Asanga's Mahayana-sutralankara:A Move Towards a Buddhist Hermeneutics

Knowledge is not merely for the sake of knowledge, but it is to be used, practised and lived actually, is a mark of unity of Indian Civilisation. Naturally, various sages and seers have spoken out their own revelations of truth/s, but their com­ prehensions and visions not being the same, interpretative va­- rieties have emerged. Further, due to differences in the modes of thinking and living truth, traditions of interpretation, reinter­ pretation and understanding surfaced. Thus, cultural diversity which is lived/ experienced actually has been a fact. Within the fold of Indian Civilisation, Gautama the Buddha in the 5th cen B.C. attempted to discover the truth and excelled the then prevalent modes o f thoughts and practices. He, after his en­- lightenment, initially kept silence, and was hesitant to respond to the questions posed by the then people, but after repeated requests from humans and supernatural entities and beings, he attempted to speak about his revelation/realisation o f the truth; and delivered the first discourse known as the Dhamma-cakka- pabattana-sutta. After his Bodhi till his Mahaparinirvana — i.e. almost for 50 years — he expressed his views and thoughts at different places and times, and in response to various issues o f the numerous individuals. It is his understanding and compre­ hension about himself, others, and the world at large consisting o f the four basic truths viz. the arya-satyas (Four Noble Truths). Although he was clear enough that realisation cannot be substi­- tuted by the description and discourse of truth, nonetheless it is out o f compassion and love towards others that he preached and disseminated his knowledge o f truth. After Buddha’s passing Knowledge is not merely for the sake o f knowledge, but it is to be used, practised and lived actually, is a mark o f unity o f Indian Civilisation. Naturally, various sages and seers have spoken out their own revelations o f truth/s, but their com­ prehensions and visions not being the same, interpretative va­ rieties have emerged. Further, due to differences in the modes o f thinking and living truth, traditions o f interpretation, reinter­ pretation and understanding surfaced. Thus, cultural diversity which is lived/ experienced actually has been a fact. Within the fold o f Indian Civilisation, Gautama the Buddha in the 5th cent B.C. attempted to discover the truth and excelled the then prevalent modes o f thoughts and practices. He, after his en­- lightenment, initially kept silence, and was hesitant to respond to the questions posed by the then people, but after repeated requests from humans and supernatural entities and beings, he attempted to speak about his revelation/realisation of the truth; and delivered the first discourse known as the Dhamma-cakka- pabattana-sutta. After his Bodhi till his Mahaparinirvana — i.e. almost for 50 years — he expressed his views and thoughts at different places and times, and in response to various issues of the numerous individuals. It is his understanding and compre­- hension about himself, others, and the world at large consisting of the four basic truths viz. the arya-satyas (Four Noble Truths). Although he was clear enough that realisation cannot be substi­- tuted by the description and discourse o f truth, nonetheless it is out of compassion and love towards others that he preached and disseminated his knowledge o f truth. After Buddha’s passing This legacy of interpretative tradition further was reinforced by the movement o f Mahayana Buddhism in general and Yogacara tradition o f Buddhism in particular, and later on against which the Madhvamika trend within Buddhism emerged. In the Lankavatara- sutra (ca 100 B.C.) the seeds were sown and Sandhinirmocana- siitra further added some points, but it is Asatiga who systematically pioneered this trend o f thought and hence is honoured by the status o f one o f the “Six Ornaments o f Buddhism in the Jambu-dvipa”. This paper is an attempt to inquire into Buddhist hermeneutics in particular, by using Asariga’s Mahayana-sutralankara as a peep­ hole. It is a humble endeavour to reinterpret and re-understand Bud­ dhist thought and bring out its relevance by way of its appropriation for the present. This two-fold task — o f interpretation and making it relevant in the present contexts — is attempted to be performed in three sections: In the first, a question o f what is the nature and status o f hermeneutic within Buddhism in general and Asanga’s Mahayana-sutralankara in particular is attempted to be considered. In the second, we shall attempt to inquire as to why hermeneutics is required. And in the third, we shall concentrate on the question as to how it is to be used significantly — the methods and procedures of its use for philosophisation and practice. The entire exercise hopes to be a methodological appropriation of historical facts, and focus­- ing on linking our understanding o f them to the present context