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Please join us on Zoom or Facebook live on Saturday, December 14th at
11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (note the changed time)
(5:00 PM CET, 9:00 PM Bhutan, 8:45 PM Kathmandu)
Lopen Karma Phuntsho will interview Tsadra Foundation's director of research, Gregory Forgues and discuss his recent book "Radical Nonduality: Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatso's Discourse on Reality ([https://wstb.univie.ac.at/product/wstb-no-106/ Vienna WSTB 106]).
Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatsho (1846–1912) stands as one of the most influential scholars within the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This book, which will be of interest to both academic researchers and Buddhist practitioners, presents a comprehensive analysis of Mipham's nonconceptual nondualism through the traditional Buddhist framework of ground (gzhi), path (lam), and result ('bras bu).
The study begins by examining how Mipham's view represents a form of ontological nondualism, exploring his innovative use of ascending perspectives to explain the two truths. This approach offers readers new insights into Mipham's sophisticated philosophical system while illuminating the philosophical foundations of the path.
The middle section investigates how knowledge and liberation interweave in Mipham's soteriological project through his teachings on practice and conduct. Here, readers will discover how cognitive nondualism serves as a bridge to realizing ontological nondualism, while scholars will appreciate the theoretical framework underlying these practices.
The final section examines Mipham's soteriological nondualism, in which ground and result are understood to be beyond any distinction or separation. This fresh analysis of Mipham's thought offers valuable insights into one of Tibet's most sophisticated philosophical systems and its practical application on the Buddhist path.
[https://wstb.univie.ac.at/product/wstb-no-106/ The book is free online here!]
Dr. Gregory Forgues is the Director of Research at Tsadra Foundation. Before joining the foundation, Gregory was part of the Open Philology research project with Professor Jonathan Silk at the University of Leiden. He also worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Heidelberg and a Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Bochum. Gregory has published on a wide variety of topics including Mahāyāna sūtra translations, Tibetan tantric rituals, Dzogchen teachings, and digital humanities methods. His PhD dissertation on Jamgon Mipham’s interpretation of the two truths under Professor Klaus-Dieter Mathes' supervision was reviewed by Professor Birgit Kellner and Professor Matthew Kapstein, receiving a distinction from the University of Vienna.
The Guhyasamāja Tantra is one of the Unexcelled Yoga Tantras of Vajrayana Buddhism. In the initial, generation-stage practice, one engages in a prescribed sequence of visualizations of oneself as an enlightened being in a purified environment in order to prepare one’s mind and body to engage in the second stage: the completion stage. The latter works directly with the subtle energies of one’s mind and body and transforms them into the enlightened mind and body of a buddha. In this book, Gyumé Khensur Lobsang Jampa, a former abbot of Gyumé Tantric College, provides complete instructions on how to practice the generation stage of Guhyasamāja, explaining the visualizations, offerings, and mantras involved, what they symbolize, and the purpose they serve. These instructions, which are usually imparted only orally from master to student after the student has been initiated into the Guhyasamāja mandala, are now being published in English for the first time and are supplemented by extracts from key written commentaries in the footnotes to support practitioners who have received the required transmissions from a holder of this lineage. The complete self-generation ritual is included in the second part of the book, with the Tibetan on facing pages, which can be used by those who read Tibetan and want to recite the ritual in Tibetan. (Source: [https://www.shambhala.com/guhyasamaja-practice-arya-nagarjuna-system-volume-one.html Shambhala Publications]) +
