by Ben Connelly
CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY BUDDHISM
The “Thirty Verses” is one of the most concise and accessible expressions of what is often called Consciousness Only Buddhism. This refers to a movement that began in first-century India, grew in prevalence for several hundred years, and then left traces throughout two thousand years of subsequent Buddhist thought. It is closely related to, but not synonymous with, the Yogacara tradition. Sometimes called mind-only and generally appearing in Sanskrit as cittamatra, it carries an array of meanings. The ideas embedded in this phrase are rooted in the earliest Buddhist teachings and became formative concepts in Tibetan, East Asian, and subsequently the nascent American Buddhism.
Consciousness Only alludes to the idea that, in Buddhist practice, we have one principal concern: taking care of our consciousness. This draws us away from the conventional tendency to spend our lives trying to grasp and control apparently external things. It points to the fact that whatever we experience is mediated by consciousness, or as the first line of the Dhammapada says, “Our life is shaped by our mind.” It presents the view that ultimately we do not know what is “out there” in the apparently external world. We only know that we have this moment of conscious experience.
Here is a reflection of Consciousness Only in a classic Zen koan:
Two monks were debating outside the monastery.
One said to the other, “The wind is moving.”
The other said, “The flag is moving.”
Sixth ancestor Huineng was walking by and said, “Not the wind, not the flag: mind is moving.”
This school of thought puts a great deal of emphasis—more than other Buddhist systems—on the concept that the main source of suffering in our lives is our sense that we are a “self” experiencing “other” things. It invites us to realize that this moment of consciousness is instead Consciousness Only, with no self separate from anything else. Consciousness Only is occasionally translated as “mere consciousness,” or “merely consciousness,” to remind us that whatever it is about which we’re becoming agitated, irritated, overjoyed, overwhelmed, or aggrieved is just consciousness—not a real thing, but a projection of mental tendencies. It’s not such a big deal. We can take care of what’s here with some lightness, some compassion, and be well.
It might appear that such a teaching denies or draws us away from the possibility of service to others and a life devoted to the well-being of the world, which is the heart of Mahayana Buddhism, but as we will see, Consciousness Only is in harmony with both the Early Buddhist and the Mahayanist school of thought, a way of seeing and living that is about promoting complete peace and harmony.
Here is a story from the Theravadan tradition with a Consciousness Only flavor, about Voramai Kabilsingh, the first Thai woman to receive full ordination and take the accompanying 311 precepts:
A young man asked, “How do you keep the 311 precepts?”
Voramai Kabilsingh responded, “I keep only one precept.”
Surprised, the young man asked, “What is that?”
She answered, “I just watch my mind.”
It is important to note that the idea of Consciousness Only is not geared toward explaining the nature of reality or the universe but toward explaining experience, the material we have to work with in terms of taking care of human suffering. In philosophical terms, rather than a teaching about metaphysics, this is a teaching that relates to epistemology, the nature of knowing, and soteriology, the way to freedom, wellness, and enlightenment. This tradition does not claim that the universe is made of consciousness or that there is nothing but consciousness. It simply tells us we don’t know anything that is not mediated by consciousness; thus, working with the way our consciousness operates is the best way to promote wellness and nonsuffering.
Although this idea that there is not a “self” experiencing “other” things—there is only consciousness—existed in many Buddhist schools before Yogacara came along, none of them held this up as so fundamental. This teaching has taken deep roots in Buddhist thought throughout Asia and America, so much so that many people I know, who have never heard of Consciousness Only or Yogacara, assume that this has always been the very heart of Buddhist teaching.
CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY AND NONSELF
Sometimes people claim that Consciousness Only contradicts the central Buddhist tenet that all things are empty of an independent, lasting self. They critique it by saying it turns the Buddhist path of seeing through selfhood and letting it go into one of making a perfect self. Similarly many Western philosophers refer to Consciousness Only as idealism, or a philosophical system in which the only thing that exists is mind.
Although there are some Consciousness Only teachings that do seem to teach this, the “Thirty Verses” does not. Most teachings from this tradition do not claim that ultimately only mind exists, nor that it is a lasting self or soul, and many of them specifically warn against misconstruing them in this way. The “Thirty Verses” is particularly careful to avoid this potentially self-absorbed trap. Xuanzang writes in the Chengweishilun, a commentary on the “Thirty Verses” and the most influential Yogacara text in East Asia, “In order to refute the false attachment to a really existing realm outside the mind and its activities, we teach Consciousness Only, but if one believes that Consciousness Only really exists, this is no different from attachment to external objects, and it remains attachment to phenomena.” Throughout Consciousness Only texts, including the “Thirty Verses,” we find similar reminders that, like all Buddhist discourse, these are provisional teachings, whose purpose is to promote the alleviation of suffering through letting go of attachment. They are not a means of explaining the universe; they are just words that can help us seek freedom.
