Thesis (Ph. D. in Buddhist Studies)--University of California Berkeley, May 1995 Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-282) Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. UMI, 1995. vii, 282 p.; 22 cm
Conditioned origination (pratityasamutpada) is a central concept in Buddhism that has been understood in various ways by the different Buddhist schools. In this dissertation I trace the development in the early Yogacara abhidharma literature of an explanation of conditioned origination based on a system or causality quite different from that of Sarvastivada. I center my discussion on the exposition of conditioned origination in the Abhidharmasamuccaya and the Abhidharmasamuccayabhasya.
Chapter One concerns the authorship of the Abhidharmasamuccaya and the Yogacarabhumi, both of which traditionally have been attributed to the same author, Asanga. Recently, however, the single authorship of the Yogacarabhumi has been questioned. In this dissertation, a comparison of several pratityasamutpada expositions in the Yogacarabhumi reveals considerable differences among them. Moreover, there are marked differences between the Yogacarabhumi expositions and that of the Abhidharmasamuccaya. I also suggest the possibility that Vasubandhu in the Abhidharmakosabhasya follows Yogacara regarding a number of issues related to pratityasamutpada.
Chapter Two consists of an English translation of the Abhidharmasamuccaya pratityasamutpada exposition, together with the comment of the Abhidharmasamuccayabhasya. In the notes, related passages from the Yogacarabhumi and the Dasabhumikasutra are translated or summarized.
Chapter Three is a comparison of the two lifetimes/singlefold causation theory of Yogacara and the three lifetimes/twofold theory of Sarvastivada. In this chapter, I suggest that different versions of the text of the Dasabhumikasutra show a development away from the Sarvastivadin system and towards Yogacara.
Chapter Four is a discussion of the functions of some of the individual members of the pratityasamutpada formula. The exposition from the Abhidharmasamuccaya is compared with Sarvastivadin sources, as well as with other Yogacara texts. Frequent agreement between the Abhidharmakosabhasya and Yogacara material is noted.
Chapter Five presents a detailed investigation of the function of Consciousness in the formula, with particular emphasis on the different interpretations attributed to the Vaibhasikas, the Sautrantikas, and the Yogacaras. I argue that Vasubandhu's so-called Sautrantika position is perhaps better described as crypto-Yogacara.
Chapter Six is a discussion of the relationship between the category of the cittaviprayuktasamskaras and pratityasamutpada in the Yogacara literature. Again, some of Vasubandhu's Sautrantika positions are shown to rely at least in part on the Yogacarabhumi.
