Mindstream
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2008-07-13T18:46:45Z
Eu.stefan
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{{Tibetan Buddhism}}
'''Mindstream''', not to be conflated with (though informed by) [[Stream of consciousness (psychology)|stream of consciousness]], is a compound [[lexical item]] composed of ''[[mind]]'' and ''[[stream]]''. In [[Vajrayana]] (Tantric Buddhism) it may be understood as an ''[[upāya]]'' (Sanskrit) doctrine of the [[nonlocal]], [[:wikt:atemporal|atemporal]]<ref>Nonlocal and atemporal may be resolved into a qualification of [[omnipresent]].</ref> metaphorical stream of moments<ref>The [[lexical item]] 'Moment', has been employed in the sense of its [[etymon]] "momentum" though the 'stream', 'array' or 'procession' is atemporal and [[nonlocal]].</ref>(Tibetan: ''bkod pa thig le''<ref>Source: [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/bkod_pa_thig_le] (accessed: January 8, 2008)</ref>) or '[[quanta]] of [[consciousness]]' (Tibetan: ''thig le''; Sanskrit: ''[[Bindu]]'') proceeding endlessly in a lifetime, between lifetimes (Tibetan: ''[[Bardo]]''), from lifetime to lifetime, prior to engagement in the [[Bhavacakra]] of [[Samsara]] and beyond as an inclusive '[[continuum|continuum]]' (Tibetan: ''rgyud'') rather than an individuated, separate, or discrete perceptual, cognitive, or experiential [[entity]], as in the conception of the [[Ātman]]. Waldron (undated) states:
<blockquote>
Indian Buddhists see the 'evolution' of mind i[n] terms of the continuity of individual mind-streams from one lifetime to the next, with karma as the basic causal mechanism whereby transformations are transmitted from one life to the next.<ref>Waldron, William S. (undated). ''Buddhist Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Thinking about <nowiki>'Thoughts without a Thinker'</nowiki>''. Source: [http://www.purifymind.com/EcologyMindSteps.htm] (accessed: November 1, 2007)</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Thanissaro Bhikkhu]] (1996: unpaginated) in contextualizing and redressing what he believes to be the general misconception of ''[[anātman]]'' (rendered as "no self") and ''[[ātman]]'' (rendered as "self"), in relation to the view he holds of the intention of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]], states:
<blockquote>
...the Buddha was asked point-blank whether or not there was a self, he refused to answer. When later asked why, he said that to hold either that there is a self or that there is no self is to fall into extreme forms of wrong view that make the path of Buddhist practice impossible.<ref>Bhikkhu, Thanissaro (1996). ''No-self or Not-self?''. Source: [http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/No-self_or_Not-self%3F] (accessed: December 5, 2007)</ref>
</blockquote> This clear evocation of what later became canonized in Buddhist discourse as [[Madhyamika]] or "middle way", is key to tender a description of the ineffable ''[[Mysterium Magnum]]'' of the "Great Continuum" that is rendered in English as "Mindstream": the [[nondual]] resolution of ''[[ātman]]'' and ''[[anātman]]''.
In the entwined [[Dzogchen]] traditions of ''[[Bönpo]]'' and ''[[Nyingmapa]]'', the Mindstream is constituted by a continuum of ''[[gankyil]]'' comprised of the [[Five Pure Lights]] of the [[Five Wisdoms]] which unite the ''[[trikaya]]''. These 'tantric correlations' (or [[Twilight Language]]) are evident in the iconographic representation of the ''[[Five Jinas]]''<ref>Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4</ref> and the ''[[saṃpanna-krama]]'' of the ''gankyil'' and [[mandala]] in Dzogchen ''[[sādhana]]''. The 'supreme [[siddhi]]' or 'absolute [[bodhicitta]]' of the Dzogchenpa is when the Mindstream of their '[[bodymind]]' (a rendering of ''[[namarupa]]'') is 'released' (a rendering of [[Nirvana]]) as the [[Rainbow Body]].
