Difference between revisions of "Three Natures"
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[[image:Vasubandhu.JPG|thumb|[[Vasubandhu]], author of ''[[Treatise on the Three Natures]]'']] | [[image:Vasubandhu.JPG|thumb|[[Vasubandhu]], author of ''[[Treatise on the Three Natures]]'']] | ||
| − | '''Three natures''' (Skt. ''[[trisvabhāva]]''; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[མཚན་ཉིད་གསུམ, རང་བཞིན་གསུམ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[mtshan nyid gsum]]'' or ''[[rang bzhin gsum]]'') — the three categories into which the followers of the [[Mind Only]] school divide all phenomena: | + | '''[[Three natures]]''' (Skt. ''[[trisvabhāva]]''; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[མཚན་ཉིད་གསུམ, རང་བཞིན་གསུམ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[mtshan nyid gsum]]'' or ''[[rang bzhin gsum]]'') — the [[three categories]] into which the followers of the [[Mind Only]] school divide all [[phenomena]]: |
| − | #'''Imputed''' (Skt. [[Parikalpita]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ཀུན་བརྟགས་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[kun btags]]'') | + | #'''[[Imputed]]''' (Skt. [[Parikalpita]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ཀུན་བརྟགས་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[kun btags]]'') |
#'''Dependent''' (Skt. [[Paratantra]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[གཞན་དབང་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[gzhan dbang]]'') | #'''Dependent''' (Skt. [[Paratantra]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[གཞན་དབང་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[gzhan dbang]]'') | ||
| − | #'''Truly Existent''' (Skt. [[Pariniṣpanna]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ཡོངས་གྲུབ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[yongs grub]]'') | + | #'''[[Truly Existent]]''' (Skt. [[Pariniṣpanna]]; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ཡོངས་གྲུབ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[yongs grub]]'') |
==Alternative Translations== | ==Alternative Translations== | ||
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[[File:Red Lotus.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Red Lotus.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
| − | The {{Wiki|theory}} of the '''[[three natures]]''' is one of the central concepts of [[Yogacara]] [[philosophy]]. Although there is just one {{Wiki|world}} it can be [[perceived]] in three ways, hence [[three natures]] also known as the "'''[[three characteristics]]'''". The [[three natures]] are a perspective on {{Wiki|experience}} "...both a type of real or supposed [[knowledge]], and a degree of {{Wiki|reality}} that this [[knowledge]] relates to." All [[three natures]] are involved in direct [[perception]] and "...represent all states of entities without exception." | + | The {{Wiki|theory}} of the '''[[three natures]]''' is one of the central [[Wikipedia:concept|concepts]] of [[Yogacara]] [[philosophy]]. Although there is just one {{Wiki|world}} it can be [[perceived]] in [[three ways]], hence [[three natures]] also known as the "'''[[three characteristics]]'''". The [[three natures]] are a {{Wiki|perspective}} on {{Wiki|experience}} "...both a type of real or supposed [[knowledge]], and a [[degree]] of {{Wiki|reality}} that this [[knowledge]] relates to." All [[three natures]] are involved in direct [[perception]] and "...represent all states of entities without exception." |
| − | 1) The [[imaginary]] nature is [[constructed]] of subject/object discriminations. It is the nature that accepts the [[reality]] of the "{{Wiki|self}}". In [[Yogacara]] {{Wiki|theory}} all [[objects]], internal and external, are constructs which only [[exist]] as part of our {{Wiki|awareness}}, so their nature is [[imaginary]]. There is no {{Wiki|reality}} in this nature, it is just {{Wiki|illusion}}. This nature accepts the validity of the {{Wiki|illusory}}, i.e., that [[happiness]] depends on having a new car. The [[imaginary]] nature believes in the {{Wiki|reality}} of the the [[water]] in a {{Wiki|mirage}}. | + | 1) The [[imaginary]] [[nature]] is [[constructed]] of subject/object discriminations. It is the [[nature]] that accepts the [[reality]] of the "{{Wiki|self}}". In [[Yogacara]] {{Wiki|theory}} all [[objects]], internal and external, are constructs which only [[exist]] as part of our {{Wiki|awareness}}, so their [[nature]] is [[imaginary]]. There is no {{Wiki|reality}} in this [[nature]], it is just {{Wiki|illusion}}. This [[nature]] accepts the validity of the {{Wiki|illusory}}, i.e., that [[happiness]] depends on having a new car. The [[imaginary]] [[nature]] believes in the {{Wiki|reality}} of the the [[water]] in a {{Wiki|mirage}}. |
| − | 2) The other-dependent or interdependent nature is the basis from which the [[imaginary]] nature arises and the perfected nature appears. The other-dependent nature is produced by "...the flow of changing [[mental]] [[phenomena]]...that arise from [[causes]] and [[conditions]]." These [[dharmas]] are real (as conditional things), but "because we impose an [[imaginary]] '{{Wiki|self}}-{{Wiki|existence}}' upon our {{Wiki|experience}} of them, we come up with distorted images...[of] things...." This [[causes]] [[suffering]] ([[samsara]]), since our [[mental]] constructs do not match [[reality]]. The other-dependent nature is the {{Wiki|mirage}} itself. | + | 2) The [[other-dependent]] or [[interdependent]] [[nature]] is the basis from which the [[imaginary]] [[nature]] arises and the perfected [[nature]] appears. The [[other-dependent]] [[nature]] is produced by "...the flow of changing [[mental]] [[phenomena]]...that arise from [[causes]] and [[conditions]]." These [[dharmas]] are real (as [[conditional]] things), but "because we impose an [[imaginary]] '{{Wiki|self}}-{{Wiki|existence}}' upon our {{Wiki|experience}} of them, we come up with distorted images...[of] things...." This [[causes]] [[suffering]] ([[samsara]]), since our [[mental]] constructs do not match [[reality]]. The [[other-dependent]] [[nature]] is the {{Wiki|mirage}} itself. |
