The Cessation of Sensory Experience and Prajñāpāramitā Philosophy
International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture June 30, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.16893/ijbtc.2022.06.32.1.111 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
A philosophical argument challenges the received interpretation of Prajñāpāramitā literature, which holds that truth and falsehood are identical. This view, rooted in Indian Buddhism and popularized by D. T. Suzuki and Edward Conze, is shown to stem from a misunderstanding of the texts. An alternative epistemological reading, inspired by Sue Hamilton's approach to Pāli texts, is proposed. Prajñāpāramitā is reinterpreted in relation to a meditation practice aimed at ceasing sensory experience, leading to a state of contentless awareness called suññatāvihāra, or dwelling in the absence of sensory experience.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The contradictions central to traditional Prajñāpāramitā interpretation result from textual misunderstanding, and the texts are better understood as describing a meditative practice of contentless awareness. |
Abstract
Received traditions of Prajñāpāramitā interpretation embrace a hermeneutic in which truth and falsehood are one and the same. This philosophy has deep roots in Indian Buddhism, and it gained prominence in Europe and her colonies through the writings of D. T. Suzuki and his devotee, Edward Conze. It is relatively easy to show that the “contradictions” that form the main axiom of their reading are the result of misunderstanding the texts they relied on. Having done this I discuss a new way of understanding Prajñāpāramitā which shifts the emphasis towards an epistemological reading along the lines of Sue Hamilton’s epistemic approach to Pāli texts. I show how Prajñāpāramitā makes sense in relation to a particular type of meditation practice that aimed to bring about the cessation of sensory experience leaving the meditator in a state of contentless awareness which early Buddhists called suññatāvihāra , “dwelling in [the] absence [of sensory experience] .”