Yogācāra Substrata? Precedent Frames for Yogācāra Thought Among Third-Century Yoga Practitioners in Greater Gandhāra

The connection between early yogācāras, or practitioners of yoga, and later Yogācāra-vijñānavāda philosophy has long preoccupied scholars. But these connections remain obscure. This article suggests that a text that has received little attention in modern scholarship, the Saddharmasmrtyupasthānasūtr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Indian philosophy 2018-04, Vol.46 (2), p.193-240
Main Author: Stuart, Daniel M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3rd century
Buddhism
Education
Meditation
Non-Western Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion
Religious literature
Religious Studies
Theory of mind
Yoga
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Summary:The connection between early yogācāras, or practitioners of yoga, and later Yogācāra-vijñānavāda philosophy has long preoccupied scholars. But these connections remain obscure. This article suggests that a text that has received little attention in modern scholarship, the Saddharmasmrtyupasthānasūtra, may shed light on aspects of early yogācāra contemplative cultures that gave rise to some of the formative dynamics of Yogācāra-vijñānavāda thought. I show how traditional Buddhist meditative practice and engagement with Abhidharma theoretics come together in the Saddharmasmrtyuasthānasūtra to produce a novel theory of mind that mirrors many of the philosophical problematics that early and late Yogācāra-vijñānavādins confronted and attempted to work out in śāstric detail.
ISSN:0022-1791
1573-0395
DOI:10.1007/s10781-017-9332-4