Shaiva Kali: One Hundred and Six

When these two parts unite, Prajñāpāramitā (Prajñā + Pāramitā) means—"the ultimate perfection of wisdom," or "transcendent supreme enlightenment." This is that knowledge which is bound by no duality or conception—where "I" and "other," "knowledge" and "ignorance," "form" and "emptiness"—all merge into one supreme unity.

In Buddhist philosophy, Prajñāpāramitā is not merely a concept; she is a living goddess, the mother of enlightenment—from whom all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are born. She is that pure level of consciousness where emptiness and fullness, thought and silence, wisdom and compassion—all become one.

Prajñā is the intuition to see truth, pāramitā is the ultimate culmination of that knowledge, and Prajñāpāramitā is that supreme wisdom—which, transcending the limits of thought and language, leads to the complete realization of non-dual consciousness.

Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy is a profound and philosophical branch of Buddhism, a later development of the Hīnayāna or Theravāda tradition. The term "Mahāyāna" means "Great Vehicle" or "Great Path"—that is, a spiritual journey undertaken not merely for personal liberation, but for the liberation of all beings.

The word "Mahāyāna" is formed of two parts—mahā (great) and yāna (path or vehicle). Thus "Mahāyāna" means "Great Vehicle"—the path that carries universal welfare for all living beings.

Mahāyāna philosophy emerged between the first century BCE and the second century CE, in northern and central India. It began first as a practice-oriented and ideological movement, later establishing itself as a complete philosophy and spiritual school.

Among its principal sūtra texts are—the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, and Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra (Lotus Sūtra). These texts reveal Buddha's deeper insights, where consciousness, compassion, emptiness and the true meaning of enlightenment are explained.

1. Core Doctrine—Emptiness (Śūnyatā): At the center of Mahāyāna philosophy lies the concept of emptiness. Its most detailed analysis is found in the Madhyamaka philosophy established by Ācārya Nāgārjuna.

Nāgārjuna states in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā—"Yaḥ pratītyasamutpādaḥ śūnyatāṃ tāṃ prajānāti." That is, "Whatever arises through causal relationship, that is empty."

Here "emptiness" does not mean despair or nothingness; rather it means—all beings and things are interdependent, nothing has independent, permanent existence. This interdependence or relativity is emptiness. Thus Mahāyāna says—emptiness means consciousness's infinite possibility, where all duality dissolves and non-dual truth is revealed.

2. The Bodhisattva Ideal: The life force of Mahāyāna philosophy is the Bodhisattva ideal. Where Hīnayāna seeks personal liberation (arhatship), Mahāyāna declares—"Until all beings are liberated, I will not enter nirvāṇa."

The Bodhisattva is that practitioner who delays his own liberation and dedicates himself compassionately to the liberation of all beings. His two wings are—prajñā (wisdom) and karuṇā (compassion). Wisdom shows him the truth of reality, while compassion transforms that realization into action. The union of these two gives birth to Prajñāpāramitā—the ultimate perfection of wisdom, which is the supreme doctrine of Mahāyāna philosophy.

3. Three Principal Schools of Philosophy:

Within Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy, three principal schools have developed—Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, and Tathāgatagarbha. All three schools advance toward the realization of the same non-dual consciousness, but from three different perspectives.

Madhyamaka philosophy was founded by Ācārya Nāgārjuna, who provided the deepest philosophical analysis of Buddha's teachings. According to him, reality is not one-sided truth. Both "exists" and "does not exist"—these two extreme positions are illusion, because both are relative. He says, everything in the world is pratītyasamutpanna—that is, arisen through interdependence; therefore nothing has independent existence. This is why he proclaims—"Yaḥ pratītyasamutpādaḥ śūnyatāṃ tāṃ prajānāti"—whatever arises through mutual dependence, that is empty. Here he establishes the "Middle Way" (Madhyamā Pratipadā) or "Madhyamaka" concept, which transcends both eternalism (belief in permanent existence) and nihilism (belief in complete annihilation). In Nāgārjuna's vision, truth is such a position where "existence" and "non-existence," "birth" and "destruction"—all dualities vanish. Reality here is manifested only in relative form; its ultimate nature is non-dual and empty, that is, "form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

The second school, Yogācāra or Cittamātra (Mind-Only), was initiated by the two brothers Asaṅga and Vasubandhu. This philosophy says that the entire world is actually a reflection of citta or consciousness—the external world is not a separate independent reality. What we see is a reflection of our mind; form, sound, touch—all are mental constructs.

"Anukalpana" derives from Sanskrit "anu + kalpa." Here "kalpa" root means "to imagine," "to mentally construct," "to create," or "to give form"; and the prefix "anu" means "according to," "subsequently," or "in reliance upon." Thus "anukalpana" literally means—"a mentally constructed form in imitation of or following something."

Philosophically speaking, anukalpana means such a state or form that is not an independent real existence, but which the mind constructs through imagination. It is not direct reality; rather a reflection of consciousness or mental projection—where the mind imposes its own form upon reality, creating an "apparent reality."

