DESCRIPTION
The Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra or ‘Sutra of the Explanation of the Profound Secrets’ is one of the primary sutras for Yogacara schools of Buddhism. This sutra is particularly associated with the ‘Northern’ school of Yogacara that spread east to China by the Silk Road, and the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim translator monk Xuanzang, who called this school of Buddhist thought Faxiang 法相宗 ‘Characteristics of Dharmas’. Xuanzang also translated works of Vasubandhu, such as the ‘Thirty Verses on Consciousness Only.’
There is another very popular ‘Mind-Only’ sutra called the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (’The Castle at Lanka’), which is associated with the ‘Southern’ school of Yogacara that spread south through Sri Lanka and southeast Asia by boat to southern China. This sutra was a primary text for the early Chan/Zen movement, which is, in a sense, an outgrowth of Yogacara.
OVERVIEW
Chapter One - The Gathering of the Great Jewel Flower King
- A brief yet powerful account of the location, assembly and setting of the sutra.
Chapter Two - The Characteristic of the Ultimate Meaning of all Things (Sarva-dharma-paramārtha-satya-lakṣana)
- The bodhisattva Vidhivat-pariprcchaka ‘questions’ bodhisattva Gabhirartha-samdhinirmocana about non-duality.
- Bodhisattva ‘Born of the Dharma’ asks about the Characteristic of the Ultimate Meaning of all Things, which is the Characteristic of Reality (bhūtatathatā-lakṣana) spoken of in Ch. 14 of the Vajra Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra - essentially the characteristic of not having any characteristics.
- Some bodhisattvas wonder if that ‘characteristic of not having any characteristics’ is the same as a conditioned characteristic, or different than a conditioned characteristic.
- Subhuti talks about concept of the ‘single flavor’ of all dharmas.
Chapter Three - The Characteristics of Mind, Thought, and Consciousness
- Citta - This is equated to the ‘storehouse consciousness’ (ālayavijñāna).
- Manas - This is equated with the ‘ego-afflicted’, plotting, calculating mind (kliṣṭamanovijñāna).
- Vijñāna - This is equated to the six sensory consciousnesses.
Chapter Four - The Characteristic of the Characteristiclessness of all Things
- Imaginary self-nature (parikalpita-svabhāva) - the completely fabricated and delusional, mistaking mirages to be real.
- Other-dependent nature (paratantra-svabhāva) - the observation that all dharmas are dependently originated/empty.
- Complete, realized nature (pariniṣpanna-svabhāva) - the universal equal suchness of all dharmas.
Chapter Five - The Characteristic of Being without Inherent Nature (svabhava)
- Characteristics (lakṣana) lacking inherent nature.
- Arising (utpanna) lacking inherent nature.
- Ultimate Meaning (paramārtha) lacking inherent nature.
Chapter Six - Differentiating Yoga (Vikalpa Yoga) - śamatha and vipaśyanā within the Great Vehicle
- Yogacara is defined as the bodhisattva synchronously practicing śamatha and vipaśyanā.
Chapter Seven - Bhumis and Paramitas (’Stages’ and ‘Perfections’)
- Questions about the names and ordering of the Ten Bhumi Stages and the Paramitas.
Chapter Eight - The Accomplishments of the Tathagata
- Questions about the Dharmakaya - the Dharma Body.
- “A Tathagata is not to be described as having arisen from mind, thinking, and consciousness.”