Capriles (2004: p.35) defines the 'consciousness of the base-of-all' (Skt., [[alayavijnana|alayavijñana]]; Tib., kunzhi namshee) as congruent with the 'Mindstream' (Skt., santana; Tib., gyü) and mentions [[vasanas]], [[bija]]s, and [[tathata]]:
<blockquote>
The consciousness of the base-of-all was not conceived as an immutable absolute, which is how the Atman of Hinduism is described; in agreement with the Hinayana idea of a succession of instants of knowledge, it was explained as a continually changing stream of consciousness (Skt., santana; Tib., gyü), and was said to be the vehicle that carries the karmic imprints (vasanas or bijas) that go from one life to the next. In turn, from the standpoint of experience, the consciousness of the base-of-all is an ample condition that yogis may find by absorption. Though the consciousness of the base-of-all is of the nature of thatness (Skt., tathata; Tib., dezhinnyia)—the absolute nature that is the single constituent of all entities—this consciousness is also the root of samsara.<ref>Capriles, Elías (2004). ''Clear Discrimination of Views Pointing at the Definitive Meaning: the Four Philosophical Schools of the Sutrayana Traditionally Taught in Tibet with Reference to the Dzogchen Teachings''. Source: [http://eliascapriles.dzogchen.ru/philosophicalschools.pdf] (accessed: January 15, 2008)</ref>
</blockquote>
==Nomenclature and etymology==
The nomenclature and etymology of the '''Mindstream''' (Tibetan: ''dam pa'i byin rlabs'' or ''sems-rgyud''; Sanskrit: ''citta-santāna'') is convoluted and tied to: the [[History of Buddhism in India|historical context of Buddhism in India]]; the [[History of Buddhism|historical development of Buddhism]]; the [[Silk Road transmission of Buddhism]], the [[syncretic]] and [[dialogic]] doctrinal development of Buddhism; and to the [[secession]] of Buddhism from, and its persistent entwining relationship with, ''[[Sanatana Dharma]]'' and other [[Indian religions]], [[Chinese religions]] and [[Bön]].
===心相續 (Chinese)===
The Chinese rendering of 'Mindstream ' (Tibetan: ''sems kyi rgyud'') is constituted by three characters: [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/86/ 心] (Romanized: ''sam'') [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/598/ 相] (Romanized: ''soeng'') [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2885/ 續] (Romanized: ''zuk'').
====心====
CantoDict Project Online (2007) defines the character 心 (sam) as:
<blockquote>
[1] [n] heart [2] mind [3] conscience; moral nature [4] intention; idea; ambition; design [5] [n] core; middle; center; inside [6] one of the 28 constellations [7] Kangxi radical 61<ref>CantoDict Project Online (2007). ''心 (sam)''. Source: [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/86/] (accessed: Wednesday Januaru 23, 2008) </ref>
</blockquote>
====相====
CantoDict Project Online (2007) defines the character 相 (soeng) as:
<blockquote>
{1)[1] [v] examine; study; read; [2] [n] countenance; appearance; facial features; looks; bearing; posture [3] [n] prime minister (in feudal times) [4] [v] assist; help
{2)[1] each other; one another; mutually; reciprocal [2] substance. <ref>CantoDict Project Online (2007). ''相 (soeng)''. Source: [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/598/] (accessed: Wednesday Januaru 23, 2008) </ref>
</blockquote>
====續====
CantoDict Project Online (2007) defines the character 續 (zuk) as:
<blockquote>
[a] continue; carry on [b] succeed.<ref>CantoDict Project Online (2007). ''續 (zuk)''. Source: [http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2885/] (accessed: Wednesday Januaru 23, 2008) </ref>
</blockquote>
===''{{IAST|Citta-saṃtāna}}'' (Sanskrit)===
Citta (Sanskrit) holds the semantic field of "that which is conscious", "the act of mental apprehension known as ordinary consciousness", "the conventional and relative mind/heart".<ref>Source: [http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/essays/buddhist-glossary.htm#santana] (accessed: December 13, 2007)</ref> Citta has two aspects: "...Its two aspects are 'attending to,' and, 'collecting' of impressions or traces (Sanskrit: [[Vasanas|vāsanā]]) cf. [[vijñāna]]."<ref>Source: [http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/essays/buddhist-glossary.htm#santana] (accessed: December 13, 2007)</ref> Citta is often rendered as "sems" in Tibetan.