In Buddhist Yogācāra or Cittamātra philosophy, the term "anukalpana" has special significance. There it is said—what you perceive as "world" is not external reality; rather it is "anukalpana" of your consciousness—that is, an imagined reflection of the mind. Form, sound, smell, touch and taste—all these experiences arise within consciousness, they have no independent existence outside. Just as you see people, light, space and sound in dreams, but upon waking realize they were creations of your mind—similarly, the world perceived in waking state is also a projection of consciousness, an imagined reality.

A simple example can explain this—suppose you see a shadow in the distance and think it's a person; later, going closer, you find it's actually a tree branch. This false perception or mental imposition is "anukalpana"—where the mind superimposes a mental form upon reality based on its preconceptions, experience and expectations.

According to Yogācāra, the entire universe is such an imagined reality—a reflection of citta. Therefore they say, "Cittamātramidaṃ viśvam"—that is, "This entire universe is mind-only."

Anukalpana means—mentally constructed or imagined form, which is not independently real externally, but appears real in the reflection of consciousness. In light of Yogācāra philosophy, the world we see and experience is actually consciousness's anukalpana—a dream-like reflection of mind, where observer, observation and observed—all are merely different echoes of consciousness.

From this perspective, "external objects" are not ultimate truth; rather projections of consciousness. Hence it is called Cittamātra, meaning "mind alone is real." According to Yogācāra, mind is the creator, mind is the experiencer, and mind is ultimately the field of liberation. But this "mind" is not limited mental activity; it is ālayavijñāna—a deep, all-pervading stream of consciousness, where seeds of all experience lie dormant. When this ālayavijñāna becomes completely pure, then "Buddha-consciousness" is revealed—non-dual awakening.

Ālayavijñāna is one of the profound doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhist Yogācāra philosophy. It is such a subtle level of consciousness that explains—how all our experiences, memories, karmic results and tendencies remain stored in consciousness's inner repository, and how they awaken from time to time to shape new experiences and life events.

The term is formed of two parts—ālaya and vijñāna. "Ālaya" means refuge, dwelling or repository; and "vijñāna" means consciousness, awareness or stream of knowledge. Thus "ālayavijñāna" literally means: refuge of consciousness or repository of consciousness—that is, the underlying level where all mental seeds (bīja) or impressions of experience are preserved.

According to Yogācāra, human consciousness is not singular, but multi-layered. The consciousness we ordinarily experience—seeing, hearing, thinking, desiring—is merely the surface waves; flowing beneath is ālayavijñāna, a continuous and unconscious stream of consciousness. At this level, impressions of our past actions, thoughts, feelings, tendencies and memories remain stored as seeds. These seeds (karmic seeds) awaken when opportunity arises and take form as new experiences or events.

This is why ālayavijñāna is called sarvabījakośa—that is, "repository of all seeds." Here "seed" refers not only to ethical karmic results, but also to subtle impressions of our thoughts, feelings, habits and tendencies. Just as a seed lies hidden in soil and sprouts in the right environment, these mental seeds also awaken when opportunity arises and manifest as new thoughts, tendencies and actions in our lives.

This can be understood through a simple example. Just as countless particles settle dormantly at the bottom of a deep lake, ālayavijñāna stores all particles of experience in the depths of our consciousness. When any sensory contact or mental stimulation occurs, those stored seeds rise up and take form as new thoughts or experiences.

However, Yogācāra clearly states that ālayavijñāna is not a permanent soul. It is not an "eternal being," but a flowing process—a continuous mental movement, where new seeds are constantly being born and old seeds are bearing fruit. Thus ālayavijñāna can be called the flowing foundation of consciousness—a kind of "unconscious continuity" or "stream of consciousness" that explains the continuity of individual existence and karmic results, yet without the concept of "soul."

This theory explains why karmic results can travel from one birth to another and manifest. Because even without a soul, those karmic seeds remain preserved in ālayavijñāna and bear fruit in time.

From the perspective of liberation, when the practitioner completely purifies his ālayavijñāna through meditation and wisdom—that is, exhausts all seeds of ignorance and afflictions—then that ālayavijñāna transforms into mahājñāna or enlightened consciousness. Then no residual seeds remain that could cause new birth or suffering. This state is called Buddhahood or ultimate nirvāṇa.

Ālayavijñāna is—

1. The deepest repository of consciousness, where all experience, karmic results and memory remain stored as seeds.

2. It is not a permanent soul, but a flowing stream of consciousness.

3. From here arise our mental formation, tendencies and actions.

4. When this level becomes completely pure, then consciousness becomes liberated and awakened, attaining Buddhahood.

Ālayavijñāna is such a doctrine of Yogācāra philosophy that explains the deep, unconscious flow of consciousness—where each thought, feeling and action creates the foundation for future experience like individual seeds. This is not merely philosophy, but a subtle psychological analysis, which shows remarkable similarity with later Western psychology's concept of the "unconscious mind."