Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!mustang!data.nas.nasa.gov!news
From: dogen@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Chq)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: vijnapti-matra and Zen (was Re: the heart of the matter...)
Message-ID: <1991May31.042241.21589@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 31 May 91 04:22:41 GMT
References: <1991May29.163759.11775@nas.nasa.gov>
Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov
Organization: Northwestern University
Lines: 29
Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov

Tod,
    I (obviously) agree with your explanation of mahayana buddhist
doctrine.  The Prajna-paramita Sutras marked the beginning of mahayana as a
distinct 'branch' of buddhism, and the madhyamika school of nagarjuna was
the foundation of all philosophical developments in mahayana.
Vijnapti-matra was a further development from the madhyamika, the
difference being that it analyzed the structure of consciousness as the
ground for either awakening or illusion.  Of course, consciousness is not
some absolute, in fact its inherent nature is emptiness characterized as
the sheer absence of subject and object.
     Definitely the foundations of zen (and all other mahayana schools) are
to be traced to both the madhyamika and vijnapti-matra.  The history of
chinese buddhist thought is a complex affair, but the major developments in
doctrine followed the implantation of madhyamika (by kumarajiva 4th A.D?)
and vijnapti-matra (by paramartha 499-590 AD, and Hsuan Tsang 600-664 AD).
You can definitly see these influences in zen literature--any type of
negation, ie, "from the first not a thing is" is madhyamikan in nature, and
references to One-mind, Buddha-mind, etc, is from vijnapti-matra.

     I was wondering if the school of zen you practice is related to the
chinese Tsao-tung; I recall the four stages you discussed mentioned in some
literature of the above named school.  Also, who is your roshi? (I'm
assuming you have a teacher.  If I'm wrong, sorry)
							J.C.				
-- 
*******************************************************************************
-- John Cha
"The present is always more interesting than the future or the past"
*******************************************************************************