Yogācāra Buddhism and Sanskritization

This paper aims to explore the Yogācāra acceptance of Brahmanism and Sanskrit. Bronkhorst (2011, 124–125) introduces the category of five “sciences” (vidyāsthāna) in the Yogācāra literature, which includes the Buddhist doctrine and discipline, Sanskrit grammar, medicine, logic, and arts and crafts. He continues that astrology, astronomy and mathematics are not included in this list and concludes that the Buddhists did not entirely accept Brahmanism until the 6th century CE. However, the examination of the Yogācārabhūmi (YoBh) demonstrates that they were indeed included, and the Buddhist acceptance of Brahmanism progressed faster than Bronkhorst estimated.

According to the YoBh, the Buddhist acceptance of Brahmanism is closely related to training proselytizing Buddhists. The virtue of Bodhisattva is described as relying on not the expression but the meaning of teaching; that is, Bodhisattvas are advised to listen to their teacher respectfully regardless of whether the teaching is expressed in dialect or Sanskrit. However, Bodhisattvas are also required to learn Sanskrit grammar to generate the faith of people devoted to the well-composed expression. This idea of the proselytizing Bodhisattva resulted in establishing the Yogācāra curriculum of five sciences.

Moreover, this new trend among Yogācāra Buddhists seems to change definitions of Yogācāra vocabulary. Among the Sarvāstivāda dharmas, we observe three linguistic dharmas, nāmakāya, padakāya, and vyañjanakāya:

1. Commentators on the Abhidharmasamuccaya (AS) state that vyañjana consists of 42 arapacana alphabets regarded as originally formulated in the region of Gandhāra. Following the definition of vyañjana in AS, however, the YoBh explains 48 alphabets used for formulating Sanskrit expressions.
2. In the YoBh, the basic chapter (the Maulībhūmi) and the commentarial chapter (the Viniścayasaṃgrahaṇī) show different understandings of pada. The basic chapter defines pada as a phrase or sentence consisting of many words and considers the synonym of pāda (“verse”). Contrary to this, the commentarial chapter attempts to define pada as a single word, corresponding to Sanskrit grammar's definition (“pada is an inflected noun or verb” suptiṅantaṃ padam).
3. Nāmakāya, padakāya and vyañjanakāya were traditionally regarded as the collection of expressions for communicating the Buddhist doctrine or the Buddha’s word (buddhavacana). The YoBh, however, states that the collection of three dharmas is all subjects to be studied by Yogācāra, that is, the five sciences. In other words, texts of Sanskrit grammar, logic, etc., are also regarded as nāmakāya, padakāya, and vyañjanakāya.

It is noteworthy that Yogācāra commentators seem to be aware of this history of Sanskritization in the Yogācāra Buddhism. For example, Sthiramati states that vyañjana means arapacana syllables in the commentary of AS, but it means Sanskrit syllables in the commentary of Vasubandhu’s Pañcaskandhaka.