The View of Chittamatra

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kalden yungdrung
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The View of Chittamatra

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Tashi delek DW members,


Below the vision about the Chittamatra according Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche.


Mutsug Marro
KY.

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The View of Chittamatra.


The basis of the Chittamatra system of the Yogachara school is compassion and Bodhichitta.

The Chittamatra also recognizes a basic Kunzhi (kun-gzhi) or Alaya, as well as recognizing a self-awareness or Svasamvedana (rang-rig) that is inherent in each moment of consciousness.

The Chittamatra uses these concepts such as Rang-rig and Kunzhi, but according to Madhyamaka, Shunyata is the highest view. However, the Chittamatra position does not recognize the Shunyata which is known to and defined by the Madhyamaka school.

The Chittamatra view of Shunyata is quite different from that of Madhyamaka.

The Madhyamaka asserts that if something had an inherent existence, then it could not change and disappear. Its essence would be immutable. But it is our experience that things change and disappear all of the time. So all of these consciousnesses (rnam-shes) are lacking in any inherent existence (rang-bzhin med-pa).

But Chittamatra asks, if this is so, how can there be any karmic traces? In the Madhyamaka view, if we cannot find any inherent existence in phenomena, this is Shunyata.

The view of Madhyamaka is that everything is insubstantial (bdag-med) and lacks any inherent existence (rang-bzhin med-pa). Any self or substance (bdag) lacks inherent existence and does not exist independently. Everything is conditioned by causes and constantly changing. Therefore, everything is empty. If there did exist an inherent nature, then the cause could not become the result which is different than it-- it can only remain what it was originally and there would be absolutely no change.

But Chittamatra asserts that mind (sems), the subject side, has an inherent existence (rang-bzhin gyi yod-pa), however external appearances phenomena do not exist independently. Everything there is the result of karmic causes. An independent self (bdag) does not exist, but it does exist in relative terms in a condition of dependence. The Kunzhi Namshe is this self.

What exists inherently here is the Kunzhi Namshe (kun-gzhi rnam-shes), the base consciousness, and this is the real "I", the principle that transmigrates from life to life. Each sentient being has this base consciousness. And this base consciousness is individual; we are not all "one mind". This is the Chittamatra view. But Madhyamaka asserts that the self (bdag) is only a name. Absolutely nothing exists, whether dependent or independent-- it is merely a name. Karmic causes and their consequences are only names. And the Madhyamaka system does not recognize a Kunzhi Namshe. There are only six consciousnesses and no store room for the karmic traces. There is no place to collect and store them. The Madhyamikas maintain that it is not necessary to store them anywhere. The owner just has them as baggage and does not need a particular place to put them. But in any event, this owner is only a name.

The Madhyamaka school teaches that everything is without an inherent existence (rangbzhin gyi med-pa), but according to the Chittamatra, this view is insufficient.

The Chittamatra asserts that an inherent nature must exist (rang-bzhin gyi yod-pa), because, otherwise, there would be no basis for the existence of karmic causes. If we say that karmic causes are only names and concepts, they would produce no effects. We can say that we have a horn on our head, but this does not mean one exists there. We can say almost anything, but that does not mean that what we say exists. Therefore, there must exist something on its own as inherent nature.

The Madhyamaka view is inadequate because it recognizes only the one side of Shunyata-- the nonduality of subject and object.

The Madhyamaka counters this argument. If we examine the eye, for example, we might say that it has an inherent existence. Its function is to see. Yet sometimes an eye may be defective or even blind and cannot see at all, even though we still give it the name "eye". Therefore, it lacks an inherent existence. All things lack an inherent existence because they are changing all the time. This represents their emptiness. For this reason, the Prajnaparamita Sutras say there is no eye, there is no ear, and so on. Their inherent nature (rang-bzhin) does not exist. So we must come to understand what Shunyata means in this context.

The Chittamatra also recognizes Shunyata, but what is meant here by Shunyata is different than the Shunyata in Madhyamaka.

According to Chittamatra, it is a single karmic cause that gives rise to the two sides of subject and object. But these two sides are inseparable and this inseparability represents their emptiness. However, this is not the same as saying that there is nothing there at all. For example, when we see the blue color of the sky, we are aware of this blue color by means of our eye consciousness. So we have two things here: the blue color and our individual eye consciousness. But these two are inseparable because they arise from a single karmic cause.

There is a single cause, but two effects, the object and the consciousness or subject. To try to separate them (subject and object) is like trying to cut an egg in half-- we try to cut it in two, but there is only one egg. Subject and object are inseparable.

The Shunyata of the Chittamatra school means the non-duality of subject and object, that is, their interdependence. The blue color (the object) and the eye consciousness (the subject) are non-dual and interdependent because they arise from the same cause. They always occur together. If our consciousness is not present, there will be no blue color found out there. The blue color only exists in our act of perceiving it. It has no independent existence. Both arise from a single karmic cause.

