At the conference, I will explore two different Yogācāra theories of nāmamātra (“name-only”, 唯名 ). In the Yogācārabhūmi (瑜伽師地論), the term nāman (名 ) in nāmamātra means the name of something. People believe things exist as what we name or conceptualize. The Yogācāra emphasize that reality is different from this belief. The thing (vastu, 事) does not exist as it is named. The name is a mere expression, and the reality is beyond this name. In the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra (大乘莊嚴經論), however, the term nāman in nāmamātra is more related to pañcaskandha (五蘊), five constituents of person. Five skandhas are divided into material and mental factors. And the latter is described as nāman. According to this difference, the theory of nāmamātra and the Yogācāra practice related to this theory are also distinct. I will analyze each approach and attempt to find a common characteristic.
