Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

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ItsRaining
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Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by ItsRaining »

Are these books a good introduction to Yogacara Buddhism? Do they correctly represent the Mind Only Teachings?

Thanks! :bow:
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Astus
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by Astus »

Living Yogacara is good as a general introduction for East Asian Yogacara, i.e. the Dharma Characteristics School (Faxiangzong/Hossoushuu).
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
ItsRaining
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by ItsRaining »

Astus wrote:Living Yogacara is good as a general introduction for East Asian Yogacara, i.e. the Dharma Characteristics School (Faxiangzong/Hossoushuu).
Does the East Asian Yogacara (Faxiang) School differ from Indian or Tibetan ones? Did they receive influence from the Tathgatagharbha thought from texts like the Shurangama Sutra and Awakening of Faith that's popular in East Asia?

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Fortyeightvows
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Yes, Awakening of faith for sure.
I read living yogacara and thought it was excellent. It is THE english textbook for yogacara.
If I remember right, it is a translation of THE textbook from japan.

Also geshe tashi's relative truth ultimate truth is the book for a comparison of the four tenants, of which yogacara is one.

Unless people say chittamantra and yogacara are different, but I don't think so.
Schrödinger’s Yidam
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by Schrödinger’s Yidam »

Unless people say chittamantra and yogacara are different, but I don't think so.
In general use they are synonyms.

Unfortunately there are lamas like the Karma Kagyu lama Khenpo Tsultrim that use Yogacara as a synonym for Shentong/Great Madhyamaka. I say "unfortunate" because it can confuse conversations unless the change is somehow highlighted. These subjects are confusing enough without without having consistent definitions of key words.
1.The problem isn’t ‘ignorance’. The problem is the mind you have right now. (H.H. Karmapa XVII @NYC 2/4/18)
2. I support Mingyur R and HHDL in their positions against lama abuse.
3. Student: Lama, I thought I might die but then I realized that the 3 Jewels would protect me.
Lama: Even If you had died the 3 Jewels would still have protected you. (DW post by Fortyeightvows)
ItsRaining
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by ItsRaining »

Fortyeightvows wrote:Yes, Awakening of faith for sure.
I read living yogacara and thought it was excellent. It is THE english textbook for yogacara.
If I remember right, it is a translation of THE textbook from japan.

Also geshe tashi's relative truth ultimate truth is the book for a comparison of the four tenants, of which yogacara is one.

Unless people say chittamantra and yogacara are different, but I don't think so.
Thanks, just bought the ebook of "Living Yogacara", pretty great so far.
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Astus
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Re: Has anyone read "Living Yogacara" or "Inside Vasubhandu's Yogacara"?

Post by Astus »

ItsRaining wrote:Does the East Asian Yogacara (Faxiang) School differ from Indian or Tibetan ones?
It is based on Indian treatises, primarily the Cheng Weishi Lun, a great summary written by Xuanzang (602–664). It is somewhat different from the Tibetan versions, as for instance neither the Abhisamayalamkara, nor the Dharmadharmatavibhaga has reached China before the 20th century.
Did they receive influence from the Tathgatagharbha thought from texts like the Shurangama Sutra and Awakening of Faith that's popular in East Asia?
It is the interpretation of buddha-nature that made the Faxiang school controversial in the eyes of other Chinese traditions, as Xuanzang and his disciples maintained the doctrine of five gotras.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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