Śūnyatā of Yogācāra: A Study of the Tattvārtha Chapter of the Bodhisattvabhūmi

By : Kang Wang

Page No: 133-208

Abstract
This paper examines the origins and developments of the theory that “the unreal (prajñapti) is based on the real (vastumātra)”. This theory serves as a foundational principle in the Tattvārtha Paṭala of YBŚ. Traces of this theory can be discerned in the contemplative practice of Lesser Discourse on Emptiness (Cūḷasuññatasutta), preserved in either Zhōngāhánjīng (Middle Length Āgama Sutras) or Majjhima-Nikāya, where it is referred to as the “remains of emptiness”. The Sarvāstivāda, the earliest Buddhist sect, to formally propose this idea, asserts that “all phenomena in the three times truly exist (asti), as do the essences of phenomena.” The Yogācāra critically inherited and further developed the Sarvāstivāda’s logic of this theory. The Yogācāra inherited elements of Nāgārjuna but diverged from it, having formulated the Two Natures doctrine to challenge the Sarvāstivāda’s self-nature and Mādhyamika views that all are merely designation and that this constitutes reality. Building upon this foundation, the Yogācāra articulated its understanding, employing this theory as a key element in its exposition of emptiness (śūnyatā).

Author :
Kang Wang : Leader of Research Team of the English Base for Buddhist Exchange (EBBE), East Gate of Guangxiao Temple, No.177 Haizhu North Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China