For example, let's start with the basic theoretical framework of Buddhist Yogacara. I will give you a general introduction, and you can listen to it. Later, it will serve as the basis for discussing the new Yogacara. You can take a look at the problems discussed in the old Yogacara, see if the ideas are good, and if the explanations are also reasonable. That's enough.
Buddhism was introduced to China, and we say there are Hinayana and Mahayana. Mahayana is divided into emptiness and existence, and it has a historical perspective. In fact, Yogacara is the last and most rigorous school of thought in Indian Buddhism. In our philosophical terms, it is the most philosophical school of thought. Unfortunately, after being introduced to China, it flourished for several decades.
There are two reasons. One is that we do not like this kind of agricultural economy, this kind of natural economy, and this kind of ethnic group. We prefer straightforward and simple theories, always eliminating complex ones. Another reason is his discussion on transcendence in Yogacara, which is the aspect that Xiong Shili is not satisfied with.
So, let me briefly introduce it first, because literature is not a necessary subject for my undergraduate studies. It's just a prerequisite, and not teaching it is not feasible. I roughly divide the theory of consciousness into two parts: the theory of environment and the theory of action. I won't discuss the theory of fruit, and I won't discuss the level of becoming a Buddha or the degree of becoming a Buddha.
The part of action theory is simply a practice, an improvement in understanding, and a tempering of emotions and willpower. Yogacara is a very rational approach, with a focus on the realm theory. What is environmental theory?
It's a bit of a talk to us today about the existence of cosmology, and sometimes Taiwan translates it into ontology, universal theory, and so on. So, how does it explain this set?
In order to help everyone understand the basic theoretical structure of Buddhist Yogacara, this diagram may be very concise, allowing everyone to understand that it is a doctrine on how to understand the world, the human heart, and human nature. Yogacara regards all the existence in the entire world, including the existence of phenomena and ultimate existence. Let's talk about everything, divided into two parts, one is called the method of doing things, and the other is called the method of doing nothing, which is the long line I drew in the middle. It is called the Five Elements and Hundred Methods, and the Five Elements are the five categories. The Hundred Laws are empty words, which means there are one hundred, one thousand, and ten thousand. Let's not just talk about them, they are five categories. All phenomena in the world can be divided into five categories. If we further divide the five categories, there are two categories: one is called the Law of Action, and the other is called the Law of Non Action.
Everyone who studies Marxist Leninist knows that he divided all phenomena in this world into two categories: material phenomena and spiritual phenomena. This is a method of judging teaching, as long as you enter his discourse system, you will follow him. But if you want to study Buddhism, such as the study of Yogacara, he will immediately tell you that there are two types of five hundred dharmas, and everything in the world can be divided into two categories: the non action dharma and the active dharma.
If I use his term to describe teaching, the material and spiritual phenomena we usually talk about are all phenomena of action. He also has a method of non action. What is the method of non action? The law of non action is unspeakable. The method of non action is the ultimate existence that Buddhism teaches, such as truth and emptiness. So, I drew a circle on it, it was an empty circle and we couldn't express it, so we had to draw a circle.
The following is the law of action, which means that all phenomena we are talking about exist within this law of action, including material phenomena and spiritual phenomena. However, Yogacara does not classify spiritual phenomena and material phenomena in this way. It is first and foremost the world of non action that transforms into reality, and the mind and place above it, which are divided into a world of action.
These are two types of classification methods, which we call the dual world. One is the phenomenal world, and the other is the true world. We all live in this phenomenal world, but we only live in the four types mentioned above. The fifth true Dharma is present in us, but it does not work. It is always in a state of silence, called stillness. When will it work?
After you have practiced well and emptied all the four methods above, the fifth type of non action method will appear. Of course, that appearance is not a manifestation of initiative. If initiative appears, it is the Confucian theory of bodily use, which is the emergence of dependent origination and emptiness. So, the four categories above are called heart, heart, position, and color.
You see, the classification of material phenomena and spiritual phenomena that we talked about is different. But if we have to classify it, it's not much different. You can say that the heart and what it is are spiritual phenomena, color is a material phenomenon, and the hierarchy is somewhat like a relational category. Whether we study Western philosophy or not, we often say that this is a category that represents the spirit of subjectivity. Some are categories that represent objective existence, while others represent this category of relationships. It is difficult to classify it into any category within the category of relationships. If you say it is a material phenomenon, it seems acceptable. If you say it is a psychological phenomenon, it seems acceptable. This is our interpretation.
