The Awakening of Faith (1967)

Latest revision as of 19:20, 11 September 2020

Book

The text known as the Dasheng qixinlun (Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna) is a short treatise occupying only nine pages in the Taishō edition of the Chinese Tripitaka.[1] The reconstructed Sanskrit title of the work is Mahāyāna-śraddhotpāda-śāstra; it is said to have been written in Sanskrit by Aśvaghosha and translated into Chinese in A.D. 550 by the famous Indian translator of Buddhist texts, Paramārtha. No Sanskrit version of the text exists today, however, and all our knowledge of the work is based on this Chinese version and a second version that dates from a somewhat later period.
The work is a comprehensive summary of the essentials of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the product of a mind extraordinarily apt at synthesis. It begins with an examination of the nature of the Absolute or enlightenment and of the phenomenal world or nonenlightenment and discusses the relationships that exist between them; from there, it passes on to the question of how man may transcend his finite state and participate in the life of the infinite while still remaining in the midst of the phenomenal order; it concludes with a discussion of particular practices and techniques that will aid the believer in the awakening and growth of his faith. In spite of its deep concern with philosophical concepts and definitions, therefore, it is essentially a religious work, a map drawn by a man of unshakable faith, which will guide the believer to the peak of understanding. But the map and the peak are only provisional symbols, skillful and expedient ways employed to bring men to enlightenment. The text and all the arguments in it exist not for their own sake but for the sake of this objective alone. The treatise is, indeed, a true classic of Mahāyāna Buddhism. (Hakeda, introduction, 1–2)

Read more here . . .

Citation	Hakeda, Yoshito S., trans. The Awakening of Faith: Attributed to Aśvaghosha. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967.

- Foreword, by Wm. Theodore de Baryv
- Prefacevii
- Introduction1

The Awakening of Faith21

- Invocation23
- The Contents of the Discourse24
Part 1 The Reasons for Writing25
Part 2 Outline28
Part 3 Interpretation31
- Chapter One: Revelation of True Meaning31
  - I. One Mind and Its Two Aspects31
    - A. The Mind in Terms of the Absolute32
      - 1. Truly Empty34
      - 2. Truly Nonempty35
    - B. The Mind in Terms of Phenomena36
      - 1. The Storehouse Consciousness36
        a. The Aspect of Enlightenment37
        (1) Original Enlightenment37
        
        (2) The Process of Actualization of Enlightenment38
        (a) Purity of Wisdom41
        
        (b) Suprarational Functions41
        
        (3) The Characteristics of the Essence of Enlightenment42
        
        b. The Aspect of Nonenlightenment43
        
        c. The Relationships Between Enlightenment and Nonenlightenment45
        (1) Identity45
        
        (2) Nonidentity46
      - 2. The Cause and Conditions of Man’s Being in Samsara46
        a. Mind47
        
        b. Consciousness49
        
        c. Defiled States of Mind51
        
        d. Comments on the Terms Used in the Foregoing Discussion52
      - 3. The Characteristics of Beings in Samsara54
        a. Permeation of Ignorance56
        
        b. Permeation of Suchness58
        (1) Permeation Through Manifestation of the Essence of Suchness59
        
        (2) Permeation Through Influences61
        (a) The Specific Coordinating Causes61
        
        (b) The General Coordinating Causes63
  - II. The Essence Itself and the Attributes of Suchness, or The Meanings of Mahā64
    - A. The Greatness of the Essence of Suchness64
    - B. The Greatness of the Attributes of Suchness65
    - C. The Greatness of the Influences of Suchness67
  - III. From Samsara to Nirvana72

- Chapter Two: The Correction of Evil Attachments73
  - I. The Biased Views Held by Ordinary Men74
  - II. The Biased Views Held by the Hinayanists78

- Chapter Three: Analysis of the Types of Aspiration for Enlightenment, or The Meanings of Yāna80
  - I. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through the Perfection of Faith80
  - II. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through Understanding and Deeds86
  - III. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through Insight87

Part 4 On Faith and Practice92
- On Four Faiths92
- On Five Practices93
- The Practice of Cessation96
- The Practice of Clear Observation100

