Books/Buddha Nature Reconsidered - Vol 1

 Search online

Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected.">

[ Read Online ]

Citation

ContentsAbout the BookSources

Contents: Vol. 1

• Acknowledgements11
• Preface 13

• • Chapter 1: Introduction 27

• • Chapter 2: Doctrinal Background
  • 1. Introductory remarks 57
  • 2. An outline of buddha nature [by Karma phrin las], translation 60
  • 3. Key points in Karma phrin las pa’s outline of buddha nature 72
  • 3.1. Tathāgatagarbha concepts in early Indian Buddhist sources 72
  • 3.2. Tathāgatagarbha concepts in Indo-Tibetan Mahāyāna sources73
  • 3.3. Rang byung rdo rje’s Karma bka’ brgyud position on buddha
          nature74
  • 4. Critical edition of Karma phrin las pa’s outline of buddha nature78

• • Chapter 3: The Eighth Karma pa’s Central Claims About Buddha Nature
  • 1. Introductory remarks83
  • 2. Sixteen central claims regarding buddha nature85
  • 2.1. Buddha nature exists equally in everyone from ordinary beings to
          buddhas85
  • 2.2. Buddha nature discourses are of definitive meaning (nītārtha)95
  • 2.3. The “nature” (garbha) of a buddha is actual, not nominal 101
  • 2.4. The gotra is not metaphorical (upacāra), but attributions of cause
           and result are106
  • 2.5. Buddha nature is buddhahood obscured by defilements111
  • 2.6. The three phases of buddha nature indicate progressive degrees of
           disclosure116
  • 2.7. The classification of three vehicles has a hidden intent (ābhiprāyika);
           the one vehicle (ekayāna) doctrine is definitive (lākṣaṇika)120
  • 2.8. The unfolded gotra is the naturally present gotra awakened through
           virtue131
  • 2.9. Resultant buddha nature may be equated with dharmakāya136
  • 2.10. Buddha nature is not emptiness as a nonaffirming negation
            (med dgag)141
  • 2.11. Buddha nature is not a basis established (gzhi grub) by valid
            cognition151
  • 2.12. The identification of buddha nature and ālayavijñāna is
            provisional162
  • 2.13. Buddha nature is not a self (coarse or subtle) but is selflessness204
  • 2.14. Buddha nature is only fully revealed in Mantrayāna thought and
            praxis226
  • 2.15. Buddha nature is natural awareness (tha mal gyi shes pa)241
  • 2.16. Buddha nature consists in the unity of the two truths 257
  • 3. Conclusion276

Contents: Vol 2 1. The Lamp of Fine Discernment Regarding the Tradition of the Gzhan stong Madhyamaka Proponents 1.1. Introduction 11 1.2. Annotated Translation: The Lamp of Fine Discernment Regarding the Tradition of the Gzhan stong Madhyamaka Proponents (= Lamp) 15 1.3. Critical Edition: Dbu ma gzhan stong smra ba 'i srol legs par phye ba 'i sgron me zhes bya ba bzhugs so (= LG) 50 2. The Nerve Tonic for the Elderly 2.1. Introduction 73 2.2. Annotated Translation: The Nerve Tonic for the Elderly, also known as The Sublime Fragrance ofNectar (= Tonic) 76 2.3. Critical Edition: Rganpo'i rlung sman, also known as Dpyadpa bdud dri mchog (= GL) 137 3. Buddha Nature and Dharmakaya 3.1. Introduction 171 3.2. Annotated Translation: Buddha Nature and Dharmakaya: A Reply to Queries 172 3.3. Critical Edition: Bde gshegs snyingpo dang chos sku'i dris lan 174 4. Buddha Nature and Emptiness Imbued with Compassion 4.1. Introduction 177 4.2. Annotated Translation of an Excerpt from Mi bskyod rdo rje's Single Intent Commentary (= Intent) on 'Jig rten gsum mgon's Single Intent (Dgongs gcig) Vajra Precepts 1.27-28 178 4.3. Critical Edition: Dgongs gcig kar tig (= GC) excerpt 188 5. Buddha Nature and the Substratum 5.1. Introduction 197

The present study comprises two volumes. The first offers a detailed analysis of Mi bskyod rdo rje’s position on buddha nature in which we have attempted to fill in some of the historical and doctrinal background necessary to understand his main contributions to this subject. The second presents a selection of critically edited texts and translations of the his most important writings on buddha nature.

While the details of Volume II can be gleaned from the table of contents, it may be useful to give a short résumé of Part I. In the first chapter, we have sketched a general outline of the author’s position on buddha nature in relation to the major lines of interpretation advanced by leading scholars of his generation that he sought to creatively resolve through his own dialectical approach. In chapter two, we take a broader view of the major views on buddha nature that had developed in India and Tibet and consider how masters of the Karma bka’ brgyud tradition positioned their own views in relation to these. We are aided in this regard by a useful synopsis of Indian and Tibetan buddha nature ideas composed by one of the Eighth Karma pa’s main teachers, Karma phrin las (1456–1539); this forms the centerpiece of the chapter. In the third chapter, we flesh out the skeletal outline of Mi bskyod rdo rje’s position traced in the preceding chapters with a more detailed analysis of his central claims regarding buddha nature. This was the most painstaking portion of the book to write and may well be the most challenging for readers unacquainted with the finer points of buddha nature theory. Yet it also contains the most substantive material for understanding the author’s interpretation of buddha nature and its doctrinal foundations. Our philosophical aim was to clarify the author’s efforts to articulate and justify his tradition’s position on buddha nature in relation to parallel or rival positions held by other Indian and Tibetan masters. To this end, we identified in his treatments sixteen central propositions regarding buddha nature and attempted to elucidate each in terms of its historical-doctrinal evolution. In doing so, our objective has been not only to compile an inventory of the author’s core propositions and to compare them with those of other Buddhist scholars, but further to probe beneath the doxographical surface of these positions to get at the guiding aims and aspirations that led him to espouse the positions he did. Though somewhat more detailed than the previous chapters, Chapter Three is nonetheless indispensable for appreciating the scope and originality of the Karma pa’s contribution to the Buddhist understanding of buddha nature theory. It is thus also essential for clarifying and contextualizing the materials translated in Volume II. (Source: Preface, pp. 17-18.)