Buddhist Yogacara categorizes all four types into mind techniques, as shown in my diagram. The large circle on the left represents the seed of consciousness, which indicates that if a person has a mind, the one on the right is called the color technique. Material phenomena, such as the four major elements, five roots, and five dust, as well as the phenomena perceived by the mind, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, or the categories of experience. Where did these things come from?
Yogacara is a thorough explanation of idealism, which means that color phenomena are manifestations of mental phenomena. Using the method of dividing material phenomena today, it means that all material phenomena belong to spiritual phenomena. If we had talked about this in the past, it would have been very exhausting. Wei Shi had talked a lot about it in the past, but today it's convenient for us. I don't even need to talk about it in this class because you have studied the history of Western philosophy,
The idea of constructing subjectivity from Berkeley, Hume, to Kant has unified the system of color law into the system of mind law.
Of course, the question of whether there is an absolute existence behind the color method called the thing in itself is not discussed in Yogacara. Because that thing is not presented to us. Some students may have resistance to Yogacara, including Berkeley and Hume, and our common sense may have resistance to it. It is understandable. Of course, if we infer from a philosophical perspective, this is also a self-contained theory, which is the relationship between spiritual phenomena and material phenomena. There is a school of philosophers who advocate that material phenomena rely on spiritual phenomena.
The theory of Yogacara is like this, and many people in the West also understand it this way. Our traditional Chinese philosophy, such as Zhuangzi's school, often emphasizes the principle of Yogacara, which is the universal law of Yogacara. I sometimes say that this thing is also very easy to understand. Let me give you the simplest example, saying that this curtain is for you to see, and saying that the curtain is earthy yellow, I think it is. You see, if you say that I am also earthy yellow like you, it proves that the seeds in our hearts share a common seed. If someone is color blind, they may not see earthy yellow, but rather green. Because many of us say he is color blind, but in fact, this is something that is manufactured. He looks at green every day.
If a butterfly were to come and see it, then we wouldn't know, because butterflies can see ultraviolet and infrared rays, and what they see must be different from what we see. The color technique in Buddhism belongs to the mind technique, and this is what you need to explain in layman's terms. Some people say that Buddhism teaches the truth and the law of non action. What does non action mean?
That is to say, the original appearance of the curtain is earthy yellow, while color blind people only see green. What color can butterflies see? If we were to ask from a transcendent perspective, what is the true color of this curtain? Or what is its true form? Using a philosophical term, what is its essence?
Of course it's empty. Because no color can be added to it, any color in a household becomes fixed, visible to people and objects. As for its true nature of dependent origination and emptiness, Buddhism's teaching of non action is also very simple. This emptiness is indescribable and cannot be attached to any persistent existence. As for what's behind the empty space?
I don't know if you ask me, this is after becoming a Buddha. In this way, the five hundred methods are first divided into non action and action; You can further divide it into color and heart techniques. But when he talks about the Five Hundred Methods, the focus is on the Heart Method. He divided the method of mind into narrow sense of mind and the method of mind, which has a hierarchy.
For example, let me give you an example. What is my mind technique?
I am looking at you now, using my eyes to see. So, the ability to see with my eyes is called the ability to distinguish (mind=consciousness=distinction). Actually, these three words have the same meaning. Knowledge is the ability to distinguish, and the heart is the ability to make judgments. Some people say that your eyes are like the heart, and you just stay there in your mind, or have been in your heart in the past. How can your eyes have a heart? Without a heart, there is no spirit in your eyes. Whatever you look at, your eyes are like a dead frame. They have the ability to penetrate consciousness, and they are just a medium for consciousness to penetrate. Our eyes can see that this is called consciousness, which is the heart.
During the process of watching, he will have some feelings, such as when I see you, I am happy because we are very familiar. Every time we have class, you always support me, and I have this called love and love, which makes me very happy. If I see something else that I am annoyed by, and the person I am annoyed with is not here, I will feel annoyed, which is called the heart.
We ordinary people are not so divided. You have the ability to recognize and distinguish, accompanied by emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, and happiness, as well as more complex ones. I have listed many of these in my place, which is called the heart. So, there are still some things that are difficult to belong to, such as when I saw that you are a little taller and older than our former classmates. What is this?
He called it the quantile method. In short, all of these belong to the realm of mind. So sometimes, whether you listen to ancient Yogacara or Buddhism, when you read a book that leaves you dazzled, the truth is actually very simple: it is about how to view the world. This world is the law of action and the law of non action, and the law of action is manifested. I look at the curtains and I use the ability of the subject to distinguish it. It presents me with this earthy yellow color, which is its color scheme.