| − | 3) The perfected or fulfilled nature is the [[ultimate nature]]; the only one that is absolutely real. However, it is "...neither the same as, nor different..." from the other-dependent. The perfected nature is devoid of {{Wiki|duality}} and sees the [[world]] as "{{Wiki|representation}} only". Since it is always exactly the same, it is the "thusness" of all. The perfected nature [[knows]] it is [[seeing]] a {{Wiki|mirage}}. | + | 3) The perfected or fulfilled [[nature]] is the [[ultimate nature]]; the only one that is absolutely real. However, it is "...neither the same as, nor different..." from the [[other-dependent]]. The perfected [[nature]] is devoid of {{Wiki|duality}} and sees the [[world]] as "{{Wiki|representation}} only". Since it is always exactly the same, it is the "[[thusness]]" of all. The perfected [[nature]] [[knows]] it is [[seeing]] a {{Wiki|mirage}}. |
| − | To see the inter-relationship of our [[mind]] processes (i.e.; the other-dependent nature) as [[being]] without real [[objective]] qualifications of their own ([[imaginary]] nature) is to be [[enlightened]] (perfected nature). Once the false {{Wiki|concept}} of "{{Wiki|I}}" and "[[object]]" is removed, the result is "things-as-they-are", which is [[nirvana]]. | + | To see the inter-relationship of our [[mind]] {{Wiki|processes}} (i.e.; the [[other-dependent]] [[nature]]) as [[being]] without real [[objective]] qualifications of their own ([[imaginary]] [[nature]]) is to be [[enlightened]] (perfected [[nature]]). Once the false {{Wiki|concept}} of "{{Wiki|I}}" and "[[object]]" is removed, the result is "things-as-they-are", which is [[nirvana]]. |
{{R}} | {{R}} | ||
[http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/Yogacara/basicideas.htm online.sfsu.edu] | [http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/Yogacara/basicideas.htm online.sfsu.edu] | ||
Revision as of 17:16, 10 July 2014
Three natures (Skt. trisvabhāva; Tib. མཚན་ཉིད་གསུམ, རང་བཞིན་གསུམ་, Wyl. mtshan nyid gsum or rang bzhin gsum) — the three categories into which the followers of the Mind Only school divide all phenomena:
- Imputed (Skt. Parikalpita; Tib. ཀུན་བརྟགས་, Wyl. kun btags)
- Dependent (Skt. Paratantra; Tib. གཞན་དབང་, Wyl. gzhan dbang)
- Truly Existent (Skt. Pariniṣpanna; Tib. ཡོངས་གྲུབ་, Wyl. yongs grub)
Alternative Translations
- Imaginary, Other-dependent & Perfect (Karl Brunnhölzl)
- Imagined, Other-dependent & Consummate (Jay L. Garfield)
- Imputation, Dependence & the Absolute (Lama Chökyi Nyima)
Further Reading
- Jay L. Garfield, 'Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Three Natures' in Empty Words: Buddhist Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Interpretation, Oxford University Press, 2002
See Also
The theory of the three natures is one of the central concepts of Yogacara philosophy. Although there is just one world it can be perceived in three ways, hence three natures also known as the "three characteristics". The three natures are a perspective on experience "...both a type of real or supposed knowledge, and a degree of reality that this knowledge relates to." All three natures are involved in direct perception and "...represent all states of entities without exception."
1) The imaginary nature is constructed of subject/object discriminations. It is the nature that accepts the reality of the "self". In Yogacara theory all objects, internal and external, are constructs which only exist as part of our awareness, so their nature is imaginary. There is no reality in this nature, it is just illusion. This nature accepts the validity of the illusory, i.e., that happiness depends on having a new car. The imaginary nature believes in the reality of the the water in a mirage.
2) The other-dependent or interdependent nature is the basis from which the imaginary nature arises and the perfected nature appears. The other-dependent nature is produced by "...the flow of changing mental phenomena...that arise from causes and conditions." These dharmas are real (as conditional things), but "because we impose an imaginary 'self-existence' upon our experience of them, we come up with distorted images...[of] things...." This causes suffering (samsara), since our mental constructs do not match reality. The other-dependent nature is the mirage itself.
3) The perfected or fulfilled nature is the ultimate nature; the only one that is absolutely real. However, it is "...neither the same as, nor different..." from the other-dependent. The perfected nature is devoid of duality and sees the world as "representation only". Since it is always exactly the same, it is the "thusness" of all. The perfected nature knows it is seeing a mirage.
To see the inter-relationship of our mind processes (i.e.; the other-dependent nature) as being without real objective qualifications of their own (imaginary nature) is to be enlightened (perfected nature). Once the false concept of "I" and "object" is removed, the result is "things-as-they-are", which is nirvana.
