Vijnapti Matrata-Siddhi (An Old and Rare Book: Only 1 Quantity Available)

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About the Book Vijnapti-matrata-Siddhi is a very important treatise on Buddhism. It is the work of Vasubandhu. the most celebrated teacher of the Vijnanavada school of Buddhism, It was composed in the fourth century AD. By the time Hsuan chuang, the great Chinese traveller came to India(17th century AD) the work had received universal recognition. Hsuan chuang got it translated along with ten commentaries, written there on. All these commentaries, except the one, written by Sthiramati are lost to Sanskrit though so zealously preserved in Chinese. The present commentary was discovered by sylvan Levy in Nepal. The present work is a faithful translation of the Karikas of Vasubandhu and of the commentary, there on, by Sthiramati. At times, extracts have been taken from the Chinese version of the work. A detailed introduction too throws light on the history of Buddhism and the importance of the work.

Foreword Indian Buddhism is ordinarily categorized into the Vehicle (Hinayana) and the Greater Vehicle (Mahayana). Lower Vehicle stands for early Buddhism based on Pali Tripitaka, the original scripture of Buddhism. With emphasis on spiritual life, it admits reality of matter. The Greater Vehicle, claims its origin from Sanskrit Tripitaka. But the emphasis is shifted from refinement of life to intellectual crystallization resulting in denying of matter. The two sub-schools of the Lower Vehicle-Vaibhāşika and the Sauträntika agree that matter exists but disagree as to its cognition. The Vaibhāşika perceives matter but the Sautrāntika only infers it. The two sub-schools of the Greater Vehicle-the Yogacara and the Madhyamika agree that matter does not exist but disagree as to its conception. For the Yogacara, matter is only a projection (akara) of consciousness (Vijñāna). For the Madhyamika, matter eludes all definition (nirupakhya). Hence the four sub-schools have differed from one another on the issue viz, the nature of matter. Of the four sub-schools, the Yogācāra, gained prominence, thanks to the two pioneers, Asamga and Vasu-bandhu, the two brothers. While Asamga's approach was saintly, Vasubandhu's intellectual. The Vijñapti-matratā siddhi of Vasubandhu is the first systemization of the Doctrine of Consciousness (vijñāna-vada).

Introduction The origin of Buddhism is not very clear. The idea that Buddihsm originated by way of a reaction against the slaughter of animals in sacrifies is only a myth. The biographies of Buddha as given in the Lalitavistara, the Buddha-Mahāvastu-avadāna or in the Buddha-carit do not mention any such thing as the reason of origin and growth of Buddhism. Non-violence too was nothing new as a doctrine since of the upaniṣads had already provided for it. Jalnism also, is claimed to have had talked of it earlier than Buddhism. The idea that Buddhism has its roots in the concept of non-duality of the upaniṣads is equally wrong since the concept of non-duality was to be formed as yet. The older upaniṣads were composed as so many parts of the Bramaņas that were employed in sacrifices. Vedānta as a system was yet to take a shape. Buddhism was also not non-dualistic in the beginning, it became so only with the appearance of Mahāyāna. Buddhism, therefore must have had its origin in the Sam-khya system. The two preceptors of Buddha-Adara Kālam and Udraka were the two masters of the Samkhya school of thought. Both were of the opinion that 'mukti' or salvation meant that the soul should be releived of all its association with the world of things, i.e. it should be 'kevali'. Buddha resisted such an opinion. The soul, if it ever exist, in his opinion, must exist only as related to the world, it does not have the prospect of being left alone.