Flaws in Ancient Vijñānavāda

The nature of the manas, as explained in the Cheng Weishi Lun (Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra), which Master Xuanzang translated or half-translated and half-authored, states that the manas is of a neutral/indeterminate (avyākṛta) nature, neither wholesome nor unwholesome. At that time I did not dare to raise doubts about what Master Xuanzang taught, so I assumed that everything he said was correct and followed his explanation to understand this nature of the manas. Later, I gradually discovered that something was wrong, and I corrected the nature of the manas, which drew opposition from some people.

When I first taught Yogācāra, my wisdom was insufficient, and I did not dare to question the Cheng Weishi Lun, nor dare to question Master Xuanzang, who enjoyed immense fame, or the other Yogācāra masters. As a result, I later discovered that something was wrong, and when I taught according to my own contemplative realization, it drew opposition from those who rely on persons rather than on the Dharma, because the gap in fame was so great—if one does not teach in accordance with what others have taught, quite a lot of trouble will arise.

In the book The Mental Factors of the Manas, the mental factors of the manas that I explained corrected quite a few points about the nature of the manas, differing from the ancient Yogācāra teachings. At first I did not dare to publish this book publicly, fearing that the obstruction would be great and would cause unnecessary trouble. Later, as I taught more about the manas, many people gained a correct understanding of it and were able to accept it, so I made it publicly available on the website for anyone to download and read freely.

Think about it: if the manas were of a neutral/indeterminate (avyākṛta) nature, neither wholesome nor unwholesome, would that hold up? Anyone with clear insight can see at a glance that the manas is a mixture of the wholesome and the unwholesome, and cultivation is precisely the cultivation of Him. If the manas does not cease its unwholesomeness and become wholesome, how can sentient beings attain buddhahood? If the manas had no unwholesomeness, what would sentient beings need to learn Buddhism and cultivate the path for?

Because sentient beings are foolish and lack wisdom, they only know blind faith in those with great fame, especially the ancients, and are fundamentally incapable of relying on the Dharma rather than on persons. The phrase "rely on the Dharma, not on persons" has merely circulated as a slogan, a formality; hardly anyone can actually do it.

Master Xuanzang, by translating this treatise, got himself trapped in it and left a stain on himself, to be judged by wise people of later generations—hardly worthwhile. In the past, when someone asked me about problems in the Cheng Weishi Lun, I would explain, but upon reaching a certain point in my explanation and discovering an obvious error, I would stop explaining. I originally intended to expound this treatise, but after discovering the errors, I no longer dared to teach it, fearing that I would get myself trapped in it and end up pleasing no one on either side—not worth it.

In the past I read some of the works written by Master Kuiji, though not much, because shortly after I began reading, I found that the errors in them were rather obvious and quite numerous, so I stopped reading. If the ancient Yogācāra teachings had no flaws or gaps, why did the lineage fail to continue past the second generation, Master Kuiji, and come to an abrupt halt? That was still the semblance-dharma age, an era when the Dharma had not yet much declined and the spiritual faculties (indriya) of sentient beings were still quite good.