" `Citta-matra` "(mind-only) and "`vijnapti-matra` "(consciousness-only) are the best known of the many expressions of "`matra` "(only) in Buddhist thought. However，in `Yogacarabhumi` the basic text of the early `Yogacara` School who maintained the concept of "`vijnapti-matra` "(consciousness-only)，are all of the uses of "`matra` "in accordance with the principles of "`vijnapti- matra` "? This is an issue worthy of careful examination. If we take the thirteenth step in the `Yogacarabhumi`，the `Sravakabhumi`，as our criterion，we find that the main uses of "`matra` "fall into three categories.
The first is the explanation of terms relating to the resemble (`pratirupaka`) meditative objects, such as expressions of "`jnana-matra` "," `darsana-matra` "，and "`pratismrta-matra` ".These are used to explain that the object of meditation is an object of inner consciousness.different from the external phenomena percieved by the five sense organs.
This point may be proved by comparison and examination of terms such as "`patibhaga-nimitta` "(counterpart-sign) found in the Visuddhimagga and Vimuttimagga in the southern `Theravada` tradition.Seen in this light，"`jnana-matra` "，"`darsana-matra` "，and "`pratismrta-matra` "，might be forerunners of the "`vijnapti-matra` "philosophy influenced by the experience on "`samadhi` "found in the `Samdhinirmocana-sutra` and `Mahayanasamgraha-sastra`. Nonetheless, there are in `Sravakabhumi` no terms clearly relating to the negation of external realities.
Second，in the majority of cases, "`matra` "is used to negate the actor，the receiver，the self(`atman`)，and the self-hood (`atmiya`). This is evidenced by such terms as `samskara-matra` ,`dharma-matra`，`vastu-matra`，`hetu-matra` ,`phala-matra`，`skandha-matra`. These terms relate to the thought of the dependent origination and five aggregates common to all traditions of Buddhism，and is by no means unique to the `Yogacara`School.
Third，of the terms employing "`matra` "to negate the actor，the receiver，the self，and the self-hood，"`vastu-matra` "is especially worth scrutinizing，because "`vastu-matra` "seems to appear only in the works of the `Yogacara` School,such as `Yogacarabhumi`. This could be said to be due to this term's expressing a characteristic of the `Yogacara` philosophy. The "`vastu` "of " `vastu-matra` "means that Abhidharma scholars of the `Sarvastivadin` School developed their theories in order to extrapolate on the reality of the " `dharma` "，and "`svabhava` ". Its contents (cited as A group) are form，mind，mental factors,non-associated compositional factors, uncreated dharma, and their origin can be traced to the five aggregates, six entrances, and eighteen elements of early Buddhism. But the `Yogacara` School n