[[Category:]][[Category:]][[Category:]]<ul><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "Frontcoverimg" (as page type) with input value "Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "BuNayAuthor" (as page type) with input value "Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "Translator" (as page type) with input value "Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li> <!--br--><li> "Lua error in Module" has not been listed as valid URI scheme.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Definitive, Provisional) of allowed values for the "PosBuNayDefProv" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Yes, No, Qualified Yes, Qualified No) of allowed values for the "PosAllBuddha" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (First Turning, Second Turning, Third Turning, (Fourth Turning)) of allowed values for the "PosWheelTurn" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Yogācāra, Madhyamaka) of allowed values for the "PosYogaMadhya" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Zhentong, Rangtong) of allowed values for the "PosZhenRang" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) of allowed values for the "PosVehicles" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Analytic Tradition, Meditative Tradition) of allowed values for the "PosAnalyticMedit" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Tathāgatagarbha as the Emptiness That is a Non-implicative Negation (without enlightened qualities), Tathāgatagarbha as the Emptiness That is an Implicative Negation (with enlightened qualities), Tathāgatagarbha as Mind's Luminous Nature, Tathāgatagarbha as the Unity of Emptiness and Luminosity, Tathāgatagarbha as a Causal Potential or Disposition (gotra), Tathāgatagarbha as the Resultant State of Buddhahood, Tathāgatagarbha as the Latent State of Buddhahood that is Obscured in Sentient Beings, There are several types of Tathāgatagarbha, Tathāgatagarbha was Taught Merely to Encourage Sentient Beings to Enter the Path) of allowed values for the "PosEmptyLumin" property.</li> <!--br--><li>"Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." is not in the list (Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་), Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་)) of allowed values for the "PosSvataPrasa" property.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "BuNayPublisher" (as page type) with input value "Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li> <!--br--><li>Property "BuNayTopicTags" (as page type) with input value "Lua error in Module:GetBookValue at line 1: Module:BookData returned boolean, table expected." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.</li></ul>

tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

Go to the page with the definition of 'Tathāgatagarbha'

Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt. महायान Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch. 大乘

Go to the page with the definition of 'Mahāyāna'

nītārtha - Refers to a teaching that is literally true. Skt. नीतार्थ Tib. ངེས་དོན་

Go to the page with the definition of 'definitive meaning'

nītārtha - Refers to a teaching that is literally true. Skt. नीतार्थ Tib. ངེས་དོན་

Go to the page with the definition of 'nītārtha'

gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt. गोत्र Tib. རིགས་ Ch. 鍾姓,種性

Go to the page with the definition of 'gotra'

āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt. आवरण Tib. སྒྲིབ་པ་

Go to the page with the definition of 'defilements'

ekayāna - The notion that ultimately there is only one vehicle, or means, of achieving enlightenment. Skt. एकयान Tib. ཐེག་པ་གཅིག་པ་ Ch. 一乘

Go to the page with the definition of 'one vehicle'

ekayāna - The notion that ultimately there is only one vehicle, or means, of achieving enlightenment. Skt. एकयान Tib. ཐེག་པ་གཅིག་པ་ Ch. 一乘

Go to the page with the definition of 'ekayāna'

dharmakāya - "Truth body" or "true being" — One of the three bodies of a buddha. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, it often refers to a kind of fundamental principle or the true nature of reality itself. Skt. धर्मकाय Tib. ཆོས་སྐུ་ Ch. 法身

Go to the page with the definition of 'dharmakāya'

śūnyatā - The state of being empty of an innate nature due to a lack of independently existing characteristics. Skt. शून्यता Tib. སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ Ch. 空,空門

Go to the page with the definition of 'emptiness'

gzhi - The foundational basis of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. It is often used as a synonym for tathāgatagarbha and dharmadhātu. Tib. གཞི་

Go to the page with the definition of 'gzhi'

ālayavijñāna - A neutral base consciousness that is posited as the storehouse for the seeds of past karmic actions in which they remain in a latent state until the circumstances arise for them to ripen as karmic consequences. Skt. आलयविज्ञान Tib. ཀུན་གཞིའི་རྣམ་ཤེས་ Ch. 阿賴耶識,藏識

Go to the page with the definition of 'ālayavijñāna'

neyārtha - Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true. Skt. नेयार्थ Tib. དྲང་དོན་

Go to the page with the definition of 'provisional'

anātman - The nonexistence of the self as a permanent, unchanging entity. Skt. अनात्मन् Tib. བདག་མེད་པ་ Ch. 无我

Go to the page with the definition of 'selflessness'

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

Go to the page with the definition of 'Gzhan stong'

Madhyamaka - Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Skt. मध्यमक Tib. དབུ་མ་ Ch. 中觀見

Go to the page with the definition of 'Madhyamaka'

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

Go to the page with the definition of 'gzhan stong'

Yogācāra - Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana). Skt. योगाचार Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པ་ Ch. 瑜伽行派

Go to the page with the definition of 'Yogācāra'

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

Go to the page with the definition of 'Zhentong'

rang stong - The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena. Tib. རང་སྟོང་

Go to the page with the definition of 'Rangtong'

prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt. प्रभास्वर Tib. འོད་གསལ་ Ch. 光明

Go to the page with the definition of 'Luminosity'