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Tsele Natsok Rangdröl is renowned in the Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism for his brilliant scholarship, profound exposition, and meditative accomplishment. Comprised of two of his most important texts, this collection presents four essential Buddhist strands of philosophical viewpoint and meditation technique: the teachings of the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) body of literature; the philosophy of the Middle Way; Mahamudra meditation; and Dzogchen teachings and practice.The theme of these teachings is that in every person’s heart, mind, and spirit there is an identical essence that makes that person a living Buddha. The focus is on how to realize that essence through “effortless” training based on the four techniques. Since the training is unbound by cultural or temporal limitations, the truth the book conveys is as valuable today as it was in centuries past. This system has been applied by people from many walks of life, giving them a simple method to not only withstand life’s challenges but to transcend them. This redesigned edition of ''The Heart of the Matter'' and ''Lamp of Mahamudra'' features illuminating introductions and a new foreword, bringing Rangdröl’s timeless message to contemporary seekers. ([https://1lib.us/book/1305949/761a93 Source Accessed Oct 12, 2021]) +
To European readers Tibetan historiography is known from Tārānātha’s History of Buddhism in India, translated simultaneously by two members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Science, W. P. Wassilieff into Russian and A. Schiefner into German.[1] But this is not the only work of this kind which the Tibetan literature contains. There are many others. Among them „ The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet”[2]) by the great scholar ''Bu-ston Rin-chen-grub-pa'' (pronouce Budon Rinchenḍub), also called Budon Rinpoche, is held in great esteem by Tibetan and Mongolian learned lamas. It is distinguished from the work of Tārānātha by the plan of its composition. It consists of three parts. The history proper is preceded by a systematical review of the whole of Buddhist literature so far as preserved in Tibet, and it is followed by a systematical catalogue of works, authors and translators of all the literature contained in the Kanjur and Tanjur collections. The first part is of an overwhelming scientifical value. It represents a synthesis of everything which directly or remotely bears the stamp of Buddhism, that synthesis which is also the ultimate aim of the European investigation of that religion. The whole of its literature, sacred and profane, is here reviewed as divided in periods, schools and subject-matter. No one was better qualified for such a task than Budon, for he was one of the redactors of the Kanjur and Tanjur great collections in their final form. As a matter of fact his "History" is but an introduction and a systematical table of contents to the Narthaṅ editions of the Kanjur and Tanjur.<br> His work has not failed to attract the attention of European scholarship. Wassilieff quotes it in the first volume of his Buddhism, Sarat Candra Das has translated some excerpts out of it. I myself have published a translation in French, in the Muséon 1905 ("Notes de littéature buoddhique. La littérature Yogācāra d'après Bou-ston"),
ston"), of the part devoted to the litterature of the Yogācāra school, and, in English, of the part dealing with the Abhidharma Iitterature of the Sarvāstivādins, included in Prof. Takakusu's work on the Abhidharma Iitterature of the Sarvāstivādins. In the years 1927 and 1928 I have interpreted the work to my pupil E. E. Obermiller making it the subject of our seminary study. He then has made an English translation which was revised by me and is now published, thanks to the kind attention accorded to it by the Heidelberg Society for the Investigation of Buddhist Lore and by its president Professor M. Walleser.<br> The translation of the first part, now published, was not an easy task, since it consists predominantly of quotations, many of them having the form of mnemonic verse (kārikā's). They had to be identified and their commentaries consulted. With very few exceptions all has been found out by E. E. Obermiller in the Tanjur works. The high merit of this self-denying, absorbing and difficult work will, I have no doubt, be fully appreciated by fellow scholars who have a personal experience of that kind of work.<br> Budon Rinpoche was a native of Central Tibet. He lived in the years 1290–1364. He consequently belongs to the old school of Tibetan learning, the school which preceded the now dominant Gelugpa sect (the yellow-caps) founded by ''Tsoṅkhapa''. Besides the History he has written many other works. A full block-print edition of all his works in 15 volumes has recently appeared in Lhasa. No copy of it has as yet reached Leningrad. Among his works there is one on logic, Tshad-ma-rnam-ṅes-pai-bsdus-don = Pramāṇa-viniçcaya-piṇḍārtha, with his own commentary. A block-print containing his biography (rnam-thar) is in my possession. It will be analyzed by E. E. Obermiller in the Introduction also dealing with the sources of Tibetan historiography, which will be attached to the translation of the whole work. The Translation is made from the text of the old block-print edition, a copy of which is found in the Asiatic Museum of the Academy of Sciences of the U. S. S. R. (Th. Stcherbatsky, introduction, 3–4)<br><br>
<h5>Notes</h5>
#These translations are in need of revision, since there are considerable mistakes in which both translations always agree.<br>
#Bod-Chos-ḥbyuṅ.
