DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - dependent origination- a dilemma

**HexcewlyRette** · 06-13-2011, 09:31 PM

I thought we were into Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of the Teachings of the Buddha". There he insists in a kind of "storage" where seeds of consciousness are given... trying to depict the fifth Khandha as the stuff that goes from one life to another.

Yes, but I don't think this was invented by Thich Nhat Hanh. My understanding is that it's a standard Mahayana teaching, originating in Yogacara. Sunyata (emptiness) is from the other important Mahayana tradition, Madhyamaka.

If I remember correctly, there was a logical conundrum concerning the way in which one thought moment (citta) can "condition" another. For example, in certain meditative states where consciousness is suspended, it's unclear what causes the meditator to emerge from that state. Alaya-vijnana emerged out of the debates among Indian scholastics over this problem. Vasubandhu would be the key figure here.

However we see his relationship to Theravada and the Pali Canon, I doubt that Thich Nhat Hanh deviates to any significant degree from his own tradition. His teachings, as far as I can see, are mainstream East Asian "humanistic Buddhism" (人間佛教) with some of the terminology and presentation adapted for a global audience.

06-13-2011, 09:31 PM	#18
HexcewlyRette Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 553 Senior Member	I thought we were into Thich Nhat Hanh's "The Heart of the Teachings of the Buddha". There he insists in a kind of "storage" where seeds of consciousness are given... trying to depict the fifth Khandha as the stuff that goes from one life to another. Yes, but I don't think this was invented by Thich Nhat Hanh. My understanding is that it's a standard Mahayana teaching, originating in Yogacara. Sunyata (emptiness) is from the other important Mahayana tradition, Madhyamaka. If I remember correctly, there was a logical conundrum concerning the way in which one thought moment (citta) can "condition" another. For example, in certain meditative states where consciousness is suspended, it's unclear what causes the meditator to emerge from that state. Alaya-vijnana emerged out of the debates among Indian scholastics over this problem. Vasubandhu would be the key figure here. However we see his relationship to Theravada and the Pali Canon, I doubt that Thich Nhat Hanh deviates to any significant degree from his own tradition. His teachings, as far as I can see, are mainstream East Asian "humanistic Buddhism" (人間佛教) with some of the terminology and presentation adapted for a global audience.
	Quote