{{IAST|Saṃtāna}} or Santāna (Sanskrit) holds the [[semantic field]] of "eternal", "continuum", "a series of momentary events", "life-stream".<ref>Source: [http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/essays/buddhist-glossary.htm#santana] (accessed: December 13, 2007)</ref>
In the [[Sanskrit language]], ''citta-santāna'' may be parsed as per the analyses of
Keown, ''et. al.'' (2003: p.62) who state:
<blockquote>
Literally, "the stream of mind", a general term used to indicate the continuity of the personality of an individual in the absence of the permanently abiding 'self' (ātman) that Buddhism denies."<ref>Keown, Damien (ed.) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). ''A Dictionary of Buddhism''. Great Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press. P.62. ISBN 0-19-860560-9</ref>
</blockquote>
===''dam pa'i byin rlabs'' (Tibetan)===
In the [[Tibetan language]], ''dam pa'i byin rlabs'' may be [[Parsing|parsed]] into ''dam pa'i'' which contains the [[semantic field]] of "flow", "stream"; whilst the semantic field of ''byin rlabs'' holds "blessing", "sacred", "empowerment", "inspiration". Therefore, "empowering flow from the sacred" which has been rendered into English as "mindstream".
===''Sems-rgyud'' or ''sems kyi rgyud'' (Tibetan)===
The Tibetan term ''rgyud'' holds the [[semantic field]] of "continuum". Interestingly, it is the term that Tibetan 'translators' (Tibetan: ''lotsawa'') employed to translate and render the Sanskrit term "[[tantra]]".<ref>Berzin, Alexander (2002; 2007). ''Making Sense of Tantra''. Source: [http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/e-books/unpublished_manuscripts/making_sense_tantra/pt1/making_sense_tantra_01.html] (accessed: December 13, 2007)</ref>
===Mental continuum===
[[Alexander Berzin|Berzin]] (2007) identifies "mental continuum" as Tibetan: ''sems-rgyud'' and Sanskrit: "santana" and defines it as:
<blockquote>
The stream of continuity of mental activity (mind, awareness) of an individual being, which has no beginning, which continues even into Buddhahood, and, according to Mahayana, has no end. According to the Hinayana tenets, it comes to an end when an arhat or Buddha dies. Also called a "mind-stream."<ref>[[Alexander Berzin|Berzin, Alexander]] (2007). [http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/about/glossary/glossary.html Glossary of English Terms] (access: November 1, 2007))</ref>
</blockquote>
==Metaphoric foundation==
There are two entwined mindstreams according to the [[Two Truths]], the absolute and relative, that are ultimately [[non-dual]]. The Divine Mindstream of 'consciousness' which is engaged in the [[phowa]] [[sadhana]], for example; and the mindstream of thought, ideation (Tibetan: ''[[sem]]''; Sanskrit: ''[[:wikt:manas|manas]]'') (''{{IAST|vṛtti-citta}}''<ref>"Moving Mind" [http://www.pranayoga-la.com/Media/YogaSutras.doc]</ref>) and which [[William James|James]] named "Stream of Consciousness", for example; are founded upon the metaphor of the stream which is endemic to Buddhist literature and worldview.<br />
[[Sogyal Rinpoche]] (1994: p.73) frames the importance of the stream metaphor in relation to meditation and the nature of mind, the objective of meditative sadhana:
<blockquote>
In the ancient meditation instructions, it is said that at the beginning thoughts will arrive one on top of another, uninterrupted, like a steep mountain waterfall. Gradually, as you perfect meditation, thoughts become like the water in a deep, narrow gorge, then a great river slowly winding its way down to the sea, and finally the mind becomes like a still and placid ocean, ruffled by only the occasional ripple or wave.<ref>Rinpoche, Sogyal (1994). ''[[The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying]]''. London, UK: Rider. ISBN 0 7126 5752 5 (paperback). P.73</ref>
</blockquote>
As Bucknell, ''et. al.'' (1986: p.112-113) in linking ''[[Tipiṭaka|{{IAST|Tipiṭaka}}]]'', ''[[Mahāmudrā]]'' and ''[[David-Neel|David-Néel]]'' state:
<blockquote>
In Buddhist literature the mental condition in which sequences of imagery and verbalizing run on endlessly is often compared to a flowing stream. We find in the oldest section of the {{IAST|Tipiṭaka}} the term 'stream of consciousness' ({{IAST|viññāṇa-sotaṃ}}).<ref>D iii 105. See Vishwanath Pandey, 'Early Buddhist Conception of Consciousness', ''Bharatiya Vidya'' 29 (1972), p. 68, note 95.</ref> The same metaphor is often found in the Tibetan literature. The guru Padma Karpo spoke of 'thoughts...following one after the other as if in a continuous stream';<ref>As quoted in Beyer, ''The Buddhist Experience'', p.157. See also Evans-Wentz, ''Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines'', p.129., </ref> Mipham Nampar Gyalba observed that the 'stream of images flows unbroken';<ref>''Calm and Clear'', ''Mi-pham 'Jam-dbyangs rnam-gyal rgya-mtsho'', transl. by Tarthang Tülku (Emerville, Calif.: Dharma, 1973), p.105.