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| quite different. This paper considers only the rNying ma rDzogs chen system of philosophy, on which see Karmay 1988, Achard 1999, Germano 2005a, and Higgins 2012. For an overview of Bon rDzogs chen philosophy, see Rossi 1999.</ref> ("Great Perfection") tradition of the rNying ma ("Ancient Ones") school between the eighth and fourteenth centuries. This philosophy developed around a nexus of core soteriological ideas concerning buddha-nature, the nature of reality, and the nature of mind that served to draw attention to a primordial, nondual mode of being and awareness that usually remains hidden behind the mind's own objectifying and subjectivizing reifications.<br> | | quite different. This paper considers only the rNying ma rDzogs chen system of philosophy, on which see Karmay 1988, Achard 1999, Germano 2005a, and Higgins 2012. For an overview of Bon rDzogs chen philosophy, see Rossi 1999.</ref> ("Great Perfection") tradition of the rNying ma ("Ancient Ones") school between the eighth and fourteenth centuries. This philosophy developed around a nexus of core soteriological ideas concerning buddha-nature, the nature of reality, and the nature of mind that served to draw attention to a primordial, nondual mode of being and awareness that usually remains hidden behind the mind's own objectifying and subjectivizing reifications.<br> |
| A cornerstone of the rDzogs chen philosophy of mind was a basic distinction between dualistic mind (''sems'') and primordial knowing (''ye shes'')<ref>On the history, nature, and scope of this distinction and its place in rNying ma soteriology see Higgins 2012. While the historical and biographical contexts of the distinction are now somewhat clearer than they were two decades ago, our understanding of the principal doctrinal developments in the preclassical period that is needed to make sense of the distinction has progressed little since Samten Karmay's pioneering work (see Karmay 1988). Two exceptions are the works of Guenther 1975 and Germano 1992, which provide translations and interpretations of some important materials on the distinction. Germano | | A cornerstone of the rDzogs chen philosophy of mind was a basic distinction between dualistic mind (''sems'') and primordial knowing (''ye shes'')<ref>On the history, nature, and scope of this distinction and its place in rNying ma soteriology see Higgins 2012. While the historical and biographical contexts of the distinction are now somewhat clearer than they were two decades ago, our understanding of the principal doctrinal developments in the preclassical period that is needed to make sense of the distinction has progressed little since Samten Karmay's pioneering work (see Karmay 1988). Two exceptions are the works of Guenther 1975 and Germano 1992, which provide translations and interpretations of some important materials on the distinction. Germano |
| 1992 presents an annotated translation of the first five chapters of Klong chen pa's ''Tshig don mdzod'' (''Treasury of Topics''), the fourth chapter of which contains a discussion of the distinction. The distinction is mentioned by Thondup 1989, Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, and Arguilleres 2007 but not treated in detail.</ref> that was first systematically presented in the seventeen Atiyoga tantras (''rgyud bcu bdun'') that make up the Heart Essence (''snying thig'') subclass of the Esoteric Guidance Class (''man ngag sde') of rDzogs chen teachings and are traditionally associated with Vimalamitra.<ref>On the chronology of the seventeen tantras and related ''Bi ma snying thig'', see Ramon Prats, "Tshe-dbang nor-bu's Chronological Notes on the Early | | 1992 presents an annotated translation of the first five chapters of Klong chen pa's ''Tshig don mdzod'' (''Treasury of Topics''), the fourth chapter of which contains a discussion of the distinction. The distinction is mentioned by Thondup 1989, Dudjom Rinpoche 1991, and Arguilleres 2007 but not treated in detail.</ref> that was first systematically presented in the seventeen Atiyoga tantras (''rgyud bcu bdun'') that make up the Heart Essence (''snying thig'') subclass of the Esoteric Guidance Class (''man ngag sde') of rDzogs chen teachings and are traditionally associated with Vimalamitra.<ref>On the chronology of the seventeen tantras and related ''Bi ma snying thig'', see Ramon Prats, "Tshe-dbang nor-bu's Chronological Notes on the Early Transmission of the Bi-ma snying-thig," in ''Tibetan and Buddhist Studies Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Csoma de Koros'', ed. L. Ligeti, vol. 2 (Budapest: Munshirm Manoharlal 1984), 197–209; and Achard 1999, 78–83. On the life of Vimalamitra and relevant sources, see Higgins 2012.</ref> rNying ma historical and biographical works trace this distinction to the teachings of early rDzogs chen masters of the Royal Dynastic Period,<ref>The three periods referred to in this article are the Royal Dynastic Period |
| Transmission of the Bi-ma snying-thig," in ''Tibetan and Buddhist Studies | | (610–910), The Period of Fragmentation (910-1249), and the Period of Monastic Hegemony (1249-1705). I have adopted a somewhat pared down version of the periodization scheme proposed by Cuevas 2006. I sometimes use "classical" with reference to the Period of Monastic Hegemony.</ref> in particular the oral transmissions of Vimalamitra (''bi ma snyan brgyud''), an identification that appears at first glance to be supported by the many passages on the two distinctions found scattered among rNying ma collections such as the ''Bi ma snying thig'', ''Bai ro rgyud 'bum'', ''rNying ma rgyud 'bum'', and ''dGongs pa zang thal''. These teachings often take the form of personal instructions advising the practitioner to discern within the flux of adventitious thoughts and sensations that characterize dualistic mind (''sems'') an invariant prerepresentational structure of awareness known as primordial knowing (''ye shes''), open awareness (''rig pa''), or the nature of mind (''sems nyid''), from which this turmoil arises. The idea is to directly recognize (''ngo sprod'') and become increasingly familiar with this abiding condition without confusing it with any of its derivative and distortive aspects. In Klong chen pa's view, this distinction provides an indispensable key to understanding the views and practices that are central to the rDzogs chen tradition.<br> |