Consciousness and the object of perception are inseparable. The blue color does not exist until our consciousness is present to perceive it. For us, it exists only then. When we close our eyes, this blue color does not exist for us any more. This blue color and our consciousness are inseparable, and this is the meaning of Shunyata. They are empty or shunya (stong-pa) because they are not separate independent entities; they are interdependent and arise from a cause. This not existing independently is what Shunyata means. The blue color and our eye consciousness are merely two sides of the same coin.

So the meaning of Shunyata in the Yogachara system and in the Madhyamaka system is quite different. The Yogachara school is also called Chittamatra or Semtsampa (sems-tsam-pa) because the Yogacharins assert that everything is connected with mind (sems). If there is no consciousness present, then the object does not exist. For it to exist, the object and the consciousness must come together, embrace each other, and depart together. Their interdependence and their inseparability represents their emptiness. But this is not the same meaning as the Madhyamaka meaning of Shunyata. Furthermore, according to the Madhyamaka, the six consciousnesses lack any inherent nature.

The Chittamatra speaks of 16 kinds of Shunyata, whereas the Madhyamaka speaks of eighteen kinds of Shunyata. But whereas the Chittamatra recognizes Shunyata, it is not the Shunyata of Madhyamaka which is the absence of any inherent existence (rang-bzhin med-pa).

The cause is different in Madhyamaka and Chittamatra, that is to say, their understanding of Shunyata is different. Therefore, the path of practice is different and, therefore, the fruit will be different.

Chittamatra recognizes Shunyata to mean the non-duality of subject and object and the followers of the Chittamatra view practice that Shunyata and not the Shunyata of Madhyamaka of no inherent existence. The practice follows from that view, and so the Madhyamaka Buddha will not be the same as the Chittamatra Buddha. The Tantras may be interpreted according to either the Madhyamaka view or the Chittamatra view. The texts of the Tantras allow for either interpretation. Although nowadays all the Tibetan schools are officially Prasangika Madhyamaka and the Tantras are explained from that standpoint, in early days, both in India and Tibet, many commentaries explained the Tantras from the Chittamatra standpoint and practitioners obtained results from practicing in that way.

There are many doctrines held in common by Madhyamaka and Chittamatra, such as the ten Paramitas, compassion, and so on. They also have the five paths and the ten stages. Among the five paths, the path of accumulation (tshogs lam) is so-called be cause the practitioner practices accumulating (tshogs) merit and wisdom.

The next path, the path of unification (sbyor lam) is socalled because the subject is unified (sbyor) to the object. The next, the path of vision (mthong lam) is when one sees (mthong) the first glimpse of reality. Here is found the first stage or bhumi. The remaining nine stages are found in the next path, the path of meditation (sgom-lam). Finally, there is the fifth path, the path beyond all training (mi slob lam).

But in Madhyamaka and Chittamatra, the practice of the Prajnaparamita or the Perfection of Wisdom is different, although the practice of the other Paramitas are the same, since both schools belong to the Mahayana. Chittamatra says that all the world is an illusion, but it does not say that nothing exists. Madhyamaka asserts that everything is created by our thoughts. Chittamatra replies that if this were so, why is there any suffering experienced in the world? Everyone wants to be happy and enjoy pleasurable sensations. Since we experience suffering, there must be some real existence apart from our thoughts and desires. We cannot just create everything in our minds. We do not want to suffer, and yet suffering exists. So it is not created by our minds. Chittamatra says there must be something real because otherwise there would be no practice and no attaining of Buddhahood. If it were all a matter of just creating it with our thoughts, we would not need to practice, but could just think that we are the Buddha and it would be so.

But Madhyamaka never said that whatever we think is true. We can say, "My finger is like a car", but this is not a suitable statement. There is no reason there. In order to be able to give a name, there must be a sufficient reason. Yes, everything is created by thoughts, but statements should be suitable. Our saying "This ball is my head" is not a valid statement because there is no connection between this ball and my head. So there must be a basis for for valid imputation. But Madhyamaka says even valid statements have no inherent existence. They are not sufficient. Dzogchen also says that everything is an illusion, but we must understand what that means. It is not enough to say it. We must realize it concretely.

According to Chittamatra, subject and object are inseparable, yet they are distinct. And this is true of consciousness, for there is a self-awareness or an awareness of being aware. In this case, consciousness (rnam-shes) is the object side and self-awareness (rang-rig) is the subject side.