</ref> and in the Vow of Mahāmudrā, there is reference to 'the mind river'.<ref>See Garma C. C. Chang, ''Teachings of Tibetan Yoga'' (New York: University Books, 1963), p.35.</ref> This manner of speaking is also common at the present day. Tarthang Tülku refers to 'the stream of mental images'<ref>Tarthang, ''Calm and Clear'', p.77.</ref> and 'the flow of thoughts and images';<ref>Tarthang, ''Openness Mind'', p.67.</ref> and David-Neel, in a discussion of the meditation practices she observed in Tibet, speaks of 'the continual, swift, flowing stream of thoughts and mental images...'<ref>David-Neel, ''Magic and Mystery in Tibet'', p.245.</ref><br />The stream metaphor has also been found appropriate by western psychologists. William James wrote: 'It flows. A "river" or a "stream" are the metaphors by which it is most naturally described. ''In talking of it hereafter, let us call it the stream of thought, of consciousness, or of subjective life.''<ref>William James, The Principles of Psychology (London: macmillan, 1901), vol. I, p.239. (Emphasis in original.)</ref> James's term 'stream of consciousness' has since become widely adopted in a variety of contexts.
</blockquote>
==Historical development of the Mindstream doctrine==
[[Manjushrimitra]] states in the ''[[Bodhicittabhavana]]'', a seminal early text of [[Ati Yoga]] that the: "The mental-continuum (citta-santana) is without boundaries or extension; it is not one thing, nor supported by anything."<ref>Manjushrimitra (undated). ''Bodhicittabhavana''. NB: An English rendering of this text by [[Kunpal Tulku]] (2005) is entitled ''The Cultivation of Enlightened Mind''. This is an English rendering from the Tibetan translation of [[Sri Simha]] and the Tibetan translator [[Bhikshu Vairocanaraksita]], the original text is no longer extant. Source: [http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/texts/cultivation-of-enlightened-mind.htm#two] (accessed: November 28, 2007)</ref>
Mindstream is a conflation subsuming '[[heartmind]]' (Sanskrit: ''bodhi-citta'') and 'wisdom-mind' (Sanskrit: ''jnana-dharmakaya''; Tibetan: ''ye-shes chos-sku'').
Lusthaus (undated) in mapping the development and doctrinal relationships of ''[[ālaya-vijñāna]]'', ''[[tathāgatagarbha]]'', [[Yogācāra]], ''[[ātman]]'', [[Abhidharma]], ''[[prakriti|{{IAST|prakṛti}}]]'' and the Mindstream states:
<blockquote>
Several Yogācāra notions basic to the Abhidharma wing [of Yogācāra] came under severe attack by other Buddhists, especially the notion of ''ālaya-vijñāna'', which was denounced as something akin to the Hindu notions of ''ātman'' (permament, invariant self) and ''{{IAST|prakṛti}}'' (primordial substrative nature from which all mental, emotional and physical things evolve). Eventually the critiques became so entrenched that the Abhidharma wing atrophied. By the end of the eighth century it was ecliped by the logico-epistemic tradition [of Yogācāra] and by a hybrid school that combined basic Yogācāra doctrines with ''Tathāgatagarbha'' thought. The logico-epistemological wing in part side-stepped the critique by using the term ''citta-santāna'', "mind-stream", instead of ''ālaya-vijñāna'', for what amounted to roughly the same idea. It was easier to deny that a "stream" represented a reified self. On the other hand, the Tathāgatagarbha hybrid school was no stranger to the charge of smuggling notions of selfhood into its doctrines, since, for example, it explicitly defined the ''tathāgatagarbha'' as "permanent, pleasurable, ''self'', and pure (''nitya'', ''sukha'', ''ātman'', ''śuddha''). Many Tathāgatagarbha texts, in fact, argue for the acceptance of selfhood (''ātman'') as a sign of higher accomplishment. The hybrid school attempted to conflate ''tathāgatagarbha'' with the ''ālaya-vijñāna''.<ref>Lusthaus, Dan (undated). ''What is and isn't Yogācāra.'' Source: [http://www.acmuller.net/yogacara/articles/intro-uni.htm] (accessed: December 4, 2007) </ref>
</blockquote>
==Mindstream in ''sadhana''==
Buddhist and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[Tantric]] ''[[sadhana]]'', and particularly that entwined heritage promulgated by the [[Mahasiddha]], involve the ''[[sadhaka]]'' 'generating a linkage' ''[[kye-rim]]'' between their mindstream with that of a ''[[guru]]'' or ''[[yidam]]'' as a precursor to 'fully aspecting' ''[[dzog-rim]]'' their yidam and [[ishta-deva]] and their "spiritual personality".<ref>Dowman, Keith (1984). ''Introduction to Masters of Mahamudra''. Source: [http://keithdowman.net/essays/siddhas.htm] (accessed: December 4, 2007) </ref> The mindstream and the imaginal interiority of visualization are employed in the ''kye-rim'' mode of meditative [[trance]] sadhana and the internal construction of the [[buddhafield]], [[mandala]] and [[refuge tree]].
