Tab Article

Genre: Buddhist Philosophy, Religion, Eastern Philosophy, Non-fiction

Book Review :
Being as Consciousness offers a scholarly and in-depth exploration of the Yogācāra school, one of the most influential and philosophically sophisticated traditions within Mahāyāna Buddhism. Often translated as the ''Mind-Only'' or ''Consciousness-Only'' school, Yogācāra presents a radical idealist philosophy that challenges our ordinary assumptions about reality. The authors, Fernando Tela and Carmen Draganotti, guide the reader through the core tenets of this complex system, which posits that the world we experience is a construction of our own consciousness, a projection of the ''storehouse consciousness'' (ālaya-vijñāna). The book delves into key Yogācāra concepts such as the three natures (trisvabhāva), the cessation of subject-object duality, and the path to enlightenment through the transformation of consciousness. It also discusses the school's profound influence on later Buddhist thought and practice. This work is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Buddhist philosophy, as well as anyone with a serious interest in the nature of consciousness and reality from an Eastern philosophical perspective.