The Five Gates of Mindfulness and the Five Gates of Virtue in Vasubandhu’s Jingtu lun 浄土論: From the Standpoint of Syntax

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the doctrine of the five gates of mindfulness and the five gates of virtue in Vasubandhu’s Jingtu lun 浄土論 from the standpoint of syntax.

The doctrine of the five gates of mindfulness consists of (A) interrogative sentences beginning with rúhé 如何, (B) sentences answering the interrogations, and (C) sentences stating the reasoning behind (B) ending with gù 故.

Further, the five gates of virtue consists of (A’) opening sentences beginning by stating which gate is being explained, using 入/出第～門者, (B’) sentences which correspond to (B) beginning with the character yǐ 以, (C’) sentences finishing with gù 故 giving the reasoning which corresponds to (C), (D’) sentences that reveal the contents of the five gates of virtue, and (E’) concluding remarks which begin by stating each gate using 是名入/出第～門.

From this, when examining one sentence explaining one of the gates it is possible to cross reference it with another section written in the same syntax. This paper uses this method to understand the connection between the five gates of mindfulness and the five gates of virtue in Vasubandhu’s Jingtu lun.