The present volume contains the translation of the 2d Part of Bu-ton's History of Buddhism, i.e. of the historical part proper. The latter begins with the Life of the Buddha and ends with an account of the work carried out by the Tibetan Lotsavas and Indian Paṇḍits of Bu-ton's own period and immediately before him (XII and XIII Cent.), viz. the translation of the Buddhist kanonical texts and exegetical treatises from the Sanskrit. We have here, just as in the 1st Part, numerous quotations from both ''sūtra'' and ''çāstra''. Owing to this it becomes possible to get a clear aspect of the principal sources from which Bu-ton has compiled his History, and which have likewise later on served as a basis for the work of Tārānātha. —<br> Bu-ton's History of Buddhism proper is divided into the following principal parts: —<br> I. The Life of the Buddha Çākyamuni, the narrative of the so-called 12 Acts of the Buddha (''mdzad-pa bcu-gñis''), or rather of the 12 principal events in his life. The account of the first eleven, ending with the first "Swinging of the Wheel of the Doctrine" (''chos-kyi ḥkhor-lo bskor-ba = dharma-cakra-pravartana'') represents a summary of the ''Lalita-vistara-sūtra'' and contains numerous verses from it. Then, after a short indication of the Second and the Third Swingings (i.e. of the Scripture of the intermediate and the later period), there follows the story of the Buddha's attainment of Nirvāṇa. It is taken from the ''Vinayakṣudraka'' (tib. ''Ḥdul-ba-phran-tshegs'', Kangyur ḤDUL, XI), being a summary of the corresponding part of the latter.<br> II. The Rehearsals of the Buddhist Scripture. This part begins with the account of the first Rehearsal (Mahākāçyapa, Ānanda, Upāli), of the death of Kāçyapa and Ānanda, and of the second Rehearsal (Yaças, Kubjita, Revata, etc.). The only source here is likewise the ''Vinaya-kṣudraka'', the corresponding text of which is rendered in an abridged form, all the verses being quoted at full length. As concerns the 3d Rehearsal and the 18 Sects, the texts referred to on this subject are: —<br>
1. The ''Nikāya-bheda-upadarçana-saṁgraha'' of Vinītadeva (Tg.<br> MDO. XC.).<br>
2. The ''Bhikṣu-varṣāgra-pṛcchā''. of Padmākaraghoṣa (Ibid).<br>
3. The ''Prabhāvati'' of Çākyaprabha. (Tg. MDO. LXXXIX.)<br>
4. The ''Tarkajvālā'' of Bhāvaviveka. (Tg. MDO. XIX.)<br>
The latter work, though not directly mentioned, represents the principal source. Some passages of it are fully contained in Bu-ton's text. —<br> Ill. The different theories concerning the time of duration of the Buddhist Doctrine. Here we have quotations from the ''Karuñā-puṇḍarīka'', from Vasubandhu's Commentary on the ''Akṣayamati-nirdeça-sūtra'' (Tg. MDO. XXXV.), the Commentary on the ''Vajracchedikā''. (Tg. MDO. XVI), the Commentary on the 3 ''Prajñāpāramitā-Sūtras'' (Tg. MDO. XIV), etc. We have likewise the chronological calculations of the Sa-skya Paṇḍita and others concerning the time that has passed since the death of the Buddha.<br> IV. The "prophecies" concerning the persons that have furthered the spread of Buddhism. The most important are those contained in the ''Lankāvatāra'', the ''Mahākaruṇā-puṇḍarīka'' (Kg. MDO. VI), and the ''Mañjuçrī-mūlatantra''. (Kg. RGYUD. XI. Narthaṅ edition, or XII. Derge edition) A separate prophecy referring to the Tantric Ācāryas, that of the ''Kālacakra-uttaratantra'' (Kg. RGYUD. I) and the ''Mahākāla-tantra-rāja'' (Kg. RGYUD. V), is given at the end of this part. It is especially the ''Mañjuçrī-mūla-tantra'' which is to be regarded as a source of the greatest importance, not only for the History of Buddhism, but for the historiography of India in general. The most interesting is that part of it which refers to the Indian kings, — Açoka, Virasena, Nanda, Candragupta, etc. Noteworthy is the passage concerning Pāṇini who is spoken of as the friend of the king Nanda. — A detailed analysis of the historically important parts of all these texts will be published by me before long. —<br> V. The biographies of the celebrated Buddhist teachers, viz. Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Candragomin, Candrakīrti, Āryāsanga, Vasubandhu, Sthiramati, Dignāga, Dharmakīrti, Haribhadra, Çāntideva, etc. Each of these is followed by a list of the works composed by the teacher in question. An indication of the volumes of the Tangyur (Sūtra and Tantra) in which the works are contained is always given in the notes.<br> VI. A short summary of the history of the grammatical literature, or rather of the legends referring to it, viz. the stories about Bṛhaspati, Pāṇini, Sarvavarman (alias Çarvavarman, Saptavarman, or lçvaravarman), etc. After that comes an enumeration of the kanonical texts (Sūtra and Tantra) which have been lost or have not been translated into Tibetan. —<br> VII. Prophecies of an apocalyptic character foretelling the disappearance of the Buddhist Doctrine. Among these, that of the ''Candragarbha-paripṛcchā'' is quoted at full length with a very few abbreviations. This prophecy is treated in the Kangyur as a separate work (Kg. MDO. XXXII). In this place the text of the Lhasa block-print of Bu-ton's History contains a great number of mistakes in the proper names, which are sometimes quite illegible (e.g. Akandradha instead of Agnidatta !). A correct rendering of these names has been made possible with the help of the Derge (Sde-dge) edition of the Kangyur.<br> VIII. The History of Buddhism in Tibet. It begins with the genealogy of the early legendary Tibetan kings, commencing with Ña-ṭhi-tsen-po. Next come the legends about Tho-tho-ri-ñen-tsen and Sroṅ-tsen-gam-po. These are followed by a more detailed account concerning the spread of Buddhism in Tibet during the reign of Ṭhi-sroṅ-de-tsen, viz. the activity of Çāntirakṣita (called the "Ācārya Bodhisattva"), the selection of the first 7 Tibetan monks ''[Sad-mi mi bdun]'', the dispute between the adherents of Kamalaçīla and of the Chinese Hva-çaṅ Mahāyāna (the Tsen-min and the Tön-mün), etc. Then we have a brief account of the reign of Ral-pa-can, of the persecution by Laṅ-dar-ma, and of the restauration of the Church by the 10 monks of Ü and Tsaṅ, an indication of the monasteries and monastic sections founded by the said monks and their pupils and, finally, a narrative of the events that followed, viz. the arrival of Dīpaṁkaraçrījñāna (Atīça) in Tibet and the subsequent propagation of Buddhism. In particular we have an enumeration of the texts translated by some of the Lotsavas from the Sanskrit. It may be noted that, with very few exceptions, the texts mentioned belong to the Tantric parts of the Kangyur and Tangyur. Here ends the history proper. It is followed by a list containing the names of all the Paṇḍits and Lotsavas who have acted in Tibet, beginning with Çāntirakṣita and Padmasaṁbhava. With it ends the 3d Chapter (''leḥu'') of Bu-ton's text: "The History of the Doctrine in Tibet".<br> The last part is a systematical Index of all the Buddhist literature which has been translated from the Sanskrit by the Lotsavas and Paṇḍits. It is divided into 1. Sūtra Scripture (including the Vinaya, Prajñāpāramitā, Avataṁsaka, Ratnakūṭa, and Sūtra sections of the Kangyur), 2. Sūtra Exegesis, 3. Tantra Scripture, and 4. Tantra Exegesis. This Index, as well as the list of the Lotsavas and Paṇḍits, arranged in the alphabetical order, will form a separate 3d part which is to contain numerous other Indices and Appendices besides.<br> The part now published, similar to the first, includes a great number of smaller chapters and subdivisions. The system according to which these have been designated, is the same as in the first part, and is directly connected with the latter. A full table of the contents is given at the end. — (Obermiller, introduction, 3–6)
I
