General forum on the teachings of all schools of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Topics specific to one school are best posted in the appropriate sub-forum.
Malcolm wrote:It is not a Mahāyāna POV, which are only Yogacara or Madhyamaka.
It's not a Mahayana philosophical view of reality but that has nothing to do with one's bodhicitta. One can have a realist view and still be a bodhisattva not on the bhumis and thus nonetheless following the Mahayana path.
Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”
"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
jeeprs wrote:So the phenomenal world exists, but everything in it is transient, unsatisfying and empty (sunya).
An example of exactly this is Shakyamuni Buddha who definitely held this view over many lifetimes. This view is the Vaibhashika or Sautrantika view and is philosophically a Sravakayana view.
How is this a Sravakayana view?
SN 12.15: Kaccayanagotta Sutta wrote:
Dwelling at Savatthi... Then Ven. Kaccayana Gotta approached the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "Lord, 'Right view, right view,' it is said. To what extent is there right view?"
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by (takes as its object) a polarity, that of existence & non-existence. But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one.
The 'three marks' - impermanence (anicca); suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha); non-self (Anatta) - are accepted by all Buddhist schools, are they not?
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
jeeprs wrote:The 'three marks' - impermanence (anicca); suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha); non-self (Anatta) - are accepted by all Buddhist schools, are they not?
Yes. However that does not suggest a truly existent world or anything in that vein. The true meaning of impermanence is encountered in the emptiness or non-arising of phenomena. The idea of impermanent objects which are established in time and decay is a provisional coarse impermanence.
jeeprs wrote:So the phenomenal world exists, but everything in it is transient, unsatisfying and empty (sunya).
An example of exactly this is Shakyamuni Buddha who definitely held this view over many lifetimes. This view is the Vaibhashika or Sautrantika view and is philosophically a Sravakayana view.
How is this a Sravakayana view?
The assertion that the world exists is the realist position of the Vaibhashika and Sautrantika POV. Your quote from the Kaccayanagotta Sutta indicates that things are not necessarily so (so the Sravakayana does not necessarily take a realist position wrt the substantial existence of the cosmos). However the Theravadin School is also not just a Sravakayana school.
Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”
"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
kirtu wrote:The bodhisattva is defined by his/her commitment to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings and their commitment to eventually bring all beings to enlightenment. Their view of reality is not a defining factor until their are further along the path - they can't become an Arya without refining their view to at least the Cittamatra view.
If the view does not matter then worldly merit brings about buddhahood. Without the right view there is no practice of the paramitas, and without the paramitas there is no path to buddhahood. The vow to liberate all beings means unlimited compassion, and it cannot be boundless as long as one grasps at the idea of truly existing beings and things.
If we have to have the correct refined view of wisdom from the start then we will never get to Buddhahood.
From the start all we have is ignorance. Then we learn, reflect and realise. Isn't that the path?
1Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek? 2If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing. 3Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata. 4With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.
1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Malcolm wrote:It is not a Mahāyāna POV, which are only Yogacara or Madhyamaka.
It's not a Mahayana philosophical view of reality but that has nothing to do with one's bodhicitta. One can have a realist view and still be a bodhisattva not on the bhumis and thus nonetheless following the Mahayana path.