Glossary
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The Voice of the Silence
Y
A “Vehicle,” or a methodic system leading to the Enlightenment and liberation of the bondages of Saṁsāra. In the teachings of Buddhism, the Hīnayāna (Small Vehicle) is very often distinguished from the Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle).
The Tibetan word for Yellow-Caps is Sha-ser (from Sha: headgear and Ser: yellow), a name often given to the Gelugpa monks belonging to the School reformed by Tsong-Kha-Pa (to which belong in particular the Dalai Lama and the Panchen [or Teshu, Tashi] Lama, in order to distinguish themselves from the “Red-Caps.”
A mystic esoteric School of Mahāyāna which is traced back to Āryāsaṅgha, a direct disciple of Buddha. The earlier Āryāsaṅgha lived at a date long preceding the later one. He was an Arhat and founded the original Yogāchārya school, a thoroughly esoteric institution; this school is a branch of the Mahāyāna, and is of a truly spiritual type, its teachings being identical in essence with those of Theosophy.
In her time, H.P.B. (T.G.) recommended not to confuse these teachings with everything which had been compiled afterwards under the name of Yogāchāra, especially the Tantric teachings, the application of which can lead to black magic. This Mahātantra school, which has little to do with the original intentions of the real Yogāchāra, was founded by Samantabhadra, whose teachings were later collected and glossed around the 6th century by the pseudo-Āryāsaṅgha in connection with litanies, formularies, spells, etc. This school is wholly exoteric, popular, and its works are largely composite of Tantric worship and ritualism that can lead the student only to black magic and sorcery (E.T.G.).
Today the pure Yogāchāra [or Cittamātra) system of Asaṅga and his followers is well known. It has nothing to do with Tantrism. In modern (learned) treatises of Buddhism the Yogāchāra (or Cittamātra) School is deeply analyzed. There is no recorded connection with anything like Vajrayāna, or tantrism, which appeared much later than the 4th century. The name of Āryāsaṅgha may have been borrowed later (in the 5th or 6th century) by any sort of pseudo-master, but has nothing to do with the founder of the Yogāchāra School, which is indeed a branch of Mahāyāna, opposed (originally) to the Mādhyamikas, but, later on, more or less reconciled. Āsaṅgha is the author of well-known (and analyzed) treatises, sūtras or śāstras.
