The Buddhist Permutations of Consciousness

Authors

  • Tadeusz Skorupski University of London Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.v8i1.53

Keywords:

bodhicitta, citta, consciousness, dharma, luminosity, nonduality, soteriology, taxonomy, vijñana

Abstract

This article offers a broad survey of the Buddhist interpretations of consciousness as an integral component of the various taxonomies of animate life, and as it evolves and functions in its karmic or mundane, and its purified or supramundane conditions. It discusses the concepts set out in the texts of Abhidharma, and their interpretation by different schools. It shows the complex and intricate discussion among Buddhist thinkers of the nature and different aspects of consciousness, and suggests that they still leave some problems unresolved.

Author Biography

  • Tadeusz Skorupski, University of London

    Tadeusz Skorupski is a retired Reader in Buddhist Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His academic pursuits focus on Buddhist doctrines, literature, rituals, and iconography.

References

Bareau, A. 1955. Les Sectes Bouddhiques du Petit Véhicule. Saigon, EFEO.

Gethin, R. 1994. ‘Bhavanga and Rebirth According to the Abhidhamma.’ The Buddhist Forum, vol. III. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London: 11–35.

‘Hevajra-tantra’. Edited and translated by D. L. Snellgrove. The Hevajra-tantra, 2 volumes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1959.

Lamotte, E. 1988. History of Indian Buddhism. Trans. from the French by Sara Webb-Boin. Louvain: Institut Orientaliste.

Piyananda, D. 1981. The Concept of Mind in Early Buddhism. Ann Arbor: Facsimile.

Stcherbatsky, Th. 1979. The Central Conception of Buddhism and the Meaning of the Word Dharma. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Published

2014-08-22

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Skorupski, T. (2014). The Buddhist Permutations of Consciousness. Religions of South Asia, 8(1), 53-82. https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.v8i1.53