Through the recognition of emptiness and interdependence, Mahayana teachings offer profound insights into the interconnectedness of all phenomena, guiding practitioners on the path toward ultimate liberation for the benefit of all sentient beings.
What is Mahayana Buddhism?
Mahayana, meaning “Great Vehicle,” emerged around the first century CE as a movement seeking to broaden the scope of Buddhist teachings beyond the individual quest for enlightenment to encompass the liberation of all beings. This compassionate ethos is exemplified in teachings such as the Bodhisattva ideal, where practitioners aspire to attain Buddhahood not solely for personal salvation but to aid others on the path to awakening.
Mahayana Buddhism stands as one of the major branches of Buddhism, renowned for its expansive philosophical frameworks and profound insights into the nature of reality. Central to Mahayana teachings is the exploration of the relationship between mind and body, a concept often referred to as “mind-body duality.” Within this rich tradition, the Madhyamaka school has offered particularly insightful perspectives on the nature of this duality.
Duality in Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism recognizes the interdependence of mind and body, emphasizing the inseparability of these two aspects of human experience. However, it also acknowledges the illusion of inherent existence, asserting that both mind and body lack inherent essence or self-nature. This understanding is pivotal in Mahayana thought, as it challenges the common perception of a fixed, independent self.
Within Mahayana teachings, the concept of “emptiness” (śūnyatā) plays a crucial role in elucidating the nature of reality. Emptiness does not denote mere nothingness but rather the absence of intrinsic interdependent existence. According to Mahayana philosophy, all phenomena, including mind and body, are empty of inherent existence, devoid of any fixed essence or identity.
So, if everything is interconnected, how do we make sense of the many different things around us? And does this mean that everything is just one thing?
Mahayana Buddhism might seem like it says everything is one thing, but according to Nagarjuna, a prominent Buddhist thinker, phenomena aren’t just one thing or many things. He said the right answer to the question of how many things there are is “not two.”
“The most harmful dualism is that of the subjective “knower” and an object of knowing. Or, in other words, the perception of “I/my/myself” and “everything else.”
What is freedom from dualism? It is the absence of involvement with either the external or the internal. When the dualism of subjective “knower” and object of “knowing” does not arise, what remains is a pure being or pure awareness.”
— the Vimalakirti Sutra
Things are the way they are because everything else is the way it is.
Madhyamaka School of Buddhism
At the forefront of Mahayana philosophy stands the Madhyamaka school, founded by the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna. The Madhyamaka, or “Middle Way,” represents a profound investigation into the nature of reality, aiming to transcend all conceptual extremes and dichotomies.
Central to Madhyamaka teachings is the doctrine of “two truths”: conventional truth (saṃvṛti-satya) and ultimate truth (paramārtha-satya). Conventional truth refers to the everyday world of appearances, where phenomena are perceived as distinct and separate. Ultimate truth, on the other hand, points to the underlying reality of emptiness, wherein all distinctions dissolve.
In the context of mind-body duality, the Madhyamaka school elucidates that while conventionally, mind and body may appear as separate entities, they are ultimately empty of inherent existence. Nagarjuna famously declared, “Whatever is dependently arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the Middle Way.” This assertion highlights the Madhyamaka understanding that the very nature of phenomena, including the mind-body complex, is characterized by interdependence and emptiness.
So, what does it mean to be free from this kind of dualism? It’s when we’re not caught up in seeing ourselves as separate from the world around us. When we let go of this divide between “me” and “everything else,” what’s left is a pure state of being or awareness. It’s like stepping back and seeing things without getting caught up in the idea of a separate “me” experiencing them.
Dharmakirti’s view
However, there are some contradictions between non-dualism and Buddhism.
Since Buddhism acknowledges a mind-body distinction only on a conventional level, it would not be fair to claim that the tradition necessarily advocates mind-body dualism.
Mind-body dualism is an approach according to which the mind is separate from the body and can thus be related presently with one physical body and in the future with another.
According to Dharmakirti – an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher who worked at Nalanda, commitment to a version of mind-body dualism is necessary for Buddhism because the majority of Buddhist doctrines that presuppose rebirth would be mostly incoherent.
The mind and body are separate entities, of which the mind or consciousness is the same surviving or persistent entity, and the body in which it resides continually undergoes changes.
Consciousness (mind) survives the death of the physical body whereas the body naturally doesn’t survive its death.
According to Buddhism, the mind and the body are unified, with consciousness (inner subjective awareness) being primary. In Mahayana Buddhism, the body is viewed as the densest layer of a spectrum of being that ranges in quality from the dense (body) to the subtle (mind) to the very subtle (pure awareness without thought).
So, what does it mean to be free from this kind of dualism? It’s when we’re not caught up in seeing ourselves as separate from the world around us. When we let go of this divide between “me” and “everything else,” what’s left is a pure state of being or awareness. It’s like stepping back and seeing things without getting caught up in the idea of a separate “me” experiencing them.