Part 5 Encouragement of Practice and the Benefits Thereof103

- Notes105

- A Selected Bibliography119

- Index123

Aśvaghoṣa. Mahāyānaśraddhotpādaśāstra. (Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun). 63 (4), Taisho Volume 32, No. 1666.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Book
-|BookPerson={{Book-person
-|PersonPage=Hakeda, Y.
-|PersonName=Yoshito S. Hakeda
-}}{{Book-person
-|PersonPage=Aśvaghoṣa
-|PersonName=Aśvaghoṣa
-}}
 |FullTextRead=No
 |BookToc=**{{i|Foreword, by ''Wm. Theodore de Bary''|v}}
@@ Line 24: / Line 17: @@
 *****{{i|1. Truly Empty|34}}
 *****{{i|2. Truly Nonempty|35}}
-B. The Mind in Terms of Phenomena 43
+****{{i|B. The Mind in Terms of Phenomena|36}}
-. The Storehouse Consciousness 43
+*****{{i|1. The Storehouse Consciousness|36}}
+******{{i|a. The Aspect of Enlightenment|37}}
+*******{{i|(1) Original Enlightenment|37}}
+*******{{i|(2) The Process of Actualization of Enlightenment|38}}
+********{{i|(a) Purity of Wisdom|41}}
+********{{i|(b) Suprarational Functions|41}}
+*******{{i|(3) The Characteristics of the Essence of Enlightenment|42}}
+******{{i|b. The Aspect of Nonenlightenment|43}}
+******{{i|c. The Relationships Between Enlightenment and Nonenlightenment|45}}
+*******{{i|(1) Identity|45}}
+*******{{i|(2) Nonidentity|46}}
+*****{{i|2. The Cause and Conditions of Man’s Being in Samsara|46}}
+******{{i|a. Mind|47}}
+******{{i|b. Consciousness|49}}
+******{{i|c. Defiled States of Mind|51}}
+******{{i|d. Comments on the Terms Used in the Foregoing Discussion|52}}
+*****{{i|3. The Characteristics of Beings in Samsara|54}}
+******{{i|a. Permeation of Ignorance|56}}
+******{{i|b. Permeation of Suchness|58}}
+*******{{i|(1) Permeation Through Manifestation of the Essence of Suchness|59}}
+*******{{i|(2) Permeation Through Influences|61}}
+********{{i|(a) The Specific Coordinating Causes|61}}
+********{{i|(b) The General Coordinating Causes|63}}
+***{{i|II. The Essence Itself and the Attributes of Suchness, or The Meanings of Mahā|64}}
+****{{i|A. The Greatness of the Essence of Suchness|64}}
+****{{i|B. The Greatness of the Attributes of Suchness|65}}
+****{{i|C. The Greatness of the Influences of Suchness|67}}
+***{{i|III. From Samsara to Nirvana|72}}
-a. The Aspect of Enlightenment 43
+**{{i|Chapter Two: The Correction of Evil Attachments|73}}
-(1) Original Enlightenment 43
+***{{i|I. The Biased Views Held by Ordinary Men|74}}
-(2) The Process of Actualization of Enlightenment 44
+***{{i|II. The Biased Views Held by the Hinayanists|78}}
-(a) Purity of Wisdom 46
-(b) Suprarational Functions 47
-(3) The Characteristics of the Essence of
-Enlightenment 47
-b. The Aspect of Nonenlightenment 48
-c. The Relationships Between Enlightenment and
-Nonenlightenment 50
-(1) Identity 50
-(2) Nonidentity 50
-. The Cause and Conditions of Man’s Being in
-SaÅs1ra 51
-a. Mind 52
-b. Consciousness 53
-c. Defiled States of Mind 55
-d. Comments on the Terms Used in the Foregoing
-Discussion 56
-. The Characteristics of Beings in SaÅs1ra 57
-a. Permeation of Ignorance 59
-b. Permeation of Suchness 60
-(1) Permeation Through Manifestation of the Essence
-of Suchness 62
-(2) Permeation Through Influences 63
-(a) The Specific Coordinating Causes 63
-(b) The General Coordinating Causes 64
-II. The Essence Itself and the Attributes of Suchness, or
+**{{i|Chapter Three: Analysis of the Types of Aspiration for Enlightenment, or The Meanings of Yāna|80}}
-The Meanings of Mah1 66
+***{{i|I. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through the Perfection of Faith|80}}
-A. The Greatness of the Essence of Suchness 66
+***{{i|II. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through Understanding and Deeds|86}}
-B. The Greatness of the Attributes of Suchness 66
+***{{i|III. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through Insight|87}}
-C. The Greatness of the Influences of Suchness 68
-III. From SaÅs1ra to Nirv1âa 72
-Chapter Two: The Correction of Evil Attachments 73
-I. The Biased Views Held by Ordinary Men 74
-II. The Biased Views Held by the HEn1yanists 77
-vi contents
-Chapter Three: Analysis of the Types of Aspiration for
-Enlightenment, or The Meanings of Y1na 79
-I. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through the Perfection
-of Faith 79
-II. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through
-Understanding and Deeds 83
-III. The Aspiration for Enlightenment Through
-Insight 84
-Part 4 On Faith and Practice 88
+*{{i|Part 4 On Faith and Practice|92}}
-On Four Faiths 88
+**{{i|On Four Faiths|92}}
-On Five Practices 89
+**{{i|On Five Practices|93}}
-The Practice of Cessation 91
+**{{i|The Practice of Cessation|96}}
-The Practice of Clear Observation 94
+**{{i|The Practice of Clear Observation|100}}
-Part 5 Encouragement of Practice and the Benefits Thereof 96
-Notes 99
+*{{i|Part 5 Encouragement of Practice and the Benefits Thereof|103}}
-Chinese Character Glossary 105
-Selected Bibliography 107
+**{{i|Notes|105}}
-Index 111
+**{{i|A Selected Bibliography|119}}
+**{{i|Index|123}}
 |AddRelatedTab=No
 |StopPersonRedirects=No
 }}