餓鬼等の認識について

This article examines Candrakīrti’s thought about the cognition of hungry ghosts (preta). In the Madhyamakāvatāra, Candrakīrti states to the effect that cognition depends on external objects in any case of sentient beings including hungry ghosts. Therefore, he rejects the Yogācāra’s vijñaptimātra theory.
Cognitions are diverse depending on sentient beings such as human beings and hungry ghosts. The Yogācāra school attributes such a diversity of cognitions to cognitions themselves since this school considers that external objects are unreal. On the other hand, Candrakīrti attributes such a diversity of cognitions to what is outside of cognitions since he considers that cognition arises dependently on external objects. He conceives of the multiverse, which is composed of diverse worlds of human beings, hungry ghosts, and others, although he does not give a clear explanation for it. Mkhas grub rje and ’Jam dbyangs bzhad pa also accept the idea of multiverse, as can be seen clearly in the De nyid snang ba, a commentary on the Kālacakratantra, and the Dbu ma chen mo, a commentary on the Madhyamakāvatāra. A close survey on the Madhyamakāvatāra, the Kālacakratantra, and these commentaries reveals similarities between the worldview of Chandrakīrti and that of the Anuttarayogatantra.