Introduction to Yogacara Buddhism:
Asanga, Vasubandhu and Hsuan-Tsang
by Thomas Tam
[June 4, 2004]
The Vijnaptimatratasiddhi-Trimsika 1
By Vasuhandhu 2
Translated by Wei Tat 3
11
The good caittas refer to belief, sense of shame, sense of integrity,
The three roots of non-covetousness and so forth [non-anger and non-delusion],
Zeal or diligence, composure of mind, vigilance,
Equanimity, and harmlessness or non-injury.
12
The klesas are covetousness, anger,
Delusion, conceit, doubt, and false views.
The upaklesas (secondary vexing passions) are (1) fury;
(2) Enmity; (3) concealment or hypocrisy (4) vexation; (5) envy; (6) parsimony;
13
(7) Deception; (8) duplicity or fraudulence; (with) (9) harmfulness; (10) pride;
(11) Shamelessness; (12) non-integrity;
(13) Agitation or restlessness; (with) (14) torpid-mindedness;
(15) Unbelief; (16) indolence;
14
(17) Idleness; (18) forgetfulness;
(19) Distraction; and (20) non-discernment or thoughtlessness.
The indeterminate mental qualities refer to remorse, drowsiness,
Reflection, and investigation; these two couples can be of two kinds 21.
15
In dependence upon the root consciousness (i.e., the eighth consciousness, Alayavijnana)
The five consciousnesses (of the senses) manifest themselves in accordance with various causes and conditions,
Sometimes together, sometimes separately,
Just as waves manifest themselves in dependence upon the conditions of the water.
16
But the sixth consciousness (Manovijnana) manifests itself at all times,
Except for beings born into the ‘heavenly world without thought’ (among Asamjnidevas 22 in whom thinking has entirely ceased),
Except also for those in the two mindless Samapattis (two forms of meditation in which there is no more activity of thought) and
Those who are in states of stupor or unconsciousness.
17
The various consciousnesses manifest themselves in what seem to be two divisions:
Perception and the object of perception.
Because of this, Atman and dharmas do not exist.
For this reason, all is mere consciousness 23.
18
From the consciousness which contains all Bijas (seeds) (the Alayavijnana)
Such-and-such evolution or transformation takes place.
Through the force of the mutual co-operation 24 of the actual Dharmas
Such-and-such kinds of distinction are engendered.
19
Owing to the habit-energy 25 (Bijas) of various previous deeds,
Together with the habit-energy of the two ‘Apprehensions 26’,
As previous retribution (karma of previous existences) is exhausted,
Succeeding retribution (maturing in subsequent existences) is produced 27.
20
Because of such and such imaginations,
Such and such things are imagined, [i.e., conceived by the imagination].
What is conceived by this imagination
Has no nature of its own.
Click Here For Verse 21-30
Notes: (The Vijnaptimatratasiddhi-Trimsika, written by Vasubandhu around the fourth century, is a central text for Yogacara Buddhism, which was started by his brother, Asanga. Commentaries written by ten of Vasubandhu’s disciples were merged and translated in a book, Ch’eng Wei-Shih Lun, by Hsuan Chuang after he came back from India to China in the T’ang dynasty. Some of the following notes come from Rev. Tai Hsu’s lectures on the Vijnaptimatratasiddhi-Trimsika. The responsibility of all misinterpretations must be borne by the presenter, Thomas Tam, alone.)
- The thirty stanzas on mere consciousness.
- Author of the thirty stanzas, and brother of Asanga, who lived around the fourth century.
- From his translation of Hsuan Chuang’s Doctrine of Mere Consciousness.
- Meaning self.
- Meaning things, events, ideas, etc.
- The most fundamental consciousness, where everything resides. Like the Sanskrit word for Himalaya, where snow resides.
- The consciousness that differentiates constantly. It grabs onto the store consciousness and considers it to be the self.
- The consciousness that differentiates, but not constantly, for example, good or bad, beautiful or ugly.
- Meaning the consciousness of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
- Roughly meaning consequences.
- Roughly meaning causes.
- A mental attribute is the result of the manifestation of a seed in our store consciousness.
- The consciousness where there is no sense of suffering or enjoyment.
- The consciousness that contains all seeds, which cannot be classified as good or evil.
- The state of sainthood where troubles cease to arise.
- Nirvana does not mean death. It means peace from the liberation of self.
- The consideration made by the mind which can result in future consequences.
- Different levels of existence: human, animal, hell, heaven, etc.
- The wisdom that transcend the ordinary world we live in.
- That is, sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mind.
- Remorse and drowsiness is of one kind; reflection and investigation refers to another kind.
- Name of inhabitants of such a world.
- A permanent self or thing does not exist. The self or thing exists only as perception or objects of perception, both manifestations of consciousness.
- The seeds that reside in the store consciousness, seem to be inert, before manifestation. It is changing and growing at every instant, nevertheless. The manifestation of every seed, is also dependent on the cooperation or interaction of other seeds.
- Habit energy means permeation or impregnation. Thich Nhat Hanh explained it thus: “If you want to make jasmine tea, you pick jasmine flowers, put them in a box together with the tea, close it tightly, and leave it for several weeks. The fragrant jasmine penetrates deeply into the tea leaves. The tea will then smell of jasmine, because it has absorbed the perfume of the jasmine blossoms. Our store consciousness also has a strong capacity to receive and absorb “fragrances” or “scents”.
- The two apprehensions refer to the insistent grabbing of the self and of appearances.
- It is the inability to give up the self and appearances, plus the influences from previous seeds, that the cycle of birth and death continues.
- The nature of ultimate reality refers to the giving up of insistent grabbing of the self and appearances.
- Without experiencing and understanding the nature of ultimate reality, there cannot be an understanding of the nature of dependence on others. In other words, without giving up the self and appearances, one cannot see through the appearance of things and self.
- The three natures of existence refer to: 1) what is conceived by imagination; 2) dependence on others; 3) ultimate reality.
- This refers to Buddha’s understanding that people in the world insistently grab onto some permanent nature in the things they encountered.
- The three non-existences refer to the impermanent nature of appearance; the inability to reduce something to a first cause; and the unreality of ultimate reality.
- The apprehensions refer to the insistent grabbing of the self and appearances. The two terms ‘attachment’ and ‘drowsiness’ in this stanza, however, should be more appropriately translated as ‘dormant’.
- Here, ‘perception’ should be replaced by ‘possession’.
- The two dross barriers refer to ‘knowledge’ and ‘afflictions’.
- It is also known as Pure Consciousness, when it is realized that store consciousness is no longer subject to afflictions, and afflictions are no other than enlightenment. (from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Transformation at the Base: Fifty Verses on The Nature of Consciousness).
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