But all this talk is Consciousness Only, or merely consciousness. Let’s not get too wrapped up in it. The words emerging on this white space as I type, and the unwilled, unknown subtle motion of your eyes across the page as you read, are part of a vast unfolding that we can never fully comprehend. All the ideas laid forth in the book, every birdsong that you hear, and every moment of bickering with your boss, or worrying about your children, every moment of calm, open stillness as you move mindfully through your day—let’s not get too caught up in them, but let them be and let them go; they’re only consciousness.
CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY IN PRACTICE
We can see the roots of Consciousness Only in the earliest Buddhist teachings. The Buddha’s first teaching was the Eightfold Path, which he laid out and referred to throughout his life as his Way to alleviation of suffering. Buddhism is the promotion of well-being, and the Eightfold Path is how you do it. If we look at the steps on the path—right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration—we can see that there is nothing in it that is external to our own mind and actions. This doesn’t mean that things external to our own choices don’t affect well-being; it just means that since we don’t have control of them, they are not the concern of the way of practice Buddha recommends for our wellness. This path radically directs us to concentrate on our own choices, our own actions, and our own minds, which is in direct contradiction to most of our habitual tendencies.
Let’s imagine it’s December and you have a few packages to mail, gifts for nieces and nephews perhaps. On the way to work you stop at the post office. The line is very long. You glance at your watch fearing you’ll be late. The people in line are tense, they shuffle about, inching forward. “Why don’t they have more workers at the desk?” You fume in frustration. It does not smell good in here. Shuffling forward, you realize that it is taking five minutes for the woman at one desk to figure out how to mail her package. Come on! How hard is it? A child in front is involved in a tense exchange with her mother. Perhaps you have some great ideas about how this mother could be a better parent. Sweat beads on your forehead as you glance at the clock yet again and tensely check the messages on your phone. The line inches forward . . .
Alternately, upon entering th
e line, if you focus on consciousness itself, you might notice the frustration appear in your mind, be intimate with the tense feelings in the body, be aware of the judgmental thoughts floating into being and disappearing. You might realize the intimacy of your mind’s suffering with that of everyone in the room, with that of all the people in the world. You might see through your own suffering and into your profound connection, and you might relax and pass out some quiet smiles and kind words as you move through the line . . . and, of course, still get to work late. Directing the attention to consciousness itself does not create a world according to our desires, but it is the happier way both for you and for others.
THE “THIRTY VERSES” IN PRACTICE
The “Thirty Verses,” like much classical Buddhist literature, is challenging. Do not be surprised if, on the first reading, these verses seem opaque. This book is a guide to make them accessible to your own heart, mind, and practice. According to some old texts, there were ten commentaries on the “Thirty Verses” written near the time of its creation, and each of these presented distinct views. Most of these are no longer extant. In the last fifty years, we have seen varying interpretations of this work as well. My book is not an attempt to create an absolutely true and definitive explanation of the meaning of Vasubandhu’s work, nor will I spend much time analyzing the distinctions between various others’ explanations. This book forwards the most practical implications of these verses and lays them out in a way that you may take them into your life.
The “Thirty Verses” reveals a fourfold model of how to offer our effort: being aware of the tremendous power of our cognitive and emotional habits, practicing mindfulness of our body and emotional states, being aware of the interdependence of all things, and practicing meditation with no object. In simplest terms, we could say this is about learning to be intimate with both ourselves and everything, so that we may be compassionate, joyous, and free. This model of practice allows us to shed harmful emotional states and realize the completeness of our connection to each thing. We can learn to meet the surly, disheveled man on the street without fear or judgment; to meet a frustrated and exhausted spouse with kind, wholehearted listening; to meet our own aching heart with warm, loving attention; to meet our suffering planet with changes in how we consume; to not even really meet anything, but realize we are all already completely part of one unknowable wholeness, to be the stillness of a lake unbroken by the ripples of a fallen raindrop.
One of the most helpful things one can do is to make a commitment to a simple meditation practice and to act with compassion. Everything written in this book is rooted in and arises from meditative experience and is designed to help us cultivate the peace and harmony found in devoting oneself to seeing things as they are while engaging in kind action. Although the “Thirty Verses” contains much wisdom on how to be in the world, its wisdom only really flowers if paired with a commitment to meditation practice and beneficial living. I heartily pray that my effort in writing this book, and your effort in engaging with these teachings, may carry forward both Vasubandhu’s vision for how to give ourselves to the well-being of the world and the central intention of all Buddhist teaching: the alleviation of suffering.
In America today we are creating new and distinct forms of Buddhism informed by the many strains of Asian Buddhist and yogic thought that have come to our shores. In fourth-century India as well, there was a great diversity of practices and ideas. In that time Vasubandhu, as part of the Yogacara movement, sought at the end of his life to reconcile these many systems and demonstrate how they could be effectively integrated into a single system of practice. His “Thirty Verses” is his most concise, comprehensive, and accessible work. This work shows a way toward honoring and employing the whole of the Buddhist tradition including Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, which were profoundly influenced by Yogacara ideas. It lays out a path of practice that integrates the most potent of Buddhism’s possibilities: Early Buddhism’s emphasis on shedding afflictive emotions and impulses and the Mahayana emphasis on shedding divisive concepts; the path of individual liberation and the path of freeing all beings; the path to nirvana and the path of enlightenment as the very ground of being right now.
