Kurtis Schaeffer at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium - 19 of 23
Video
Video
Description
Kurtis Schaeffer discusses Jikme Lingpa's view and attitude toward buddha-nature as found in his major philosophical work, the Treasury of Precious Qualities, and in various other writings. He shows how Jikme Lingpa maintained an antinomian approach to buddha-nature in the context of Great Perfection thought.
Abstract from the Author
Notes from the Cave: 'Jigs med gling pa on Buddha-Nature
'Jigs med gling pa (1730-1798) was a key figure in the development of late-period Great Perfection thought in Tibet. His major philosophical work, the Treasury of Precious Qualities (Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod), was much-studied in the years after its composition in 1789. The Treasury’s presentation of Great Perfection ontology is grounded (if you will) in buddha-nature. Perhaps more interestingly, much of 'Jigs med gling pa’s debate with interlocutors about Great Perfection revolves around buddha-nature rather than Great Perfection per se. 'Jigs med gling pa was also deeply skeptical about the possibility of expressing anything of value about buddha-nature, as opposed to the value of experiencing buddha-nature for oneself in meditation. “The best commentary on buddha-nature I’ve ever seen is the one I made in my cave!” he quips. This paper portrays 'Jigs med gling pa’s antinomian approach to buddha-nature in the context of Great Perfection thought, as well as his more ephemeral bits of commentary, conversation, and opinion about buddha-nature that can be found scattered throughout his life writings and occasional pieces.
Sources Mentioned
Jigme Lingpa, Jigme Lingpa: Rain of Joy, Treasury of Precious Qualities
This is the root text of The Treasury of Precious Qualities, a famous treatise by Jikmé Lingpa, in which he expounds the entire Buddhist path, from the śrāvakayāna teachings up to the Great Perfection. The text has thirteen chapters:
- The Difficulty of Gaining the Freedoms and Advantages
- Death and Impermanence
- Karma: Cause and Effect
- The Sufferings of Samsara
- The Four Wheels, which are the initial entry point for supreme beings
- Taking Refuge, the entrance to the Buddhist Path
- The Entrance to the Actual Mahayana (cultivating the four immeasurables)
- Arousing Bodhichitta
- The Bodhisattva Trainings
- The Pitaka of the Vidyadharas
- The Nature of the Ground
- The Extraordinary Path of the Natural Great Perfection
- The Kayas and Wisdoms of the Ultimate Fruition
Secondary Publications Mentioned
People Mentioned
About the video
| Featuring | Kurtis Schaeffer |
|---|---|
| Creator | University of Vienna, Tsadra Foundation |
| Event | Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia (19 July 2019, University of Vienna, Austria) |
| Related Website | Buddha-Nature Project |
| Video Web Location | Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia |
| Creation Date | 19 July 2019 |
| Citation | Schaeffer, Kurtis. "Notes from the Cave: 'Jigs med gling pa on Buddha-Nature." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 37:04. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32COWVlJ38. |