==Universality==
Though a conceptual mystery, mindstream may be conceived as [[nonlinear]] and [[wholistic]]. The medium and [[conduit]] of mindstream is [[æther]] or [[space]] and is unbounded by [[temporality]] or [[Location (geography)|locality]]. Welwood describes it in this way:
<blockquote>If the contents of mind are like pails and buckets floating in a stream, and the mindstream is like the dynamic flowing of the water, pure awareness is like the water itself in its essential wetness. Sometimes the water is still, sometimes it is turbulent; yet it always remains as it is – wet, fluid, watery. In the same way, pure awareness is never confined [n]or disrupted by any mind-state. Therefore, it is the source of liberation and true equanimity. (Welwood, 2000)</blockquote>
Welwood introduces "pure awareness", the [[essence]]-[[quality]] of the mindstream, and may be considered synonymous with 'natural mind' [[rigpa]] (Tibetan) or the [[primordial]] and principal constitutional consciousness of [[being]] and accessible by (and the point of origin of) all [[sentient beings]] (though uncreated and pre-existing) and the manifest [[Universe]]. Welwood (2000: unpaginated) links the mindstream with the [[trikaya]]:
<blockquote>In terms of the Buddhist teaching of the three kayas, we could say that the contents of consciousness belong to the nirmanakaya, the realm of manifest form. The pulsation of the mindstream, with its alternation between movement and stillness, belongs to the sambhogakaya, the realm of energy flow. And the larger, open ground of awareness, first discovered in moments of stillness, is the dharmakaya, the realm of pure being (the thing-in-itself), eternally present, spontaneous, and free of entrapment in any form whatsoever. (Welwood, 2000)</blockquote>
The Buddhist and Bön teachings of mindstream and [[heartmind]] inform one another, as does [[bodymind]]. As Chodron (1991) states: "Just as the body is a 'continuity' even though it has parts, the mindstream or consciousness is also a 'continuity', although it has parts." Hawter (1995) succinctly relates that: "All of our actions lay down imprints on our mindstream which have the potential to ripen at some time in the future." This should not imply that the mindstream is linear and only flows one way, but the mindstream is understood in the Himalayan Tradition to flow all ways, always. For Morrell (1999): "The Mahayanists also contend that the mind forms a continuous, unending and unbroken mindstream or flow of consciousness, from beginningless time and indestructible. Thoughts and feelings in the mindstream are regarded as of supreme importance to Buddhist practice."
[[Kelzang Gyatso, 7th Dalai Lama|Kelzang Gyatso]] ([[1708]]-[[1757]] CE), His Holiness [[Dalai Lama]] VII is translated in Mullin (1982) as stating that: "all things in the world and beyond [a]re simply projections of names and thoughts. Not even the tiniest atom exists by itself, [i]ndependently [or] in its own right" (Mullin, 1982: 53). Therefore, the Universe<ref>The Universe here is qualified by Rawson (1991: p.9) who states that even before 400 [[Common Era|CE]]: "...the classic ''Lotus Sutra'' had developed the intuition that the universe is unknowably vast, containing millions upon millions of cosmoses and worlds 'numberless as the sand-grains of the Ganges river', all continuously arising from and falling back into an indefinable Ultimate." In this context the "indefinable Ultimate" may be equated with [[dharmakaya]]. In addition, the term [[Multiverse]] or [[Metaverse]] may be more apt, though still in the sense of the etymology of the Universe in 'revolving as one'.</ref><ref>A footnote in the English rendering of Manjushrimitra's ''Bodhicittabhavana'', by [[Kunpal Tulku]] (2005) entitled ''The Cultivation of Enlightened Mind'' states that: <blockquote>
In Buddhist terminology the Universe is referred to as a Tri-sahasra-mahasahasra-dhatu. This describes a Universe consisting of galaxies of (1000)3 x 1000 world-systems with an almost unimaginable event horizon. In every direction these world-systems stretch out, some circling distant uninhabited hot stellar nebula, others rich in sentient beings. When we gaze upwards at the stars, we are gazing toward countless civilizations spanning across the shoreless ocean of the night sky. And yet what we see is only a fraction of the Universe as such. '''Source:''' [http://www.dharmafellowship.org/library/texts/cultivation-of-enlightened-mind.htm#two] (accessed: November 28, 2007)
</ref><ref>[[Patrul Rinpoche]] ''et. al.'' (1994: p.407) define 'Cosmos of a billion universes' (Tibetan: ''stong gsum'') as :
<blockquote>
...a cosmos composed of one billion (1000<sup>3</sup>) universes like ours and corresponding to the area of activity of one Buddha.
