Doctrines of spiritual praxis from Abhidharma to Mahāyāna Yogācāra : with special reference to the Śrāvakabhūmiḥ of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra

Abstract

This study examines the Śrāvakabhūmih of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra with the aim of identifying the doctrines of spiritual praxis from Abhidharma to Mahāyāna Yogācāra. The hypothesis posited is that the spiritual praxis of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra is modified from the practice of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s, the early meditation practitioners whose practices were closely related to the Abhidharma. Two questions have been set for this investigation; the first question being: Is the spiritual praxis of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s actually related to the Abhidharma tradition, and if so how? The second question is: How much influence did the practice of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s have on the evolution of the spiritual praxis of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra and what new developments, if any, were there? Together, the answers to these two questions will reveal how far the hypothesis set for this study is justified.

This research starts with accumulation of knowledge around the identity of the yogācāra-s as meditation practitioners in early Buddhism, the different phases of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra school, the structure and contents of the Śrāvakabhūmih and the current reports on the relationship between the practice of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s and the Mahāyāna Yogācāra.

In order to bring out the profound practice of the Śrāvakabhūmih, an English translation of the important teachings in the Yogasthāna III of the Śrāvakabhūmih has been attempted.

A key section of this research is the analysis and discussion of the findings with appropriate passages from two major groups of texts: (a) the Abhidharma texts and (b) the Mahāyāna Yogācāra texts. These texts include: (a) the Abhidharmasangītiparyāya-pāda-śāstra ( 阿毘達磨異門足論), the Abhidharma-dharmaskandha-pāda-śāstra (阿毘達磨法藴足論), and the *Abhidharma-mahāvibhā āśāstra ( 阿毘達磨大毘婆沙論); (b) the Samāhitābhūmi_ ( 三摩呬多地), Cintāmayībhūmih ( 思所成地), Bodhisattvabhūmih ( 菩薩地) and the Viniścayasamgrahanī ( 攝決擇分) of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, the Sandhinirmocana-sūtra (解深密經), liu men jiao shou xi ding lun (六門教授習定論) and the Abhidharmasamuccaya-bhā yam-śāstra (大乘阿毘達磨雜集論).

The findings of this preliminary study show that the practices of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s are indeed systematic re-organizations of Abhidharma materials with elaborated details and the Mahāyāna Yogācāra did establish their spiritual praxis on the foundation of these practices of the early meditation practitioners modified with new theories and explanations.

Thus, it can be concluded that the spiritual praxis of the Mahāyāna Yogācāra was indeed modified from the practices of the Śrāvakayāna yogācāra-s, the early meditation practitioners whose practices are closely related to the Abhidharma.