prasajyapratiṣedha

Sanskrit Noun

prasajyapratiṣedha

nonimplicative negation

प्रसज्यप्रतिषेध

མེད་དགག་

Basic Meaning

A negation that merely denies the existence of something without implicitly suggesting an alternative.

Has the Sense of

This is the type of negation that is associated with the classical Madhyamaka presentation of emptiness, in which that absence is taken literally. It is typical of the philosophical position that became known as self-emptiness.

On this topic

Video

Filippo Brambilla at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

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Filippo Brambilla examines how a broad range of philosophical views translated to Tsoknyi Gyatso's (1880–1940) position on buddha-nature. On the basis of key passages from two of his major philosophical works, Brambilla argues that Tsoknyi Gyatso sought to harmonize the orthodox perspective of his own (Jonang) tradition on this subject with that of the Gelukpas.

Brambilla, Filippo. "Empty of True Existence, Yet Full of Qualities. Tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940) on Buddha Nature." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 41:47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1cTYaIFa4g

Brambilla, Filippo. "Empty of True Existence, Yet Full of Qualities. Tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940) on Buddha Nature." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 41:47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1cTYaIFa4g;Filippo Brambilla at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;Dol po pa;Buddha-nature as Emptiness;Jonang;zhentong;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra;tridharmacakrapravartana;neyārtha;nītārtha;prasajyapratiṣedha;Geluk;guṇa;Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho;Kun mkhyen jo nang pa chen po'i dgongs pa gzhan stong dbu ma'i tshul legs pa bshad mthar 'dzin gdung 'phrog;Kun mkhyen jo nang pa'i bzhes dgongs dbu tshad kyi gzhung spyi dang gung bsgrigs te spyod pa'i spyi don rab gsal snang ba;Filippo Brambilla;Empty of True Existence, Yet Full of Qualities. Tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940) on Buddha Nature

Video

Martina Draszczyk at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

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Martina Draszczyk discusses the early Kagyu masters and explores how their meditation-oriented approach is based in both affirming buddha-nature as the ground and goal of Buddhist soteriology and avoiding its reification into an entity with real properties.

Draszczyk, Martina. "Buddha Nature as Seen by Early Bka’ brgyud Masters." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 37:27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMUdg40Qv8.

Draszczyk, Martina. "Buddha Nature as Seen by Early Bka’ brgyud Masters." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 37:27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMUdg40Qv8.;Martina Draszczyk at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;Sgam po pa;Buddha-nature as Emptiness;guṇa;Defining buddha-nature;Kagyu;Dam chos yid bzhin gyi nor bu thar pa rin po che'i rgyan;Mahamudra;Kadam;La yag pa byang chub dngos grub;Karmapa, 3rd;Tsen Tradition;paryudāsapratiṣedha;Btsan kha bo che;prasajyapratiṣedha;dharmakāya;Martina Draszczyk; Buddha Nature as Seen by Early Bka’ brgyud Masters

Article

Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature

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In this article, I chart a trajectory from deconstruction to embodiment in the intellectual history of Buddhist traditions in Tibet. I focus on embodiment as a participatory approach to radically deconstructed and unthematized meaning, in contrast to an interpretation of truth as purely an analytic category or an approach to meaning that deals with values, such as emptiness, as simply truth claims or representations. I show how certain Buddhists in Tibet have represented the meaning of emptiness as a uniquely participatory encounter in such a way that its meaning is necessarily embodied. To speak of it otherwise, I argue, is to misrepresent its meaning fundamentally. An important way that the embodiment of emptiness is formulated is through the discourses of buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha). I show how Tibetan interpretations of Buddha-nature reflect postmodern concerns about metaphysics and onto-theology.

Duckworth, Douglas S. "Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 82, no. 4 (2014): 1070–90. https://sites.temple.edu/duckworth/files/2013/07/Duckworth_Ontotheology.pdf.

Duckworth, Douglas S. "Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 82, no. 4 (2014): 1070–90. https://sites.temple.edu/duckworth/files/2013/07/Duckworth_Ontotheology.pdf.; Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature; Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature; tathāgatagarbha; Buddha-nature as Emptiness; History of buddha-nature in Tibet; Geluk; Jonang; Nyingma; gzhan stong; prasajyapratiṣedha; paryudāsapratiṣedha; rang stong; Buddha-nature as Emptiness; Douglas Duckworth; 

Video

Sina Joos at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

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Sina Joos discusses the ways in which Tāranātha utilizes the famous nine examples from the Ratnagotravibhāga in his Dbu ma theg mchog to assert his understanding of buddha-nature as zhentong (other-emptiness). She also compares Tāranātha’s position on Buddha-nature to Dolpopa's own view.

Joos, Sina. "The Role of the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tā ra nā tha’s dBu ma theg mchog." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 40:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxn5XgPGnSU.

Joos, Sina. "The Role of the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tā ra nā tha’s dBu ma theg mchog." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 40:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxn5XgPGnSU.;Sina Joos at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;TA ra nA tha;Dol po pa;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;zhentong;Theg mchog shin tu rgyas pa'i dbu ma chen po rnam par nges pa;Jonang;guṇapāramitā;tridharmacakrapravartana;prasajyapratiṣedha;paryudāsapratiṣedha;dharmadhātu;dharmakāya;āgantukamala;gotra;prakṛtisthagotra;nītārtha;Disclosure model;Great Madhyamaka;Ye shes rgya mtsho;guṇa;Terminology;Sina Joos;The Role of the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tā ra nā tha’s dBu ma theg mchog

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Term Variations
Key Term	prasajyapratiṣedha
Topic Variation	prasajyapratiṣedha
Tibetan	མེད་དགག་  ( me gak)
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration	med dgag  ( me gak)
Devanagari Sanskrit	प्रसज्यप्रतिषेध
Romanized Sanskrit	prasajyapratiṣedha
Buddha-nature Site Standard English	nonimplicative negation
Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term	nonimplicative negation
Richard Barron's English Term	unqualified negation
Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term	non-affirming negation, non-affirming negative
Dan Martin's English Term	absolute negation (exclusion negation)
Gyurme Dorje's English Term	explicit negation
Ives Waldo's English Term	refuting as being nonexistent
Term Information
Source Language	Sanskrit
Basic Meaning	A negation that merely denies the existence of something without implicitly suggesting an alternative.
Has the Sense of	This is the type of negation that is associated with the classical Madhyamaka presentation of emptiness, in which that absence is taken literally. It is typical of the philosophical position that became known as self-emptiness.
Related Terms	paryudāsapratiṣedha
Term Type	Noun
Definitions
Tshig mdzod Chen mo	dgag pa'i nang gses/ rang dngos su rtogs pa'i blo'am rang brjod pa'i sgras rang gi dgag bya dngos su bcad tsam gyis rtogs par bya ba ste/ gang zag gi bdag med lta bu/ bdag bkag pa'i shul du don gzhan mi 'phen pa'o/
Other Definitions	A nonimplicative negation is simply denial, like the denial of essence or identity, without implying anything else or deferring that essence to some “other.” . . . [W]hen we consider the classic example of a nonimplicative negation, “Brahmins should not drink alcohol,” we can see how the connotative force of this negation is simple denial devoid of implication. (Douglas Duckworth, "Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature" [Journal of the American Academy of Religion 82, no. 4, 2014], 1075-76).