</blockquote> '''Source:''' [[Patrul Rinpoche|Rinpoche, Patrul]] (author); Brown, Kerry (ed.); and Sharma, Sima (ed.)(1994). ''The Words of My Perfect Teacher'' (Tibetan title: ''kunzang lama'i shelung''). Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. With a forward by the Dalai Lama. San Francisco, California, USA: HarperCollins''Publishers''. ISBN 0-06-066449-5 (cloth: alk. paper). p.407
</ref> is the [[thoughtform]] of the collective mindstream of all [[sentient beings]] (and there is nothing which is non-sentient; [[:wikt:pansentience|pansentience]]<ref>Orofino (1990: p.82) in discussing the [[Bönpo]] [[Dzogchenpa]] view of ''Kun-gzhi'' (Tibetan: [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/kun Kun]-[http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/gzhi gzhi]) (the "all-base") renders into English an extract from the ''Kun-gzhi'i zhal-shes sgrong-ma'', a philosophical tract from the ''[[Zhang-zhung snyan-rgyud]]'', the discourse of [[Tapihritsa]] who in a vision, appeared to ''sNang-bzher lod-po'', who (by implication) transcribed the discourse (fol. 1a et seq.):
::'Here will be given the oral teaching which removes doubts on the natural state of ''kun-gzhi'': like the sky, it may appear to be divided into external and internal. Some people with limited minds think that the Wisdom Mind is found within one's own mind but does not pervade external objects. The space of the sky, for example, totally and uniformly pervades all phenomenal existence without any difference between inside and outside, but in constructing a house one separates internal from external space, and one gives this internal space a form, be it square, tringular, oval or round, according to the space the house takes. In the same way the Wisdom Mind totally and uniformly pervades ''saṃsāra'' and ''nirvāṇa'', without a division of internal and external. There is no separation of external and internal within space in itself: just as it pervades the external, so it also pervades the internal. Thus the mind of living beings distinguishes dualistically an original mind and an internal one. But because internal and external do not exist, neither do these limits. Self-originated wisdom, just as it pervades the consciousness of every individual also pervades all phenomenal objective existence and the entire external universe. It expands in all directions without a centre or a periphery, having no inside or outside.' Orofino, Giacomella (translation & commentary) (1990). ''Sacred Tibetan Teachings on Death and Liberation: Texts from the most Ancient Traditions of Tibet.'' Preface by [[Namkhai Norbu]]. Bridport, Dorset, U.K.: Prism Press. ISBN 1 85327 049 0. p.82. </ref>). This pansentient totality '''is''' the great continuum, the "great perfection" or "total completion" (Tibetan: ''rdzog pa chen po'') of Dzogchen and [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Ati_Yoga Ati Yoga] (Tibetan: [http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/shin_tu_rnal_'byor shin tu rnal 'byor] where "[http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/shin_tu shin tu]" holds the semantic field "total", "complete", "absolute" and "[http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/rnal_'byor rnal <nowiki>'</nowiki>byor]" holds the semantic field of "yoga"; Sanskrit: "Ati" holds the semantic field "primordial", "original", "first"; "yoga" holds the semantic field "communion", "union").
===Iconography===
For an example of an [[iconographic]] representation of the mindstream refer this 'icon' (Tibetan: ''[[thangka]]'') of [http://oblako-9.gorodok.ca/images/photos/bonchildren/deities/Tapihritsa01.jpg Tapihritsa].
