Cataphatic Emptiness: rGyal-tshab on the Buddha-essence Theory of Asaṅga's Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā

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**{{i|3. ''Dharmatā''|140}}
 
**{{i|3. ''Dharmatā''|140}}
 
**{{i|4. Natural Luminosity of the Mind|142}}
 
**{{i|4. Natural Luminosity of the Mind|142}}
Origin in Canonical sources 142
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***{{i|Origin in Canonical sources|142}}
rGyal-tshab's Exegesis on the Passages from the SMS and the DIR 144
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***{{i|rGyal-tshab's Exegesis on the Passages from the SMS and the DIR|144}}
On the Passage from the GGS 147
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***{{i|On the Passage from the GGS|147}}
5. The Element 150
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**{{i|5. The Element|150}}
According to the AAN 150
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***{{i|According to the AAN|150}}
According to the MAS 154
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***{{i|According to the MAS|154}}
6. The Buddha-essence and the Madhyamaka Philosophy 156
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**{{i|6. The Buddha-essence and the Madhyamaka Philosophy|156}}
The Equation of the Buddha-essence with emptiness 156
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***{{i|The Equation of the Buddha-essence with emptiness|156}}
Realizing the Buddha-essence as the Middle Way 159
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***{{i|Realizing the Buddha-essence as the Middle Way|159}}
7. Conclusion 163
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**{{i|7. Conclusion|163}}
Chapter 6: Buddha-essence and Its Ten Aspects 164
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*{{i|Chapter 6: Buddha-essence and Its Ten Aspects|164}}
 
1. The Tripartite Buddha-essence 164
 
1. The Tripartite Buddha-essence 164
 
The diffusion of the truth body 166
 
The diffusion of the truth body 166

Revision as of 15:19, 30 April 2020

Cataphatic Emptiness: rGyal-tshab on the Buddha-essence Theory of Asaṅga's Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā
Dissertation
Dissertation

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation studies the Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra), the only surviving Indian Buddhist treatise on the Buddha-essence doctrine, by way of one of its major Tibetan commentaries, rGyal-tshab Dar-ma-rin-chen (1364-1432)'s Theg pa chen po rGyud bla ma'i ṭīkā. This project consists of three parts: a special edition of the first chapter of the Theg pa chen po rGyud bia ma'i ṭīkā, an English translation of the selected sections of that commentary, and a comparative analysis which follows six distinct lines of inquiry.
      The six lines are: rGyal-tshab's doctrinal classification of the text; his critiques of absolutism, skepticism, and quietism in connection with diverse interpretations of the Buddha-essence doctrine in Tibetan traditions as well as a tentative comparison with critiques of the theory of "Original-enlightenment" in modern Chinese Buddhism; his analysis of the title of Tibetan version and the structure of the text; rGyal-tshab's philosophical positions on reality, Element, and natural luminosity of the mind; his expositions of the tripartite Buddha-essence, its ten aspects, and the eighteen similes; and the notion "spiritual gene" understood by dGe-lugs-pas.
      This comparative approach will provide a broader synthetic understanding of the role that Buddha-essence played as a doctrinal genre in Tibetan intellectual history.

Citation Jiang, Bo. "Cataphatic Emptiness: rGyal-tshab on the Buddha-Essence Theory of Asaṅga's Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā." PhD diss., Columbia University, 2008.