Yogācāra Buddhism and the illusion of phenomenal consciousness
Asian Philosophy August 28, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/09552367.2024.2396746 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that a particular reading of Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Three Natures reflects the contemporary illusionist program, and that the two traditions converge not only on the illusory nature of phenomenal consciousness but also on proposed solutions to major problems facing the illusionist paradigm. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT The paper looks for the similarities between illusionism—a contemporary theory of phenomenal consciousness—and the Yogācāra´s philosophy of consciousness presented in Vasubandhu´s Treatise on the Three Natures. Despite substantial divergences in writing style, the commonalities between East and West regarding phenomenal consciousness are considerable. I claim that a particular reading of Vasubandhu´s Treatise on the Three Natures reflects, in many respects, the contemporary illusionist program. Furthermore, I argue that there is not only a meeting point between their postulates about the illusory nature of phenomenal consciousness but also a strong coincidence in the proposed solutions to the most pressing problems that threaten the illusionist paradigm.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Can you believe it? Illusionism and the illusion meta-problem Philosophical Psychology October 25, 2017
- A hundred years of consciousness: “a long training in absurdity” Estudios de Filosofía 2019
- Is the Mind a Magic Trick? Illusionism about Consciousness in the “Consciousness-Only” Theory of Vasubandhu and Sthiramati Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy February 18, 2025
- Consciousness explained or described? Neuroscience of Consciousness January 21, 2022
- Toward a standard model of consciousness: Reconciling the attention schema, global workspace, higher-order thought, and illusionist theories Cognitive Neuropsychology May 18, 2020
and 1 more in the library