Mahayanasutralankara of Asanga: A Study in Vijnanavada Buddhism (An old and Rare Book)

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Asanga is one of the outstanding philosophical personalitics in teh line of Buddhist writers. His work Mahayanasutratankara is a landmak in the development of Vijanavada Buddhism. In fact it deals with almost all the topics of the Buddhism. But this work hasn't got it's due place in the field of research. Asanga himself is neglected thinker, though he has influenced the great thinkers like Vasubandhu and others. The present monograph is an attempt to bring out significant contribution made by Asanga to the Buddhism in general and Vijnanavada in particular.

This Monograph registersa deviation from the average stand point from which writers on the Buddhism are apt to look at the Philosophy of Vijnanavada School. The learned author rightly points out that Asanga's main contribution to the Buddhist philosophy is absolutistic approach to Reality, which is very nearer to Upanisadic absolutistic trend. Vijanavada presented by Asanga is undouftedly an absolute Idealism.

This Monograph covers wide range of the Buddhism in comparitive light, such as, conception of the Absolute, Phenomena, doctrine of Illusion, Truths, Self, Nirvana, Tathata, Tathagata, Kayas and so on. All these subtle problems concerning the Metaphysics and religious aspects of Vijnanavada have been discussed in clear, authentic and scholarly manner. The author has made certain observations which throw light on the relation between the Upanisads and the Buddhist Philosophy, which is very important from the point of view of comparitive study in the field of philosphy.

Dr. Yajneshwar Shastri is born in 1948, in Kosguli (karnataka) Dr. Shastri worked as Acting Director of L.D. Research of Indology. At present he is in Deptt. of Philosophy. Gujarat University, Ahmedabad.

Dr, Shastri contributes regularly in Indian & Foreign journals. A number of Books on Indology are already to his credit.

He took his Ph. D in Philosophy from University of Bombay, he also holds the 'Shastri' and Achorya degrees in Sanskrit from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay.

The present work is my thesis which was submitted in 1979 for the award of the Ph. D. degree in Philosophy, University of Bombay. The main aim of this work is to bring out the full significance of the Philosophy of Mahayanasutralańkara of Asanga. Asanga is one of the most important philosophical personalities in the history of Buddhism. His contribution to Vijnanavada school of thought is unparalleled. But unfortunately it appears that he is the most neglected thinker in the history of Vijnanavada. No independent work seem to have been done to present his philosophical contribution. A lot of work has been done on Madhyamika philosophy, but very little attention has been paid to the Vijnanavada school. The present work is an attempt to bring out the main metaphysical significance of Vijnanavada as presented by Asanga. It is a thorough study of Mahayanasutralańkara of Asanga, which throws full light on Vijnanavada absolutism. In fact this work of Asanga is a landmark in the development of Mahayana Buddhism. There is no Buddhist topic which is left untouched by Asanga in this work. In this thesis pain has been taken to cover all the important metaphysical as well as religious aspects of Vijnanavada of Asanga. It is important to note here that after a careful study of Mahayanasutralańkara, we can come to the conclusion that Vasubandhu's (Asanga's younger brother) philosophy of Vijnaptimatrata is nothing but a systematic presentation of Asanga's Vijnanavada as propagated through Mahayana- sutralańkara. An attempt has also been made at the end of every chapter to show how Vasubandhu holds similar views as those of Asanga. His important work viz., Vimasatika and Trimsika appear to be compact versions of metaphysics of Mahayanasutralańkara only.

It gives me pleasure to write these few words of introduction to 'Mahayanasutralankara of Asanga: A study in Vijnanavada Buddhism' by Dr. Yajneshwar Shastri. It is an erudite and scholarly work. It was written by him as his Ph. D. Thesis and I had the occasion to go through the work carefully, as his research superior.

Dr. Sastri is Sanskrit-Sastri, Vedanta Acarya and also M.A. in Philosophy of the Bombay University, in Ist class. He had offered Buddhism as his special studies. His Sanskrit scholarship and philosophical insight in the subject, have enabled him to produce this very good piece of research. He has studied this work of Asanga verse by verse. The work of Asanga is not a very systematically written work. Again the MSA contains many repititons. To systematize the Vijnanavada philosophy out of this medley is a very difficult task. And Dr. Shastri has done it most efficiently and successfully. Perhaps this is first ever work on MSA.

Dr. Shastri has made a few very significent observations in his book, for the scholars to take note of and think. He writes that though Asanga criticized the realistic schools of Buddhism, the Sünyavada of Nagarjuna was equally unacceptable to him. He also writes in Chap. II that the assumption of avidya in the Vijnanavada school is necessary in order to show how the non-dual transcendal reality appears in the form of pluralistic universe. Further in Chap. III, he remarks that Asanga's conception of the self is not at all different from the upanisadic conception of the self or Brahman. And lastly, he writes in Chap. VIII that Asanga's dialectical approach leads him to Absolutism while the practical discipline results in mysticism. It is a case where mysticism rests on a sound philosophical foundation.