Tsong kha pa
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8 Library Items
Showing how it is absolutely essential for—and goes hand in hand with—the achievement of insight into reality, he gives practical tips for countering sleepiness, agitation, and their more subtle counterparts. Leading us step by step toward deeper levels of concentration, volume 4 of the Steps on the Path to Enlightenment series brings readers closer to the ultimate goal of śamatha: unlimited and effortless focus. (Source: Wisdom Publications)
On the topic of this person
Gorampa's text is polemical, and his targets are two of Tibet's greatest thinkers: Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school, and Dolpopa, a founding figure of the Jonang school. Distinguishing the Views argues that Dolpopa has fallen into an eternalistic extreme, whereas Tsongkhapa has fallen into nihilism, and that only the mainstream Sakya view—what Gorampa calls "freedom from extremes"—represents the true middle way, the correct view of emptiness. Suppressed for years in Tibet, this seminal work today is widely regarded and is studied in some of Tibet's greatest academic institutions.
Gorampa's treatise has been translated and annotated here by two leading scholars of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, and a critical edition of the Tibetan text on facing pages gives students and scholars direct access to Gorampa's own words. José Cabezón's extended introduction provides a thorough overview of Tibetan polemical literature and contextualizes the life and work of Gorampa both historically and intellectually. Freedom from Extremes will be indispensable for serious students of Madhyamaka thought. (Source: Wisdom Publications)Paul Williams places this controversy in its Indian and Tibetan context. He traces in detail Mi pham's position in his commentary on the Bodhicaryaāvatāra, the attack of one of his opponents, and his response, as well as indicating ways in which this controversy over the nature of awareness may be important within the context of Mi pham's rNyingma heritage of rDzogs chen thought and practice.
This book is the first book length study of its subject, and also includes a reprint of a previous paper by Williams on the reflexive nature of awareness, as well as the relevant Tibetan texts from Mi pham. The book will be of interest to all students of Indian and Tibetan Madhyamaka, as well as associated areas of Buddhist thought such as Yogācāra and the philosophy of Dharmakīrti. It will also be of value to those concerned with the intelectual foundations of rDzogs chen. (Source: Back cover of Routledge 2013 edition)
Philosophical positions of this person
Wangchuk quotes mkhas grub rje as stating, "In our system, Jé Rinpoché (rje rin po che, that is, Tsongkhapa) mentions that the Uttaratantra primarily comments on the meaning of those sutras that are in conformity with the middle-wheel teachings, such as the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, Samādhirājasūtra, Jnānālokasūtra, Aṅgulimālāsūtra, Śrīmālādevīsūtra, and so forth." Wangchuk, Tsering, The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows, p. 89.
Note that Wangchuk maintains that he developed this certainty later in his career.
- He quotes his Golden Rosary of Excellent Exposition as stating that the Mind-Only presentation of buddha-nature as, "the viewpoint explicated in the Uttaratantra." Wangchuk, Tsering, The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows, p. 90.
- Though he later quotes his presumably final stance as: "In his Illuminating the Thoughts of the Madhyamaka, Tsongkhapa clearly states, "The great master Asaṅga also did not explain the Uttaratantra according to the Cittamātra School, rather he explicated it according to the Madhyamaka School." Wangchuk, Tsering, The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows, p. 93.
Wangchuk cites Tsongkhapa's students and commentators on this issue:
- He quotes mkhas grub rje as stating, "In our system, Jé Rinpoché (rje rin po che that is, Tsongkhapa) mentions that... The content of the Uttaratantra is in conformity with Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka." Wangchuk, Tsering, The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows, p. 89.
- And later on,, "Similarly, Chöwang Drakpé Pel states, "The All-knowing Jétsün (rje btsun, that is, Tsongkhapa) repeatedly made the roar of a lion amongst an assembly of scholars proclaiming that the ultimate view of the Abhisamayālamkāra and the Uttaratantra falls within the system of Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka." Wangchuk, Tsering, The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows, p. 89.
Other names
- ཙོང་ཁ་པ་བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པ་ · other names (Tibetan)
- བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པའི་དཔལ་ · other names (Tibetan)
- བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པ་ · other names (Tibetan)
- tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa · other names (Wylie)
- blo bzang grags pa'i dpal · other names (Wylie)
- blo bzang grags pa · other names (Wylie)
Affiliations & relations
- Geluk · religious affiliation
- Ganden Monastery · primary professional affiliation
- bsod nams rgyal mtshan · teacher
- Red mda' ba gzhon nu blo gros · teacher
- Nya dbon kun dga' dpal · teacher
- Phyogs las rnam rgyal · teacher
- sgra tshad pa rin chen rnam rgyal · teacher
- Karmapa, 4th · teacher
- 'dul 'dzin grags pa rgyal mtshan · student
- 'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal · student
- 'jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis dpal ldan · student
- mkhas grub rje · student
- Rgyal tshab rje dar ma rin chen · student
- spyan nga bsod nams bzang po · student