Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi
Quick Summary
The Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi is a significant work by the Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. This treatise defends the Yogachara school's thesis that external objects are merely mental conceptions. This philosophical stance, known as Vijnanavada or "Consciousness-affirming," posits that reality is fundamentally consciousness.12
The core idea is that what we perceive as an external world is, in fact, a projection of our own minds. This concept is closely linked to the doctrine of alaya-vijnana, or "storehouse consciousness," which holds all past experiences and forms the basis for our perceived reality. The Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi argues that the forms we attribute to external objects are actually forms of consciousness itself. This philosophical viewpoint is a development from earlier Buddhist schools, emphasizing the mind's role in constructing our experience of the world.21
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