Cultivating the Meditative Mind: The Philosophical Integration of Śamatha and Vipaśyanā in Early Yogācāra Thought
Religions February 6, 2026 Feifei Yan, Zhanguo Peng
The paper examines how the Yogācāra tradition systematically developed and philosophically finalized the practices of śamatha (tranquility) and vipaśyanā (insight). It focuses on two key texts: the Śrāvakabhūmi, which presents śamatha as a rigorous psychological system outlining a cognitive progression from worldly practices like impurities meditation to the nine stages of mental abiding, facilitating a metacognitive transition from distraction to absorption and the eradication of afflictions; and the Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra, which provides the ultimate philosophical synthesis by framing these practices within the Consciousness-Only (vijñaptimātratā) framework, finalizing the meaning of training in higher mind. The analysis clarifies the evolution of Buddhist bhāvanā by bridging technical rigor with Mahāyāna ontological depth.