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Is Buddhism one from yoga practices (Yogacara the most influential school means literally “Yoga practice”)?

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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Lives in London

Bibek Sharma , Phd Buddhism, Mahidol University (2022)7



The term Yogachara is used for a certain hermeneutical tradition within Mahayana based on the hermeneutics of Asanga and later Vasubandhu and Dignaga et al on the Correct View . It is also called the Chittamatra/Mind only school also . It like all schools of Buddhism within Mahayana and Sravakayana are based on meditation consisting of Samatha ( Chih in Chinese and Xi Ne in Tibetan and Shi in Japanese ) and Vipashyana ( Kuan in Chinese and Lhagthong in Tibetan and Kan in Japanese ).


It is is not based on the Prevalent Hindu interpretation on Union( Yoga from Yuj to unite ) or on Patanjali's Yogas Chittavritti Nirodha /yoga is the stopping of thoughts et al ) . That kind of interpretation of Yoga is only SAMATHA meditation and the YOGACHARA school ( as well as all schools of Buddhism do not base their meditation on only Samatha meditation , which is only the preliminary practice but also add Vipashyana meditation which is the main meditation supported by Samatha meditation .


It is not one form of Yoga practice if by Yoga you mean Samatha meditation , which is what Yoga means within Hinduism of all forms and also the popular usage of the word Yoga today .


The Theravada also uses the word Yogavachara for a practitioner of Samatha- Vipashyana , special amongst the Boran Kamatthana traditions . But again it means the practice of Samatha -Vipashyana in various combinations and not union with some Super consciousness or

God or Self/Atman or just stopping thoughts to become one or united with the True Self /Atman which are the various types of similar meaning of Yoga popular in the present days .


In short meditation within all forms of Buddhism means the various combinations of Samatha and Vipashyana which never existed before the Sakyamuni Buddha ,historically , as he brought this out in the sense he rediscovered the ancient teachings of the Ancient Buddhas which were lost and unheard of at his time , according to his own words in the Samyutta Nikaya , Nagara sutta and Dhammachakkapavatana Sutta .


Since he was the first in this historical period to bring this kind of meditation , Buddhism cannot possibly be just following a form of Yoga as this combination did not exist before specially when yoga now means generally SAMATHA Meditations and specifically Union with Self/Atman /God et al , which alien to all forms of Buddhism which existed before the Buddha as validated in the Suttas and Sutras .


Also in some Mahayana Sutras where the Buddha talked about the Atman/ Self he also made it clear that when he spoke of the Atman/Self he was merely using this word for the sake of those who are afraid to realize Anatman/No self and need it as a stepping stone to go further into Anatman and Emptiness ( Lankavatara Sutra and many Tathatagarbha Sutras ) .


He never said unite with this Self/Atman or JUST BE THIS ATMAN or THIS ATMAN IS JUST BEING AND YOU NEED TO BE JUST THAT BEING or Just BEING as the Ultimate Goal of any form of Buddhism. There seems to be a lot of confusion about this , sometimes even amongst some Buddhists due to improper translations of Buddhist words into English which by the way has no proper lexicon as yet to properly translate proper Buddhist words .


For example Svarup can be easily translated as SELF FORM .


So when we say know your SVARUP/SELF FORM within Buddhism , it doesn’t mean know your TRUE SELF FORM but rather Know the True way All Dharmas Exist , which is WITHOUT A SELF/atman and Sunyata/EMPTINESS . these words were translated properly in Tibetan and Chinese too but if it is taken directly word for word it would mean True Self Form , which totally wrong within any form of Buddhism.


Another example


is Svabhava which if literally translated into English would be Self Being but and a BIG BUT that is not what the word SVABHAVA mean within Buddhism . It means the true mode of existence which as Nagarjuna and many Indian and Tibetan Masters have amply elucidated “The true mode of Existence is Non intrinsic existence /Svabhava Nisvabhava “ It would be a great misunderstanding of Buddhism to claim that the Buddha said know the true Svabhava as meaning Know Your True Self Being which this word can easily be translated as , if taken literally and not as used within Buddhism as a technical word .

Thank You



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