The 'Buddhist Unconscious': The Alaya-Vijnana in the Context of Indian Buddhist Thought (Routledgecurzon Critical Studies in Buddhism)

This is the story of fifth century CE India, when the Yogacarin Buddhists tested the awareness of unawareness, and became aware of human unawareness to an extraordinary degree. They not only explicitly differentiated this dimension of mental processes from conscious cognitive processes, but also offered reasoned arguments on behalf of this dimension of mind. This is the concept of the 'Buddhist unconscious', which arose just as philosophical discourse in other circles was fiercely debating the limits of conscious awareness, and these ideas in turn had developed as a systematisation of teachings from the Buddha himself. For us in the twenty-first century, these teachings connect in fascinating ways to the Western conceptions of the 'cognitive unconscious' which have been elaborated in the work of Jung and Freud. This important study reveals how the Buddhist unconscious illuminates and draws out aspects of current western thinking on the unconscious mind. One of the most intriguing connections is the idea that there is in fact no substantial 'self' underlying all mental activity; 'the thoughts themselves are the thinker'. William S. Waldron considers the implications of this radical notion, which, despite only recently gaining plausibility, was in fact first posited 2,500 years ago. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Thematic introduction: a Buddhist critique of the construction of self and world......Page 18 The background and context of the alaya-vijana......Page 24 The early Buddhist background......Page 26 The Abhidharma context......Page 63 The alaya-vijana in the Yogacara tradition......Page 106 The alaya-vijana in the early tradition......Page 108 The alaya-vijana in the Mahayana-sagraha 1. bringing it all back home......Page 145 The alaya-vijana in the Mahayana-sagraha 2. looking beyond......Page 175 Appendices......Page 188 The series of dependent arising: affliction, action, and their results......Page 190 Index of related controversies......Page 192 Translation: the Pravtti and Nivtti Portions of the Vinicayasagraha of the Yogacarabhmi......Page 195 Notes......Page 207 Bibliography of works cited......Page 264 Index of texts quoted......Page 272 Index......Page 276 Thematic Introduction: A Buddhist Critique Of The Construction Of Self And World -- Pt. I. The Background And Context Of The Alaya-vijnana -- 1. The Early Buddhist Background -- 2. The Abhidharma Context -- Pt. Ii. The Alaya-vijnana In The Yogacara Tradition -- 3. The Alaya-vijnana In The Early Tradition -- 4. The Alaya-vijnana In The Mahayana-samgraha: 1. Bringing It All Back Home -- 5. The Alaya-vijnana In The Mahayana-samgraha: 2. Looking Beyond -- Pt. Iii. Appendices -- App. I. The Series Of Dependent Arising: Affliction, Action, And Their Results -- App. Ii. Index Of Related Controversies -- App. Iii. Translation: The Pravrtti And Nivrtti Portions Of The Viniscayasamgrahani Of The Yogacarabhumi. William S. Waldron. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-253) And Indexes.