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The Philosophy of Buddhism

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The translation of Erich Frauwallner's Die Philosophie des Buddhismus, first published in 1956, opens up a classic introduction to Buddhist thought to a broader English language readership. The book covers the period of early canonical literature with examples of its philosophically relevant ideas, followed by the principal philosophical concepts of systematic Sravakayana Buddhism. In the main part of the book, Frauwallner presents the first survey of the development of the philosophical systems of Mahayana Buddhism. He was well aware of the limitations in presenting only the Buddhist philosophy of the "classical", i.e., the systematic period, and does not seem to have been ready to add the philosophically creative new postsystematic tradition of Buddhist epistemology and logic, a major subject of his subsequent years of research.

Frauwallner's way of translating was straightforward: to remain as close as possible to the original text while presenting it in a clear and readable way in order to convey an accurate impression of its meaning. For technical terms in the source materials he maintained a single translation even when various meanings were suggested. For clarity regarding such variations of meaning he relied on the context and his explanation.

The same approach was taken by the translator of the present book. Although his translation attempts to be faithful to the 1994 edition of Die Philosophie des Buddhismus, he inserted helpful additional headlines into the text and considerably enlarged the index. All other additions by the translator are given within square brackets. Besides this, he created an Appendix, which contains one of Frauwallner's more important articles "Amalavijnana and Alayavijnana" (1951) to complement the long Yogacara section of the book, a bibliography of selective publications after 1969. The URLs for many of the source materials were also conveniently provided. (Source: Motilal Banarsidass)

Citation	Frauwallner, Erich. The Philosophy of Buddhism (Die Philosophie des Buddhismus). Translated by Gelong Lodrö Sangpo with the assistance of Jigme Sheldrön, under the supervision of Ernst Steinkellner. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2010. Originally published 1956 by Akademie Verlag as Die Philosophie des Buddhismus (Berlin).

Table of Contents About the Book Texts Translated Quotes

• Introduction1
• A. The teaching of the Buddha5
  • AA. The Buddha (ca. 560-480 B.C.E.)5
  • AB. The proclamation of the Buddha5
    • ABA. The sermon of Benares (Dharmacakrapravartanasūtra)6
    • ABB. The Buddhist path of liberation8
      • ABB.1. From the "Kandaraka Sutta" (Majjhima Nikāya 51)8
  • AC. Questions which the Buddha did not answer10
    • ACA. Ānanda [Saṃyutta Nikāya 44, 10]10
    • ACB. The Sūtra of Vatsagotra and the Fire (Aggivacchagottasuttanta) [Majjhimanikāya Sutta 72]11
    • ACC. The Sūtra of the Bearer of the Burden (Bhārahārasūtra)15
  • AD. The tenet of dependent origination16
    • ADA. The Account of Enlightenment (Bodhikathā; Mahāvagga I, 1)17
    • ADB. The Great Sūtra of the Foundations of Origination (Mahānidānsuttanta; Dıghanikāya XV)18
    • ADC. The Sūtra of Dependent Origination (Pratītyasamutpādasūtra)24
    • ADD. From Vasubandhu’s "Commentary to the Sūtra of Dependent Origination" (Pratītyasamutpādavyākhyā)26
    • ADE. The Sūtra of the young Rice plant (Śālistambasūtra)29
• B. The Dogmatics (Abhidharma) of the Hīnayāna36
  • BA. The rise of the Buddhist Schools36
  • BB. The principal philosophical doctrines of the Sarvāstivāda37
    • BBA. The principal philosophical thoughts37
      • BBA.1. The denial of a soul, of a self37
        • BBA.1.1. From "The Questions of Menandros"(Milindapañhā)39
        • BBA.1.2. Vasubandhu the Younger (ca. 400-480 C.E.)46
          • BBA.1.2.1. A soul does not exist (Abhidharmakośa III, v. 18-24)47
          • BBA.1.2.2. From "Refutation of the Person" (Pudgalapratiṣedhaprakaraṇa)52
      • BBA.2. General views associated with the doctrine of the denial of a soul58
        • BBA.2.1. First general view: All entities lack a solid permanent core58
        • BBA.2.1.1. (A) Discussion of this first general view in the field of material elements59
        • BBA.2.1.2. (B) Discussion of this first general view in the field of psychology60
        • BBA.2.1.3. A substance does not exist (Abhidharmakośa III, ad v. 100)61
        • BBA.2.2. Second general view: The momentariness of all things62
          • BBA.2.2.1. The momentariness of entities (Abhidharmakośa IV, v. 2-3)64
    • BBB. The fundamental concepts67
      • BBB.1. The Dogmatics of the Sarvāstivāda67
        • BBB.1.1. From the "Treatise on the Five Aggregates" (Pañcaskandhaka)68
      • BBB.2. The Dogmatics of the Sautrāntika73
        • BBB.2.1. The seemingly and the truly real (Abhidharmakośa VI, verse 4)75
        • BBB.2.2. The nature of acquisition (Abhidharmakośa, II, verse 36)76
    • BBC. The doctrine of liberation of the Hīnayāna78
      • BBC.1. Suppression through knowledge (Abhidharmakośa, I, verse 6)81
      • BBC.2. Nirvāṇa as non-existence (Abhidharmakośa II, verse 55)82
      • BBC.3. From "Establishment of the Truth" (Tattvasiddhi)84
• C. The schools of the Mahāyāna89
  • CA. Main elements in the development of the Mahāyāna89
    • CAA. The new goal of liberation89
    • CAB. The philosophical doctrine of a highest being and of the unreality of the phenomenal world89
    • CAC. The new buddhology90
  • CB. The beginnings of the Mahāyāna90
  • CC. The oldest literary documentation of the Mahāyāna91
    • CCA. The Prajñāpāramitā literature and its philosophical doctrines91
      • CCA.1. Central philosophical thought: the concept of a highest being92
      • CCA.2. The unreality of the phenomenal world and its relationship to the highest being93
      • CCA.3. From the "Perfection of Insight in Eight Thousand Lines" (Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā)94
    • CCB. From the "Jewel Heap" (Ratnakūṭa)102
  • CD. The Madhyamaka school106
    • CDA. Nāgārjuna (ca. 200 C.E.)106
      • CDA.1. The works of Nāgārjuna106
      • CDA.2. The philosophical system of Nāgārjuna106
        • CDA.2.1. The unreality of the external world106
          • CDA.2.1.1. The phenomenal world as dependent origination107
          • CDA.2.1.2. The relativity of opposing terms and the middle way107
          • CDA.2.1.3. Nāgārjuna's concept of intrinsic nature (svabhāva) and the emptiness of the phenomenal world108
          • CDA.2.1.4. The highest and the restricted truth109
          • CDA.2.1.5. The nature of the phenomenal world is diversity (prapañca)109
        • CDA.2.2. The highest reality109
          • CDA.2.2.1. Distinction from the phenomenal world: free from diversity, extinction, peace, etc.109
          • CDA.2.2.2. Identity in nature of the phenomenal world and nirvāṇa109
        • CDA.2.3. Doctrine of liberation110
      • CDA.3. Introduction to sections of the Madhyamakakārikā110
        • CDA.3.1. Chapter I: Examination of causes (Pratyaya-parīkṣā)110
      • CDA.4. From the "Mnemonic Verses of the Middle Doctrine" (Madhyamakārikā)112
        • CDA.4.1. Chapter 15: Examination of intrinsic nature (svabhāva-parīkṣā)114
        • CDA.4.2. Chapter 18: Examination of the self (ātma-parīkṣā)116
        • CDA.4.3. Chapter 24: Examination of the noble truths (ārya-satya-parīkṣā)118
        • CDA.4.4. Chapter 25: Examination of nirvāṇa (nirvāṇa-parīkṣā)123
      • CDA.5. Introduction to sections of the Vigrahavyāvartanī126
      • CDA.6. From the "The Quarrel (equals) Averting" (Vigrahavyāvartanı)127
      • CDA.7. Introduction to the sections of the Ratnāvalī130
      • CDA.8. From the "Garland of Jewels" (Ratnāvalī)133
    • CDB. Āryadeva (Beginning of 3rd century C.E.)139
      • CDB.1. Introduction to the sample from the Catuḥśataka139
      • CDB.2. From the "Treatise in Four Hundred Stanzas"(Catuḥśataka)140
    • CDC. Buddhapālita (ca. 5th century C.E)142
      • CDC.1. Introduction to the sample from the Mūlamadhyamakavṛtti142
      • CDC.2. From the "Commentary to the Mnemonic Verses of the Middle Doctrine" (Mūlamadhyamakavṛtti)142

