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The Buddha from Dolpo (2010)

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The Buddha from Dölpo is a revised and enlarged edition of the only book about the most controversial Buddhist master in the history of Tibet, Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361), who became perhaps the greatest Tibetan expert of the Kālacakra, or Wheel of Time, a vast system of tantric teachings. Based largely on esoteric Buddhist knowledge from the legendary land of Shambhala, Dölpopa's insights have profoundly influenced the development of Tibetan Buddhism for more than 650 years.

Dölpopa emphasized two contrasting definitions of the Buddhist theory of emptiness. He described relative phenomena as "empty of self-nature," but absolute reality as only "empty of other," i.e., relative phenomena. He further identified absolute reality as the buddha nature, or eternal essence, present in all living beings. This view of an "emptiness of other," know in Tibetan as shentong, is Dölpopa's enduring legacy.

The Buddha from Dölpo contains the only English translation of three of Dölpopa's crucial works. A General Commentary on the Doctrine is one of the earliest texts in which he systematically presented his view of the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. The Fourth Council and its Autocommentary (which was not in the first edition of this book) were written at the end of his life and represent a final summation of his teachings. These translations are preceded by a detailed discussion of Dölpopa's life, his revolutionary ideas, earlier precedents for the shentongview, his unique use of language, and the influence of his theories. The fate of his Jonang tradition, which was censored by the central Tibetan government in the seventeenth century but still survives, is also examined. (Source: Shambhala Publications)

Citation	Stearns, Cyrus. The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010. First published 1999 by State University of New York Press.

A Historical Survey of the Shentong Tradition in Tibet

Book Excerpt

ContentsAbout the BookSourcesQuotes

• Preface to the Revised Editionvii
• List of Illustrations xi
• List of Plates xiii
• Introduction 1

• PART ONE: The Life and Teachings of the Omniscient Dölpopa
• Chapter One: The Life of the Buddha from Dölpo 9
  • 1. Childhood and Early Education 10
  • 2. Studies at the Great Monastery of Sakya 11
  • 3. The Move to Jonang 15
  • 4. Raising Mount Meru and Revealing the Shentong View 19
  • 5. The Initial Reception of the Shentong Teachings 22
  • 6. The New Jonang Translation of the Kālacakra Tantra and the Stainless Light 24
  • 7. Years of Retreat and Teaching 29
  • 8. Invitation to China by the Yüan Emperor Toghon Temür 29
  • 9. Changes in the Jonang Leadership and the Beginning of the Journey to Lhasa 31
  • 10. Teachings in Central Tibet and the Return to Tsang 33
  • 11. The Aborted Meeting with Butön Rinchen Drup 35
  • 12. The Last Months at Jonang 36
• Chapter Two: A Historical Survey of the Shentong Tradition in Tibet 41
  • 1. The Shentong Tradition in Tibet before Dölpopa 42
  • 2. Dölpopa and the Shentong View 46
  • 3. The Shentong Tradition after Dölpopa 55
• Chapter Three: The Doctrine of the Buddha from Dölpo 85
  • 1. Emptiness of Self-nature and Emptiness of Other 87
  • 2. A Redefinition of Cittamātra and Madhyamaka 91
  • 3. Two Approaches to Enlightenment 103
• PART TWO: Part Two – Texts in Translation
• Introduction to the General Commentary on the Doctrine 113
• 1. Supplication Entitled General Commentary on the Doctrine 119
• Introduction to the Fourth Council and the Autocommentary to the "Fourth Council"" 131
• 2. Great Calculation of the Doctrine That Has the Significance of a Fourth Council 135
• 3. Autocommentary to the "Fourth Council""205
• Notes 313
• Bibliography 413
• Index 449

This is essential reading for understanding Dölpopa's position on buddha-nature.

1. Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan. bstan pa spyi 'grel. Short title for Supplication Entitled “General Commentary on the Doctrine.” bstan pa spyi ’grel zhes bya ba’i gsol ’debs. In The Collected Works (Gsung ’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan (1292-1361): Reproduced from the copies of prints from the Rgyal-rtse Rdzong blocks preserved at the Kyichu Monastery in the Paro Valley, Bhutan, vol. 1: 686–94. Paro/Delhi: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984.
   1. Also published in The ’Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works (Gsung-’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, vol. 7, pt. 1: 494–501. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992.
2. _____. bka' bsdu bzhi pa (The “Fourth Council). Short title for Great Calculation of the Doctrine That Has the Significance of a Fourth Council. Bka bsdus bzhi pa’i don bstan rtsis chen po. In The ’Dzam-thang Edition of the Collected Works (Gsung-’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, vol. 5: 207–52. Delhi: Shedrup Books, 1992.
3. ______. bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i rang 'grel - Autocommentary to the “Fourth Council.” Bka’ bsdu bzhi pa’i rang ’grel. In The Collected Works (Gsung ’bum) of Kun-mkhyen Dol-po-pa Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan (1292–1361): Reproduced from the copies of prints from the Rgyal-rtse Rdzong blocks preserved at the Kyichu Monastery in the Paro Valley, Bhutan, vol. 1: 585–665. Paro/Delhi: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984.

Dölpopa considers the buddha nature, or sugata essence, to be natural luminosity (which is synonymous with the dharmakāya) and a primordial, indestructible, eternal great bliss inherently present in every living being.  

~ in The Buddha from Dolpo (2010), page(s) 89

Dölpopa considers the buddha nature, or sugata essence, to be natural luminosity (which is synonymous with the dharmakāya) and a primordial, indestructible, eternal great bliss inherently present in every living being. On the other hand, the incidental stains or impurities that veil the buddha nature are the various states of mind associated with the infinite experiences of mundane existence. While the veils of temporary affliction are empty of self-nature, the buddha nature is empty only of phenomena other than itself.  

~ in The Buddha from Dolpo (2010), page(s) 89

According to Dölpopa the process of enlightenment can be illuminated by some traditional examples. First, he accepts two types of "universal groung" (aālaya, kun gzhi). Of these, he considers the buddha nature, or sugata essence, to be the "universal-ground primoridal awareness" (kun gzhi ye shes). While still veiled by the temporary obscurations, of the afflictions and of knwledge, ths is like the sky filled with clouds or a jewel covered with mud. In contrast, the "universal-ground consciousness" (ālayavijñāna, kun gzhi rnam shes) is the impurities or incidental stains that are to be removed, and the deeply imprinted habitual propensities associated with it. Thes are like the clouds in the sky or the mud covering the jewel. Second, the path is composed of the various techniques of practice that removed the impurities. This path can be likened to the wind that scatters the clouds of the stream of water that washes the mud from the jewel. Finally, the result is described as an attainment, but is really unified bliss and emptiness, a self-arisen primordial awareness that is eternally present, but now manifests or actualizes. This is like the appearance of the clear cloudless sky or the jewel separated from the mud. Dölpopa says the incidental stains must be understood as empty of self-nature and suitable to be removed through meditation practice, while the buddha nature itself is empty only of other extrinsic factors such as the incidental stains that veil its eternal and indestructible nature.  

~ in The Buddha from Dolpo (2010), page(s) 91