Upanisadic Influence on Mahayanasutralankara of Asanga
By Yajneshwar S. Shastri
Summary
The Upanisads hold a foundational role in shaping Indian philosophical traditions, including Buddhism and Jainism, serving as the source of core concepts across schools of thought. Asanga’s *Mahāyanasūtrālaṃkāra*, a key text of the Yogācāra school, reflects significant Upanisadic influence in its conception of Reality (Citta, Dharmadhātu, or Visuddha Tathatā), which aligns with Upanisadic descriptions of Brahman/Atman as non-dual, ineffable, self-luminous consciousness. Upanisadic themes like "neti neti" (not this, not this) and the indescribability of the Absolute are mirrored in Asanga’s negation of intellectual categories to define Reality. The Upanisads emphasize Brahman as eternal, unborn, and beyond sensory or linguistic grasp (e.g., Mandukya, Katha, and Brhadaranyaka Upanisads), paralleling Asanga’s portrayal of Reality as transcending existence/non-existence, production/destruction, and all phenomena. Both traditions assert that ultimate Reality is the self-luminous ground of all existence, with knowledge of it leading to liberation (mokṣa/nirvāṇa). Upanisadic passages like the Chandogya’s clay analogy and the Katha’s assertion that "the Atman makes the manifold" resonate in Asanga’s view that all phenomena arise from and dissolve into the universal consciousness. While Asanga’s framework is ideologically, not terminologically, tied to the Upanisads, his work underscores their enduring impact on Mahāyāna thought
Conclusion
In conclusion, Asanga’s *Mahāyanasūtrālaṃkāra* demonstrates a profound ideological synthesis of Upanisadic thought, particularly in its conception of the Absolute as ineffable, non-dual, and self-luminous consciousness. The Upanisads’ influence manifests not in terminological borrowings but in foundational principles, such as the indescribable nature of Reality, the limitations of logic and language, and the emphasis on direct realization. Asanga’s integration of these ideas into Mahāyāna Buddhism—especially in his theories of emptiness, Bodhisattva praxis, and liberation—reveals a transformative engagement with Upanisadic metaphysics. This synthesis underscores the Upanisads’ enduring role as a philosophical wellspring, shaping later Indian thought across traditions and ensuring their centrality to the development of Indian philosophy.