Unraveling Prapañca: A Yogācāra Examination of Consciousness, Language, and Liberation in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
Religions June 29, 2024 Tiantian Cai
In Yogācāra epistemology, prapañca refers to multiple dimensions of cognition, including consciousness, language formation, the conceptualization of subject–object duality, mental defilements, and ignorance. A contextual examination of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra shows that prapañca is associated with dualistic conceptualization and the evolution of consciousness within saṃsāra. It exhibits qualities of the beginningless conceptual structure of conditioned negativity and is related to language formation. The discourse presents prapañca as the root of suffering; liberation from it is a prerequisite for reaching enlightenment and achieving Buddhahood.