== Use and application ==
In an unknown (though insightful) commentator's purport to [[Patanjali]]'s [[Yoga Sutras]] Sutra I.34, [[pranayama]], meditation on the breath, is linked to the mindstream:
<blockquote>Thus the outflow of the breath, being associated with release, it is used to release the negative energy, thoughts, and emotions which interrupt the Divine mind-stream. Since breath is related to our basic energy, in this light then, we can also understand how we can can regulate the cit-prana and soothe and clarify the mind by bringing our awareness back to the exhalation of the breath and the regulation of the breath. This will bring freshness and clarification to the mindstream.<ref>http://www.rainbowbody.net/HeartMind/Yogasutra1.htm (accessed: January 17, 2007)</ref> </blockquote>
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama is asked "what is the nature of the mindstream that [[reincarnation|reincarnates]] from lifetime to lifetime?" (1997) he answers making reference to the [[soul]], [[continuum]], the [[Sakya]] master [[Rendawa]], the composite of body and mind, the [[Skandha|aggregates]], [[alayavijnana]], and the [[Consciousness-only|Mind-Only]] school, as follows:
<blockquote>If one understands the term "soul" as a continuum of individuality from moment to moment, from lifetime to lifetime, then one can say that Buddhism also accepts a concept of soul; there is a kind of continuum of consciousness. From that point of view, the debate on whether or not there is a soul becomes strictly semantic. However, in the Buddhist doctrine of selflessness, or "no soul" theory, the understanding is that there is no eternal, unchanging, abiding, permanent self called "soul." That is what is being denied in Buddhism.<br />
<br />
Buddhism does not deny the continuum of consciousness. Because of this, we find some Tibetan scholars, such as the Sakya master Rendawa, who accept that there is such a thing as self or soul, the "kangsak ki dak" (Tib. ''gang zag gi bdag''). However, the same word, the "kangsak ki dak," the self, or person, or personal self, or identity, is at the same time denied by many other scholars.<br />
<br />
We find diverse opinions, even among Buddhist scholars, as to what exactly the nature of self is, what exactly that thing or entity is that continues from one moment to the next moment, from one lifetime to the next lifetime. Some try to locate it within the aggregates, the composite of body and mind. Some explain it in terms of a designation based on the body and mind composite, and so on.... One of the divisions of [the "Mind-Only"] school maintains there is a special continuum of consciousness called alayavijnana which is the fundamental consciousness.
</blockquote>
Waldron links [[Vasubandhu]], [[bhavachakra]], [[klesha]] and [[karma]]:
<blockquote>
Vasubandhu describes this classic account of cyclic causality in terms of one's 'mind stream': "the mind stream (santana) increases gradually by the mental afflictions (klesa) and by actions (karma), and goes again to the next world. In this way the circle of existence is without beginning (anadibhavacakraka)." (AKBh III 19a-d; Poussin, tome 2, pp. 57-59; Shastri, pp. 433-34.)
<ref>Waldron, William S. (undated). ''Buddhist Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Thinking about <nowiki>'Thoughts without a Thinker'</nowiki>''. Source: [http://www.purifymind.com/EcologyMindSteps.htm] (accessed: November 1, 2007)</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Vajranatha]] states:
<blockquote>
When we look inside of ourselves and just observe, we find that there is only a stream of consciousness (T. shes-rgyud, S. vijnana-santana). The Buddha introduced this term long before William James did some hundred years ago. When we say “my mind”, this refers not to a thing or a vestment. Yet this stream of consciousness has a continuity and an individuality. Our stream of consciousness is separate from those of other people. There are individual streams of consciousness and individual mental processes. We are not all One Mind. If we were, as soon as one of us realized something, all of us would simultaneously realize it.<ref>Vajranatha (2001). ''Dzogchen and Meditation''. Source: [http://vajranatha.com/teaching/DzogchenMeditation.htm] (accessed: November 1, 2007)</ref>
</blockquote>
===Mindstream and initiation===
Yuthok ''et. al.'' (1997: p.46) elucidates the intimate connection of the mindstream, [[Empowerment (Tibetan Buddhism)|initiation]] and [[mandala]]:
<blockquote>