| Commemorating the 200th Anniversay of the Birth of Alexander Csoma de Koros'', ed. L. Ligeti, vol. 2 (Budapest: Munshirm Manoharlal 1984), 197–209; and Achard 1999, 78–83. On the life of Vimalamitra and relevant sources, see Higgins 2012.</ref> rNying ma historical and biographical works trace this distinction to the teachings of early rDzogs chen masters of the Royal Dynastic Period, in particular the oral transmissions of Vimalamitra (''bi ma snyan brgyud''), an identification that appears at first glance to be supported by the many passages on the two distinctions found scattered among rNying ma collections such as the ''Bi ma snying thig'', ''Bai ro rgyud 'bum'', ''rNying ma rgyud 'bum'', and ''dGongs pa zang thal''. These teachings often take the form of personal instructions advising the practitioner to discern within the flux of adventitious thoughts and sensations that characterize dualistic mind (''sems'') an invariant prerepresentational structure of awareness known as primordial knowing (''ye shes''), open awareness (''rig pa''), or the nature of mind (''sems nyid''), from which this turmoil arises. The idea is to directly recognize (''ngo sprod'') and become increasingly familiar with this abiding condition without confusing it with any of its derivative and distortive aspects. In Klong chen pa's view, this distinction provides an indispensable key to understanding the views and practices that are central to the rDzogs chen tradition.<br> | |
| Although this tradition has attracted increasing interest in recent decades, both popular and academic, there has been little to date in the way of critical study of its philosophical foundations or key doctrinal developments. A noteworthy case in point is the absence of any systematic appraisal of rNying ma ("Ancient Ones") views on the nature of mind that traces their evolution and complex relationships with Indian Cittamātra, Madhyamaka, Pramāṇvāda, and Vajrayāna views. As a step toward at least defining the parameters of this crucial but neglected field of inquiry, this paper will consider some key arguments in support of the "mind/primordial knowing" (''sems/ye shes'') distinction adumbrated by rNying ma scholars in the classical period. Of particular interest are arguments that were used to justify and defend this distinction by the renowned fourteenth-century rNying ma thinker Klong chen rab 'byams pa in a number of his treatises, commentaries, and poetic works. In a wide range of doctrinal contexts, Klong chen pa will argue that the entire edifice of Buddhist doctrine becomes incoherent in theory and amiss in practice when one fails to recognize the primacy of a primordial mode of awareness and to unequivocally distinguish it from dualistic mind. This paper first examines in detail some of the arguments he employed to convince his audience of the acceptability of such a distinction in light of theoretical and practical drawbacks of not recognizing it. It then focuses on two types of transcendental argument (of the general form "for ''y'' to be possible ''x'' must be the case") that Klong chen pa repeatedly invokes to show that the mind/primordial knowing distinction was not only tacitly presupposed in Indian Buddhist soteriology but was, in fact, indispensable for making sense of the Buddhist path and goal-realization according to Buddhist doxastic norms. (Higgins, "On the rDzogs chen Distinction between Mind (''sems'') and Primordial Knowing (''ye shes''), 23–26) | | Although this tradition has attracted increasing interest in recent decades, both popular and academic, there has been little to date in the way of critical study of its philosophical foundations or key doctrinal developments. A noteworthy case in point is the absence of any systematic appraisal of rNying ma ("Ancient Ones") views on the nature of mind that traces their evolution and complex relationships with Indian Cittamātra, Madhyamaka, Pramāṇvāda, and Vajrayāna views. As a step toward at least defining the parameters of this crucial but neglected field of inquiry, this paper will consider some key arguments in support of the "mind/primordial knowing" (''sems/ye shes'') distinction adumbrated by rNying ma scholars in the classical period. Of particular interest are arguments that were used to justify and defend this distinction by the renowned fourteenth-century rNying ma thinker Klong chen rab 'byams pa in a number of his treatises, commentaries, and poetic works. In a wide range of doctrinal contexts, Klong chen pa will argue that the entire edifice of Buddhist doctrine becomes incoherent in theory and amiss in practice when one fails to recognize the primacy of a primordial mode of awareness and to unequivocally distinguish it from dualistic mind. This paper first examines in detail some of the arguments he employed to convince his audience of the acceptability of such a distinction in light of theoretical and practical drawbacks of not recognizing it. It then focuses on two types of transcendental argument (of the general form "for ''y'' to be possible ''x'' must be the case") that Klong chen pa repeatedly invokes to show that the mind/primordial knowing distinction was not only tacitly presupposed in Indian Buddhist soteriology but was, in fact, indispensable for making sense of the Buddhist path and goal-realization according to Buddhist doxastic norms. (Higgins, "On the rDzogs chen Distinction between Mind (''sems'') and Primordial Knowing (''ye shes''), 23–26) |
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