• • • CFD. Asaṅga (ca. 315-390 C.E.)213
      • CFD.1. The works of Asaṅga213
      • CFD.2. The philosophical system of Asaṅga214
        • CFD.2.1. Adoption of old concepts and development of new psychological concepts214
        • CFD.2.2. The appearance of the phenomenal world: the doctrine of the three characteristics214
          • CFD.2.2.1. The dependent characteristic215
          • CFD.2.2.2. The imagined and the perfect characteristic216
        • CFD.2.3. The doctrine of liberation216
        • CFD.2.4. Asaṅga's Buddhology217
      • CFD.3. Introduction to the translated sections of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha218
      • CFD.4. From the "Summary of the Mahāyāna"(Mahāyānasaṃgraha)219
    • CFE. Vasubandhu the Elder (ca. 320-380 C.E.)231
      • CFE.1. The works of Vasubandhu the Elder and Vasubandhu the Younger231
      • CFE.2. Synopsis of the doctrines of the "Twenty Verses" and "Thirty Verses"232
        • CFE.2.1. The mental complex as three transformations of cognition232
        • CFE.2.2. The mental complex and the seeds of permeation233
        • CFE.2.3. The mental complex in relation to the phenomenal world, highest reality and other beings234
        • CFE.2.4. The doctrine of liberation235
      • CFE.3. Introduction to the Viṃśatikā Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi235
        • CFE.3.1. Chapter One: Doctrine of the unreality of the external world and answers to objections based on reasoning (verses 1-7)235
        • CFE.3.2. Chapter two: Answers to objections based on scripture (verses 8-10)236
        • CFE.3.3. Chapter three: Proof of the unreality of the external world: impossibility of the concept of an atom, etc. (verses 11-15)237
        • CFE.3.4. Chapter four: Refutation of various objections (verses 16-21)239
      • CFE.4. "Proof that (Everything) is Mere Cognizance, in Twenty Verses" (Viṃśatikā Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi)242
      • CFE.5. Introduction to the Triṃśatikā Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi253
      • CFE.6. "Proof, that (Everything) is Mere Cognizance, in Thirty Verses"254
    • CFF. Dignāga (ca. 480-540 C.E.)259
      • CFF.1. From the "Compendium of the Means of Valid Cognition" (Pramāṇasamuccaya)260
    • CFG. Sthiramati and Dharmapāla (middle of the 6th century C.E.)262
      • CFG.1. From Hiuan-tsangs "Proof that (Everything) is Mere Cognizance" (Tch'eng wei che louen)265
• D. Sources and Literature271

1. Frauwallner, E.. Die Philosophie des Buddhismus. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1994.