The Lankavatara Sutra: A Mahayana Text by D.T. Suzuki

The Lankavatara Sutra: A Mahayana Text Reviews

• 
  Thomas

  Suzuki said that there were parts of the Lankavatara that he still didn't understand, even after years of study. It is terribly difficult stuff, but its richness is such that it is in some ways indispensable. The theory of "mind-only" or cittamatra is the focal point that forms a bridge of sorts between Vedanta and Buddhism -- the mind is the fundamental ground condition of reality -- serving the same function that Brahman does for advaita Vedanta. (But "ground condition" is meant only metaphorically, because this "citta" is of course non-dualistic, beyond being and non-being -- the Lanka uses the analogy of space. It is neither here nor there without points of relation, and the ultimate goal is to rid oneself of these points of relation because they are illusory. Get it? Got it. Good.)
  
  As a natural consequence the Lanka questions the appropriateness of categories and the reliance on language -- if it is clear about anything, it is that philosophy is a ruse -- and it slips into Zen territory. Hence Suzuki's interest -- the legend is that this is the text that Bodhidharma transmitted to China. And amongst all this is a complex and not very clear description of the cittamatra/Vijnana "system" with all its epistemological underpinnings and psychological consequences. Some of this will be familiar to readers versed in Buddhist psychology, but the notion of a central "storehouse" of memory (Alayavijnana) and its necessary paravritti (unfortunately translated by Suzuki as "revulsion") is I think unique to the Lanka.
  
  It's incredibly dense and not easy going, but fascinating stuff.
• 
  Lace

  This might be how you short-circuit your mind and break out of the matrix. The most psychedelic text ever written. What an amazing job Red Pine has done again, for his translations and commentaries I’m forever grateful.
• 
  Fuad Fuad

  I like this book, especially first chapter .....this book is good for contemplation.....
• 
  Steve

  This sutra included many interesting doctrines of the Yogacara school, and is seen as a central test to Boddhidharam, and Ch'an or Zen Buddhism. It is a part of the Mahayana Buddhist cannon, and a perfection of wisdom text, because of it's emphasis on realization beyond words and thought.
  
  My teacher is Sangharakshita (and the Triratna Buddhist Community) and he's keen on the sutra, though he doesn't say much on it if you search it on FreeBuddhistAudio.com. There are two little sections of talks which mention it, and another leading disciple, Padmavajra talks about it in a section of one of his talks.
  
  Searching the texts of seminars of Sangharakshita, it is not mentioned except in passing, in the one seminar I looked through that was #1 amongst those searched. It appears he's never done a seminar on the sutra, which is a shame in that he does mention it with glowing terms.
  
  I feel it's tendrils in his teachings, and I suppose the complexity of the sutra might be one of the reasons it's pushed to the side, seemingly. Or maybe I just haven't gotten my hands on the info beyond chapter in The Eternal Legacy, which might be all he wanted to say about it. It is an intense chapter.
  
  This version did not include the chapter on vegetarianism, or the darani chapter, and having not read another version I can't say whether they should or should not have been included. There's something to be said for making a wild grab bag of a text into a more streamlined text. I suppose it's good to read this version and not have to deal with the cognitive dissonance of unfitting parts, you can get a gestalt that you can come away with, instead of the confusion of reading another version. I am however very curious about the vegetarian chapter, because that is an important issue to me. The darani chapter is supposedly full of slogans that might be out of step with the rest of the sutra, though I do like slogan teachings, like the 7 and 8 fold mind training slogans, which is more part of the tantric tradition, the Vajrayana, than the Mahayana.
  
  Googling the Lankavatara Sutra you don't get much beyond the Wikipedia entry and that's not so exciting. I reread Sangharakshita's chapter from his book The Eternal Legacy to supplement. He cites Suzuki's book on the sutra, which is expensive, and I doubt I will splurge for at this time, thought I might invest in another translation of this sutra because I want to read the messy grab bag version.
• 
  Kelly Head

  Extremely repetitive and borderline incomprehensible. The following paragraph is repeated in slightly different forms about a hundred times.
  
  "The Blessed One said: Mahāmati, when it is understood that the objective world is nothing but what is seen of the Mind itself, the habit-energy of false speculations and erroneous discriminations which have been going on since beginningless time is removed, and there is a revulsion [or turning-back] at the basis of discrimination—this is emancipation, Mahāmati, and not annihilation. Therefore, Mahāmati, there cannot be any talk about endlessness. To be endless in limit, Mahāmati, is another name for discrimination. Apart from discriminations (234) there are no other beings. When all things external or internal are examined with intelligence, Mahāmati, knowing and known are found to be quiescent. But when it is not recognised that all things rise from the discrimination of the Mind itself, discrimination asserts itself."
• 
  Justin

  One of the base texts for Mahayana Buddhism. Sets a broad table for Buddhist theories of mind and consciousness. Not an introductory type book, but if you know a little about Buddhism and wanted to study some more, this would be an excellent place to look.