Mipham's Beacon of Certainty

Latest revision as of 11:27, 5 August 2020

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For centuries, Dzogchen—a special meditative practice to achieve spontaneous enlightenment—has been misinterpreted by both critics and malinformed meditators as being purely mystical and anti-rational. In the grand spirit of Buddhist debate, 19th century Buddhist philosopher Mipham wrote Beacon of Certainty, a compelling defense of Dzogchen philosophy that employs the very logic it was criticized as lacking. Through lucid and accessible textural translation and penetrating analysis, Pettit presents Mipham as one of Tibet's greatest thinkers. (Source: Wisdom Publications)

Citation	Pettit, John W. Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999.

Foreword by His Holiness Penor Rinpocheix
Acknowledgmentsxi
Source Abbreviationsxv
Annotations, Diacritics, and Transcriptionxvii

1. INTRODUCTION1
1.1 Mipham Rinpoche and the Beacon of Certainty1
1.2 Outline2
1.3 The Beacon of Certainty: Context and Significance2
1.3.1 Dialectical Philosophy and the Great Perfection2
1.3.2 The Beacons Purpose5
1.3.3 The Beacons Comparative Method6
1.4 Methods and Sources7
1.4.1 Tibetan Language Sources8
1.4.1.1 Editions of the Beacon8
1.4.2 English Language Sources11
1.5 The Contributions of this Work14

2. THE LIFE AND WORKS OF MIPHAM RINPOCHE19
2.1 Accounts of Mipham’s Life22
2.2 The Essential Hagiography by mKhan chen Kun bzang dpal ldan23

3. INDO-TIBETAN BUDDHISM: AN OVERVIEW41
3.1 Historical and Philosophical Dimensions of Buddhism41
3.2 Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna42
3.3 Important Teachings of Mahāyāna Scriptures45
3.3.1 Prajñāpāramitā45
3.3.2 The Saṃdhinirmocana and the "Essence Sūtras"47
3.3.3 Sources for Buddhist Hermeneutics49
3.4 Traditions of Indian Madhyamaka51
3.4.1 Origins of Prāsaṅgika and Svātantrika Madhyamaka52
3.4.2 Yogācāra and the Yogācāra Madhyamaka Synthesis55
3.4.3 Madhyamaka and Pramāṇa57
3.5 Vajrayāna: Buddhist Tantra60
3.5.1 Indian Origins60
3.5.2 Philosophical Dimensions of Tantra62
3.5.3 Styles of Tantric Practice68

4. TIBETAN BUDDHIST TRADITIONS AND THE GREAT PERFECTION71
4.1 The Yarlung Empire and the Introduction of Buddhism72
4.2 Early Nyingma Teachers and Texts74
4.2.1 The Treasure Tradition76
4.2.2 The Great Perfection77
4.2.2.1 Origins77
4.2.2.2 The View of the Great Perfection77
4.2.2.3 The Three Classes of Great Perfection79
4.2.24 Great Perfection in Practice80
4.2.3 The Great Perfection in Comparative Philosophical Texts81
4.2.3.1 Ch’an and the Great Perfection in the bSam gtan mig sgron82
4.2.3.2 Other Early Doxographies84
4.3 The New Translation Period and the Nyingma Tradition86
4.3.1 Rong zom Paṇḍita88
4.3.2 The Rise of Scholasticism91
4.3.3 Klong chen rab 'byams92
4.3.4 Nyingma Monasticism and the Ecumenical Movement (ris med)97
4.3.5 A Nyingma Philosophy?98

5. PHILOSOPHICAL DISTINCTIONS OF MIPHAM'S THOUGHT101
5.1 The Gelug Philosophical Tradition101
5.2 Theory, Practice, and Ultimate Reality104
5.3 Valid Cognition and Philosophical Analysis107
5.4 The Philosophy of Extrinsic Emptiness111
5.5 Mipham’s Interpretation of Extrinsic Emptiness and Tathāgatagarbha114
5.6 Mipham’s Position on the Tathāgatagarbha117

6. The Beacon of Certainty125
6.1 Recapitulation of Earlier Discussions125
6.2 The Topics of the Beacon126
6.2.1 The Beacon and Tsongkhapa’s Eight Great Difficult Points128
6.2.2 Some Observations on Topics 5, 6, and 7130
6.3 View, Meditative Practice, and Ultimate Reality in the Beacon133
6.3.I Anupakṣas and Pūrvapakṣas: An Overview133
6.3.1.1 Essential Issues and Arguments in Topics 1, 3, and 4134
6.3.1.2 Go ram pa's Analysis of View and Meditation in the TSB136
6.3.1.2.1 Go ram pa on the Ultimate View137
6.3.1.2.2 Go ram pa on Meditative Practice 139
6.3.2 Topic 1: Philosophical View and Rational Negation141
6.3.2.1 Tsongkhapa on the Negandum and Its Substratum141
6.3.2.2 Mipham's Theory of Negation144
6.3.2.2.1 Negation and the Definition of the Ultimate144
6.3.2.2.2 Mipham's Analysis of Negation in the MAZL146
6.3.2.2.3 Mipham's Theory of the Ultimate: Gnosis and Coalescence151
6.3.3 Topics 3 and 4: Tsongkhapa and Mipham on Modal Apprehension and
Analytical Reasoning157
6.3.3.1 Tsongkhapa on the Role of Conceptuality in Meditation157
6.3.3.1.1 Yon tan rgya mtsho on Modal Apprehension and Analysis160

7. ASCERTAINMENT (nges pa) AND CERTAINTY (nges shes):
SOME CONCLUSIONS169
7.1 Mipham’s Place in Tibetan Philosophy182
7.2 Philosophical Texts and Human Relatedness184

8. THE TRANSLATION OF THE Beacon of Certainty187
8.1 Terminology and Syntax187
8.2 Technical Terms188
8.3 Proper Names192
8.4 On the Use and Disuse of Sanskrit Terms192
8.5 Outline of the Beacon and Khro shul 'jam rdor's Commentary193
Abbreviations and Bibliography193
Introduction194
Topic 1196
Topic 2199
Topic 3203
Topic 4208
Topic 5214
Topic 6219
Topic 7227
Conclusion237

9. STAINLESS LIGHT: A Commentary on the Beacon of Certainty241
Topic 1251
Topic 2271
Topic 3291
Topic 4306
Topic 5329
Topic 6345
Topic 7371
Conclusion404

10. The LION'S ROAR PROCLAIMING EXTRINSIC EMPTINESS415

Appendix: Explanatory Diagrams and Tables
Diagram 1: Conceptuality and True Existence According to Go ram pa and
Mipham429
Diagram 2: Conceptuality and True Existence According to Tsongkhapa430
Table 1: Mipham's System of Four Pramāṇas431
Table 2: Traditions, Two-truth Paradigms, and Their Sources432
Table 3 Pramāṇas and Their Paradigms of Truth and Negation433
Table 4: The Role of Ascertainment and Conceptuality According to Mipham
and Gelug Philosophers434
Notes to Tables435
Glossary of Technical Terms439
Notes461
Bibliography of Works Consulted533
Index557

mi pham rgya mtsho. nges shes rin po che'i sgron me rtsa 'grel. The author mentions four main editions used for the translation, see pages 8-11, none of which seem to be available on BDRC. For a more recent publication see: Khreng tu'u: si khron dpe skrun tshogs pa; si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006.

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