Although Yogacara has a reputation for being extremely complex, the “Thirty Verses” distills the principles of these traditions to their most practical forms, and this book follows that sense of focus; it avoids difficult and abstruse byways and goes to the heart of the matter—how do we alleviate suffering through shedding our emotional knots and our sense of alienation?
As a Zen priest I have chanted these verses countless times, ever since I learned that Thich Nhat Hanh and his fellow monks were required to memorize them as part of their training. I have devoted myself to studying and practicing their wisdom. Although my training is as a Zen priest I know these verses have enormous value for the many types of Buddhists across the globe. This book is for others who are interested in bringing the breadth of Buddhist wisdom into a single way of practice.
Thirty Verses on Consciousness Only
VASUBANDHU
Translated by Ben Connelly and Weijen Teng
Everything conceived as self or other occurs in the transformation of consciousness. || 1 ||
This transformation has three aspects:
The ripening of karma, the consciousness of a self, and the imagery of sense objects. || 2 ||
The first of these is also called alaya, the store consciousness, which contains all karmic seeds.
What it holds and its perception of location are unknown. || 3 ||
It is always associated with sense-contact, attention, sensation, perception, and volition,
Neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It is unobstructed, and karmically neutral,
Like a river flowing. In enlightenment it is overturned at its root. || 4 ||
Dependent on the store consciousness and taking it as its object,
Manas, the consciousness of a self, arises, which consists of thinking. || 5 ||
It is always associated with four afflictions, self-view, self-delusion, self-pride, and self-love,
And is obstructed, but karmically neutral. Along with these four, || 6 ||
From where it is born come sense-contact, attention, sensation, perception, and volition.
It is not found in enlightenment, the meditation of cessation, or the supramundane path. || 7 ||
That is the second transformation, the third is the perception of the six senses,
Which are beneficial, harmful, or neither. || 8 ||
It is associated with three kinds of mental factors: universal, specific, and beneficial,
As well as the afflictions and secondary afflictions, and the three sensations. || 9 ||
The universal factors are sense-contact, attention, sensation, perception, and volition.
The specific are aspiration, resolve, memory, concentration, and intellection. || 10 ||
The beneficial factors are faith, conscience, humility, lack of desire, aversion, and delusion,
Energy, tranquility, carefulness, equanimity, and nonviolence. || 11 ||
The afflictions are desire, aversion, delusion, pride, wrong view, and doubt.
The secondary afflictions are anger, hatred, hypocrisy, malice, envy, selfishness, || 12 ||
Deceitfulness, guile, arrogance, harmfulness, lack of conscience and humility, sluggishness,
Restlessness, lack of faith, laziness, carelessness, forgetfulness, distraction, and unawareness. || 13 ||
Remorse, sleepiness, initial thought, and analysis canbe either afflictive or not. || 14 ||
The five sense consciousnesses arise on the root consciousness together or separately,
Depending on conditions, like waves arise on water. || 15 ||
Thought consciousness always manifests except in the realm of no thought,
The two thought-free meditation states, unconsciousness, and thought-free sleep. || 16 ||
This transformation of cons
ciousness is conceptualization,
What is conceptualized does not exist, thus everything is projection only. || 17 ||
Consciousness is all the seeds transforming in various ways
Through mutual influence producing the many conceptualizations. || 18 ||
Karmic impressions and the impressions of grasping self and other
Produce further ripening as the former karmic effect is exhausted. || 19 ||
Whatever thing is conceptualized by whatever conceptualization
Is of an imaginary nature; it does not exist. || 20 ||
The other-dependent nature is a conceptualization arising from conditions;
The complete, realized nature is the other-dependent nature’s always being devoid of the imaginary. || 21 ||
Thus it is neither the same nor different from the other-dependent;
Like impermanence, etc., when one isn’t seen, the other also is not seen. || 22 ||
With the threefold nature is a threefold absence of self-nature,
So it has been taught that all things have no self. || 23 ||
The imaginary is without self by definition. The other-dependent does not exist by itself.
The third is no-self nature—that is, || 24 ||
The complete, realized nature of all phenomena, which is thusness—
Since it is always already thus, projection only. || 25 ||
As long as consciousness does not rest in projection only,
The tendencies of grasping self and other will not cease. || 26 ||
By conceiving what you put before you to be projection only,
You do not rest in just this. || 27 ||
When consciousness does not perceive any object, then it rests in projection only;
When there is nothing to grasp, there is no grasping. || 28 ||
Without thought, without conception, this is the supramundane awareness:
The overturning of the root, the ending of the two barriers. || 29 ||