It is only through initiation that the blessings of...a mandala may be stamped on the individual's mindstream. Initiation can be given and received only when the time, location and circumstances are appropriate. Only an enlightened, undisputed master may bestow it. The initiation is not given to large crowds of people. It may be received only by disciples who are receptive by virtue of their faith and devotion. If the transmission is successful, disciples will experience it at some level. This may be physical, mental or verbal. People who receive the physical form of blessing sometimes move about and shake. Those who receive verbal blessings may utter all sorts of mantras that they never heard before, which block out their perception of normal sounds. When the mindstream is blessed, the mind is inundated with a new vision of reality. Initiations normally rely on an external mandala, usually painted in sand or on cloth. Once a disciple is initiated, he must re-initiate himself daily through regular practice. Eventually, this will lead him or her to realisation.<ref>Yuthok, Choedak (1997). ''Lamdre: Dawn of Enlightenment.'' (Transcribed and edited by Pauline Westwood with valued assistance
from Ot Rastsaphong, Rob Small, Brett Wagland and Whitethorn. Cover Design: Rob Small) Canberra, Australia: Gorum Publications. ISBN 0 9587085 0 9. Source: [http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lamdre.pdf] (accessed: January 3, 2008) </ref>
</blockquote>
==See also==
*[[Cognition]]
*[[Flow (psychology)]]
*[[Linga sarira]]
*[[Personal identity (philosophy)]]
*[[Quantum mind]]
*[[Sadhana]]
*[[Svabhava]]
*[[Thoughtform]]
*[[Three Vajras]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
<div class="references-small">
* http://www.bodhipath-west.org/glossary.htm (accessed: Saturday January 13, 2007)
*[[The Twilight Language|Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London.]] ISBN 0-312-82540-4
* Guenther, Herbert V. (1956). "Tibetan Buddhism in Western Perspective: The Concept of Mind in Buddhist Tantrism." ''Journal of Oriental Studies'': 3:261-77.
* Tulku, Tarthang (1974). "On Thoughts" in ''Crystal Mirror'': 3:7-20.
* Wangyal, Tenzin (1997). ''A-Khrid Teachings''. Vol. 2. Berkeley, CA: privately published.
* Welwood, John (2000). ''The Play of the Mind: Form, Emptiness, and Beyond''. Source: http://www.purifymind.com/PlayMind.htm (accessed: Saturday January 13, 2007)
* James, William. (1890). ''The Principles of Psychology''. New York: Holt.
* Hawter, Pende (1995). ''Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective''. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/heal_tib.htm (accessed: Saturday January 13, 2007)
* Morrell, Peter (1999). ''The Three Poisons And The Three Jewels: An Outline Of The Buddhist Schools''. http://www.homeoint.org/morrell/buddhism/outline.htm (accessed: Saturday January 13, 2007)
* Mullin, Glenn H. (1982). ''Selected Works of the Dalai Lama VII''. Snow Lion, USA.
* Rawson, Philip (1991). ''Sacred Tibet''. London, Thames and Hudson. ISBN(?) 90-70359.
* Chodron, Thubten (1991). ''Basic Buddhist Topics: Mind, Rebirth, Cyclic Existence and Enlightenment'' (transcript). Seattle: Dharma Friendship Foundation. Source: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/GradualPathToEnlightenment/LR_003_BasicTopics_May91.pdf (accessed: Sunday March 25, 2007)
* Lama, Dalai (1997). ''Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective''. Translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa. Snow Lion Publications. Source: [http://www.tysonwilliams.com/archives/what_is_the_nature_of_the_mindstream_that_reincarnates_from_lifetime_to_lifetime.html] (accessed: Sunday March 25, 2007)
* Waldron, William S. (undated). ''Buddhist Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Thinking about <nowiki>'Thoughts without a Thinker'</nowiki>''. Source: [http://www.purifymind.com/EcologyMindSteps.htm] (accessed: November 1, 2007).
*Waldron, William S. (undated). ''How Innovative is the Ālayavijñāna?: The ālayavijñāna in the context of canonical and Abhidharma vijñāna theory.'' Source: [http://www.gampoabbey.org/translations2/Innovative-alayavijnana.pdf] (accessed: January 23, 2008)
*Gradinarov, Plamen (2005). ''Husserl and Yogacara''. "Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology", Volume 5, Edition 1, April 2005. Source: [http://www.ipjp.org/april2005/gradinarov_5e1.pdf] (accessed: November 1, 2007)
</div>
==External links==
*A quotation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama discusses the nature of the mindstream and how it is placed within the Vajrayana tradition
NB: Refer '''July 15''': http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/dlquote.php (accessed: December 13, 2007)
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