Philosophy of Mind Quote by Karl Brunnholzl
““However, despite their synthesis of Yogacara and Centrism, all Yogacara-Madhyamikas, such as Jnanagarbha, Santaraksita, Kamalasila, and Haribhadra, unanimously refute the notion of a really existent consciousness or self-awareness in both the versions of the Real Aspectarians and the False Aspectarians, without, however, mentioning specific persons."They also attack Dharmakirti's presentations of causality (one cause producing many results, many causes producing one result, and many causes producing many results). At the same time, on the conventional level, they strongly rely on his principles of epistemology and reasoning.””
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Buddhist Philosophy, 1990s
Yogacara-Madhyamika scholars deny any truly existent self or consciousness, even while engaging with Dharmakirti’s epistemology and causality theories.
In simple terms: They reject a real self but use other philosophers’ ideas.
Key Takeaway
Question the reality of self while learning from others.
Themes
philosophy
Buddhism
ontology
epistemology
causality
Mood
analytical
contemplative
academic
Type
scholarly
critical
academic
When to use this quote
- scholarly debate
- academic lectures
- interfaith dialogues
- comparative religion studies
Key Concepts
Madhyamaka
Yogacara
emptiness
dependent origination
logic
Questions to Reflect On
- How does denying a permanent self affect ethical behavior?
- Can we integrate Dharmakirti’s logic without reifying consciousness?
A Different Perspective
Their critiques may overlook practical implications for personal meditation practice.
![“Kamalasila's Illumination of Centrism explains: Thus, those who cannot understand all at once that all phenomena lack a nature, for the time being, gradually engage in the lack of nature of outer objects on the basis of [them being] mere mind. Therefore, [ The Sutra of the Arrival in Lanka…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a78/karl-brunnholzl-4600_psychology_kamalasila-s-illumination-of-centrism-ex_2825211.jpg)
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![“Here, master Bhavya states [this as] the main argument, and then he formulates four autonomous reasons as the means to prove the subject property. The venerable and fearless Candrakirti presents this by labeling the mere refutation of arising from the four extremes a "position." He teaches the…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cb7/karl-brunnholzl-4600_logic_here-master-bhavya-states-this-as-the-ma_140001.jpg)
![“Therefore, everything is the illusory magical display of one's own mind. It is appearing yet delusive, and delusive while appearing. Thus, all of it is contained in the body, and the [body] is again contained in the mind. As for the mind, it has no color and no shape. It is natural luminosity that…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8f8/karl-brunnholzl-4600_psychology_therefore-everything-is-the-illusory-mag_189022.jpg)
![“Not only can nobody deny the appearance of mere consciousness whose nature is other-dependent and not affected by the flaw of conceptions of a body with form and so on, but those who make any such [denial] only invalidate themselves by perception and such.” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/52d/karl-brunnholzl-4600_nature_not-only-can-nobody-deny-the-appearance_199293.jpg)
