Based on Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses on There Only Being the Virtual Nature of Consciousness (Vijnapti Matrata Trimsika Karika), On Realizing There is Only The Virtual Nature of Consciousness (Vijñapti Matratā Siddhi, 成唯識論) is Xuanzang’s seminal discourse explaining the teachings of the Buddhist School on Engaged Meditation (Yogacara), particularly those about the afflicted nature of consciousness (vijnana, 識) and its spiritual restoration as the transcendental knowledge (jnana, 智) that is beyond any affliction. This text served as the foundation for establishment of the Yogacara School in East Asia.
The translation is composed in clear, easily readable English, properly organized in an outline form that makes the subject matter easy to follow. To fulfill the needs of both scholars and laymen desiring to navigate the seeming complexity of Buddhist terminology, there is a concise English translation of all key terms in English in addition to providing the original Sanskrit and Chinese renderings of these terms.
The contents:
The introduction
Footnotes to the introduction
A translation of Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses
The nature of identity (ātma, 我) & purpose (dharma, 法)
The subconscious store of memory (ālaya vijñāna, 藏識)
The deliberating & calculating mind of self-interest (manas, 末那)
The 6 evolving kinds of consciousness (ṣaḍ pravṛtti vijñāna, 六轉識)
The confluence of all eight as a virtual nature (vijñapti matra, 唯識)
Their conditions in the flow of life & death (saṃsāra srota, 生死流)
Habitual forces (vāsanā, 習氣)
The 3-fold existential nature (tri svabhāvatā, 三自性) & its absence
The spiritual life & restoration of the foundation of consciousness
(āśraya parāvṛtti, 轉依)
The three-fold spiritual life (tri kāya, 三身)
The virtual nature of consciousness and transcendental knowledge
Conclusion and recap of The Thirty Verses
Footnotes to the translation
An Lạc Publications 