Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/145

 vJ- Aryyadeva's Philosophy 12 9 least three other books, viz. Catu(lsataka, H astabiilaprakara?ta- v?'tti and Cittavisuddltiprakara?la l . In the small work called H astabiilaprakara?lav.rtti .Aryyadeva says that whatever depends for its existence on anything else may be proved to be illusory; all our notions of external objects depend on space perceptions and notions of part and whole and should therefore be regarded as mere appearance. Knowing therefore that all that is depen- dent on others for establishing itself is illusory, no wise man should feel attachment or antipathy towards these mere phe- nomenal appearances. In his Cittavisuddlliprakara?ta he says that just as a crystal appears to be coloured, catching the reflec- tion of a coloured object, even so the mind though in itself colourless appears to show diverse colours by coloration of ima- gination (vikalpa). In reality the mind (citta) without a touch of imagination (kalpmui) in it is the pure reality. It does not seem however that the Siinyavadins could produce any great writers after Candrakirtti. References to Siinyavada show that it was a living philosophy amongst the Hindu writers until the time of the great Mimarpsa authority Kumarila who flourished in the eighth century; but in later times the Siinyavadins were no longer occupying the position of strong and active dis- putants. The Tathata Philosophy of Asvaghoa (80 A.D.)2. Asvagho!?a was the son of a Brahmin named Sairphaguhya who spent his early days in travelling over the different parts of India and defeating the Buddhists in open debates. He was pro- bably converted to Buddhism by Parsva who was an important person in the third Buddhist Council promoted, according to some authorities, by the King of Kashmere and according to other authorities by PU1!yayasas 3. 1 Aryyadeva's Hastabiilaprakara'.la'lJrtti has been reclaimed by Dr F. V. Thomas. Fragmentary portions of his Cittaviiuddhiprakara'.la were published by Mahamahopad- hyaya Haraprasada sastri in the Bengal Asiatic Society's journal, 1898. 2 The above section is based onl the Awakming of Faith, an English trans- lation by Suzuki of the Chinese version of .5raddhotpiidafiistra by Asvaghoa, the Sanskrit original of which appears to have been lost. Suzuki has brought forward a mass of evidence to show that Asvagho!iia was a contemporary of Kanika. 3 Taranatha says that he was converted by Aryadeva, a disciple of Nagarjun Geschichte des Buddhimms, German translation by Schiefner, PP.84-85. See Suzuki's Awakening of Faith, pp. 24-32. Asvagho wrote the Buddhacaritaktivya, of great poetical excellence, and the .J}Iahiilal!lktirafiistra. He 'Iias also a musician and had