8



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References

1. Keenan, J.P. 1988. Buddhist Yogcra

Philosophy as Ancilla Theologiae. Japanese

Religions 15: 36.

2. Pensgard, D. 2006. Yogcra Buddhism:

A sympathetic description and suggestion

for use in Western theology and philosophy

of religion. JSRI 15:94-103.

3. Lusthaus, D. 2002. Buddhist

Phenomenology: A Philosophical

Investigation of Yogcra Buddhism and the

Cheng Wei-shih lun. New York: Routledge

Curzon.

4. Suzuki, D.T. 1998. Studies in the

Lankavatara Sutra. New Delhi: India

Munshiram Manoharlal Pub Pvt Ltd.



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5. Chatterjee, A.K. 1975. The Yogcra

Idealism. Varnasi, India: Bhargava Bhushan

Press, the Banaras Hindu University Press.

6. Tripathi, C.L.1972. The Problem of

Knowledge in Yogcra Buddhism. Varnasi,

India: Bharat-Bharati Press.

7. King, R.1994. Early Yogcra and its

relationship with the Madhyamika school.

Philosophy East & West44: 659.

8. King, R. 1998. Vijnaptimatrata and the

Abhidhamma context of early Yogcra.

Asian Philosophy8(1): 5.

9. Yin, J. 2009. Yogcra school and Faxiang

school. Hong Kong: The Centre of Buddhist

Studies, the University of Hong Kong.

Applied Buddhism in Self Cultivation

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