언어와 앎의 유식학적 성격

이 글은 언어와 앎의 성격을 유식학적인 관점에서 구명해 보고자 한 것이다. ‘존재하는 것은 오직 식일 뿐, 외적인 대상은 실제로 존재하지 않는다’라는 유식의 의미에 비추어보아, 우리가 세계를 ‘안다’ 내지는 ‘이해한다’라고 하는 것은 어떻게 해명될 수 있으며, 또한 언어와는 어떠한 상관성을 지니는 것인지를 밝히고자 한 것이다. 이러한 맥락에서 첫째, 유식학적인 관점에서 볼 때 인간의 앎은 무를 본래적 성격으로 삼는 식의 현상(現象)이며, 둘째, 이렇게 인간의 식의 자성이 무임에도 불구하고 인간이 세계를 이해할 수 있는 것은 언어를 경계로 삼기 때문임을 밝혔다. 셋째, 인간은 언어를 소통통로로 삼아 세계를 이해할 수밖에 없으나, 언어와 존재자는 상호불투명성의 관계인 의언분별의 구조를 지니는 것이며, 우리가 이러한 언어와 앎의 성격을 바르게 이해할 때 언어는 법계가 됨을 해명하였다.

This thesis aims at clarifying what is knowing as we understand world and what is the connected structure between language and knowing on Vijnaptimātrātā (Consciousness-only). This study is concluded in following three sections. First, human being's knowing are phenomena of Paratantrasvbhava(依他性). As we discuss nature of Paratantrasvbhava is of absolute nothingness. Thus, knowing is existed as things in which absolute nothingness contains something caused by depending upon others. Knowing is phenomena made by Paratantrasvbhava, that is of absolute nothingness in the end. Also, human being's knowing can be classified as ‘to know by the way of Paratantrasvabhava’, and ‘to be known as the way of Paricalpitasvabhava(分別性)’. Second, human being's thinking is existed on the structure of name and form(意言分別). It could, therefore, be argued that language is of ground for human being's understanding their own world. Also, every personal ground for understanding their own world could be constituted by Paratantrasvbhava perfumes his/her language by itself, which contains meaning of their life-world. In this regard, there is no connection between knowing and language. Knowing is just phenomena of Paratantrasvbhava that it is constituted by perfuming his/her life-world. Third, when we understand this nature of language, it can be sum up to bub-kye(法界). As bub-kye means wisdom to understand his/her life-world accurately, it could spring up only on the ground of language. But human being have natural attitude authentically. We usually think world to be calculated or to be used as material. Thus, when we turns the views of natural attitude to world and realize the nature of our knowing to world, we can achieve eyes of bub-kye. In this regard, language is of bub-kye.