[Buddha-l] Sabba Sutta

[jkirk]

Wow--brilliant exposition! It all makes sense. Thanks! 
That Asanga was one smart guy.

Cheers, Joanna
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-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of Bruce
Burrill
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 6:15 PM
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Sabba Sutta

Again from Bill Waldron, answering the two alaya questions:

there is no single term in cognitive science that corresponds
with alaya-vijnana other than, perhaps, 'cognitive unconscious,'
which is probably about right, since in my view alaya-vijnana is
not a single process at all, but rather a categorical  term for a
variety of processes. As Asanga says, "although it continuously
arises in a stream of moments, it is not singular (ekatva)."
Yogacarabhumi, Derge, #4038 , 4a.5; T.31.1606.580a18.

Hence, it can hardly count as an entity, either. In fact,
strictly speaking, in the Buddhist view there are no entities at
all. But there are mental processes that are not conscious, some
of which are strictly individual and some of which have shared
qualities or characteristics, not unlike the fact that sugar
tastes sweet to most people, so if they all eat something sweet
then their experiences will be similar. Extrapolate this to other
aspects of human life---such as speaking a common language,
having similar emotional responses to cultural symbols, or
imagining similar things about one's own cultural, ethnic or
national group---and you end up with a sense of common or
collective awareness that is nevertheless, like all of us eating
something sweet, still based in our individual sense faculties. I
am quite certain that this is also what Jung, for example, had in
mind with his 'collective unconscious.'

That such collective illusions as nationalism or ethnic identity
are illusory does not, unfortunately, make them any less
effective nor any less pernicious. They are the illusions we all,
to a greater or lesser degree, labor under and whose broader and
long-term consequences determine much of our collective lives.

Bill Waldron

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