This self-awareness or Rang-rig is a self-knowing or a self-seeing. In this Tibetan word, rang means "self" or "itself", and rig means "to know" or "to be aware". So it is an awareness which is aware of itself. For example, the flame of a butter lamp illuminates a dark room, but it also illuminates itself, that is, it is clear and luminous. Thus the lamp has two functions: externally to remove the darkness in the room and internally to illuminate itself. These two functions are inseparable in every moment of consciousness. We are aware of the object (gzhan rig) and we are aware that we are aware (rang rig). We know that we know. This is self-awareness. So what we actually see and know is not an autonomous external world at all. What we see is only our own consciousness. What we see is only ourselves. Every occasion of sense consciousness and of mind consciousness is a moment of self-awareness (rang-rig). And just at that moment, the subject knows itself without any thought-- this is Rang-rig. This doctrine of Svasamvedana, that consciousness illuminates itself as well as its objects, is characteristic of the Chittamatrin view and is rejected by the Madhyamaka.

The Madhyamaka system only recognizes six operations of consciousness (tshogs drug): the five sense consciousnesses and the mind consciousness, whereas the Yogachara system recognizes eight kinds of consciousness (tshogs brgyad). All of them are self-illuminated or Rang-rig. The previous example of the lamp light illuminating itself, as well as illuminating the objects in a dark room, illustrates this.

Thus, consciousness and Rang-rig are always inseparable. Besides the five sense consciousnesses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and the sixth, mind consciousness or Manovijnana (kid kyi rnam-shes), there are two further types of consciousness: the defiled mind consciousness, or Klishta-manovijnana (nyon-shes), and the base consciousness known as Alayavijnana or Kunzhi Namshe (kun-gzhi rnam-shes). Defiled mind consciousness means the operation of the mind (Skt. manas) has become defiled (Skt. klishta) and distorted by the presence of the passions (Skt. klesha). Therefore, our mind does not work properly, but it sees everything in a distorted fashion, colored by the presence of passion.

In the Chittamatra system, this Kunzhi is the basis of everything, that is, it is the container of all karmic traces. The relationship among these eight operations of consciousness is explained by way of an example. The Kunzhi Namshe, or Alayavijnana, is like a treasure house and the Manovijnana, or mind consciousness, is like a husband. The five sense consciousnesses are like his servants. They constantly go about in the world, searching for wealth to bring back to their master. And the Klishtamanas is like his wife; it is she who keeps and enjoys all the wealth her husband and servants collect in the world. This Kunzhi is the basis for collecting and preserving karmic traces, but when the individual attains Nirvana, this Kunzhi Namshe is dissolved, because there are no more karmic traces remaining and no new ones are accumulated. Its operation ceases. Until then, each sentient being possesses his own individual Kunzhi. It is the basis of our individuality. And each of these eight consciousnesses are Rang-rig: self-knowing and self-clear. Consciousness and the Rang-rig are always inseparable.

The Kunzhi Namshe serves as the medium for the transmission of karmic traces or vasanas (bag-chags). Every action of free will leaves behind a karmic trace in our stream of consciousness at its deepest level. These traces or residues are like seeds which are stored here, and when in the future, there exists the proper configuration of secondary causes, these seeds germinate and we experience the fruit of our past karma. Because these karmic traces are stored in the Kunzhi Namshe, it is also known as the storehouse consciousness. In Tibetan, it is called Kunzhi Namshe (kun-gzhi rnam-shes), where kun means all, that is, all karmic traces good and bad, gzhi means base, the receptacle were the traces are kept, and rnam-shes means consciousness.

However, although the Chittamatra does not say that the Kunzhi and the karmic traces are the same, it does say that that both have an inherent existence (rang-bzhin). The example is that the Kunzhi is like a grain storehouse and the karmic traces are like the seed grains contained in it. On the other hand, the Madhyamaka counters this argument and asserts that they must be the same. In that case, if we purify the Kunzhi, it will only be the same as before. If we merely wash our house on the outside, it will make no difference on the inside. But according to the Madhyamaka, if we dissolve our karmic traces, the Kunzhi will also dissolve. Through the practice of Shunyata and the practice of Bodhichitta, these karmic traces are purified.

Generally, there are two Tibetan words for karmic traces-- sa-bon (Skt. bija, seed) and bagchags (Skt. vasana, residue, trace). In the Chittamatra system, these two terms have the same meaning. But according to Madhyamaka, sa-bon is much more coarse and easier to purify and remove, whereas the bag-chags are much more subtle and difficult to purify. The Tenth Bhumi is the antidote to all of them. In conclusion, we can say that there is a fundamental difference between the view of Madhyamaka and the view of Chittamatra. The Chittamatra may use concepts like Rang-rig and Kunzhi, but in the Madhyamaka system, which rejects these characteristic ideas of Chittamatra, Shunyata is the highest view. Chittamatra also conceives of Shunyata, but in a quite different way than Madhyamaka. We have seen that Madhyamaka denies the self-aware nature of consciousness (rang-rig). And it does not recognize the existence of the Kunzhi Nanshe, or base consciousness, as a storehouse for karmic traces. These are some principal differences between the two philosophical systems, and it is important to understand them. Furthermore, Dzogchen also speaks of Kunzhi and Rang-rig, but understands the meaning of these terms quite differently.
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