It was the Buddhist nun and travel writer Alexandra David-Néel (1868–1969) who brought the manuscript “Illuminator, a Light of Gnosis – The Great Commentary on The Single Intention” by Dorje Sherab from Asia to France. The German foundation Garchen Stiftung reproduced the precious manuscript in its original size and colors. Thus the work is available to an audience of traditional and western experts as well as students of the Tibetan language. +
Dōgen Zenji was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there. Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including the Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment.<br>
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The primary concept underlying Dōgen's Zen practice is “oneness of practice-enlightenment”. In fact, this concept is considered so fundamental to Dōgen's variety of Zen—and, consequently, to the Sōtō school as a whole—that it formed the basis for the work Shushō-gi, which was compiled in 1890 by Takiya Takushō of Eihei-ji and Azegami Baisen of Sōji-ji as an introductory and prescriptive abstract of Dōgen's massive work, the Shōbōgenzō (“Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma”).<br>
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Dōgen is a profoundly original and difficult 13th century Buddhist thinker whose works have begun attracting increasing attention in the West. Admittedly difficult for even the most advanced and sophisticated scholar of Eastern thought, he is bound, initially, to present an almost insurmountable barrier to the Western mind. Yet the task of penetrating that barrier must be undertaken and, in fact, is being carried out by many gifted scholars toiling in the Dōgen vineyard. (Source: [https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/impermanence-is-buddha-nature-d%d0%begens-understanding-of-temporality/ University of Hawai'i Press]) +
Nagarjuna is famous in the West for his works not only on Madhyamaka but his poetic collection of praises, headed by ''In Praise of Dharmadhatu''. This book explores the scope, contents, and significance of Nagarjuna's scriptural legacy in India and Tibet, focusing primarily on the title work. The translation of Nagarjuna's hymn to Buddha nature—here called ''dharmadhatu''—shows how buddha nature is temporarily obscured by adventitious stains in ordinary sentient beings, gradually uncovered through the path of bodhisattvas, and finally revealed in full bloom as buddhahood. These themes are explored at a deeper level through a Buddhist history of mind's luminous nature and a translation of the text's earliest and most extensive commentary by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339), supplemented by relevant excerpts from all other available commentaries. The book also provides an overview of the Third Karmapa's basic outlook, based on seven of his major texts. He is widely renowned as one of the major proponents of the ''shentong'' (other-empty) view. However, as this book demonstrates, this often problematic and misunderstood label needs to be replaced by a more nuanced approach which acknowledges the Karmapa's very finely tuned synthesis of the two great traditions of Indian mahayana Buddhism, Madhyamaka and Yogacara. These two, his distinct positions on Buddha nature, and the transformation of consciousness into enlightened wisdom also serve as the fundamental view for the entire vajrayana as it is understood and practiced in the Kagyu tradition to the present day. (Source: [https://www.shambhala.com/in-praise-of-dharmadhatu-2597.html Shambhala Publications]) +
The vast expansion of Indian culture by Buddhists who penetrated through Bactria into the region of modern Kashghar, Yarkand, Khotan, Maralbashi, Kucha and Loulan has been disclosed by the results of expeditions sent out in the first decade of this century. Among the numerous documents was a considerable number written in Ancient Khotan, but in a dialect of the Śakas, or Indo-Scythians, who from the first century BC to the third century AD were dominant in North-western India. