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The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine according to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga

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Tathagatagarbha—Buddha Nature—is a central concept of Mahayana Buddhism crucial to all the living practice traditions of Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Its relationship to the concept of emptiness has been a subject of controversy for seven hundred years. Dr. Hookham's work investigates the divergent interpretations of these concepts and the way the TIbetan tradition is resolving them.

In particular she does this with reference to the only surviving Indian commentary on the Tathagatagarbha doctrine, the Ratnagotravibhaga. This text addresses itself directly to the issue of how to relate the doctrine of emptiness (the illusory nature of the world) to that of the truly existing, changeless Absolute (the Buddha Nature).

This is the first work by a Western writer to present an analysis of the Shentong tradition based on previously untranslated sources. The Shentong view rests on meditative experience that is inaccessible to the conceptualizing mind. It is deeply rooted in the sutra tradition of Indian Buddhism and is central to an understanding of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions and Tantric practice among the Kagyupas and Nyingmapas.

(Source: SUNY Press)

Citation	Hookham, S. K. The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine according to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga. SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991.

Contents

• Acknowledgementsxiii

• Yogin Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's Spontaneous Verses on the Subject of Rangtong and Shentongxv

• Chapter 1: General Introduction1
• The Omnicient Dolpopa's Prayer that Unties the Vajra Word Knots5

• Section One–The Issues9
• Chapter 2: Introduction to the Rangtong-Shentong Distinction11
• 2.1 The Origin and Significance of Buddhist Commentarial Traditions11
• 2.2 The Rangtong-Shentong Distinction13
• 2.3 The Meaning of Rangtong14
• 2.4 The Meaning of Shentong15
• 2.5 The Importance of the Rangtong-Shentong Distinction16

• Chapter 3: Emptiness from the Shentong Point of View19
• 3.1 Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness19
• 3.2 The Final Stage–Shentong (Yogacara Madhyamaka)22
• 3.3 No Shentong Without a Proper Understanding of Rangtong26
• 3.4 Problems of Definitions of Terms29

• Chapter 4: The Shentong View of Absolute Reality33
• 4.1 Buddhajnana33
• 4.2 Inseparable Qualities37
  • i. Inseparable Qualities of the Dharmakaya38
  • ii. The Concept of Uncompoundedness44
  • iii. Inseparability and the Spontaneous Existence of the Buddha Qualities47
• 4.3 Buddha Activity51

• Chapter 5: Means of Apprehending Absolute Reality57
• 5.1 Faith57
  • i. Faith and Buddhajnana57
  • ii. Faith and Direct Experience60
  • iii. Direct Experience as Valid Cognition63

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་

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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

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Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

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SUNY - State University of New York

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

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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

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