Yogācāra > Philosophy

Ekayogakşema of the Yogācāra

横須賀山剛一「有識者の哲学」経書ウォン,1989, pp121-149, Ekayogakşema of Yogācāra (CE 320-550)

The body is made of materials that have the elemental characteristics of earth, water, fire and wind.

The body was raised by my parents.

The body is constantly changing; it grows older and becomes sick. When the body’s mate- rial elements separate and return to their natural forms, we die.

Consciousness depends on the body, and the body depends on consciousness.

Just as a man who traverses the sea depends upon the boat, the mind is dependent upon the body.

Just as a boat that traverses the sea depends upon the man, the body is dependent upon the mind. Just as the boat and body depend upon each other to go to sea, the mind
and the body depend on each other.

The Yogacara practice which correlates the body and mind is called ekayogaksema, which means successful mind cultivation, nirvana.

Yogacharan practitioners did not view the mind and body as separate entities. The view of ekayogaksema is the correlation of the body and mind, and is the sole purpose for prac- tice.

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Moreover, ekayogksema is a practice by which the transformation of both misfortune and fortune are correlated, and in this way our life’s distress and sufferings become nirvana.

Distress, suffering, and happiness are mixed in our mind: You can suffer or be happy mo- ment by moment, day by day, depending on where you put your mind.

Buddha’s teaching stresses that we should view life impartially, that all of our experiences are neither this nor that, but rather just a middle-way between any and all extreme views of thinking. The Yogacharans practiced with this view in mind.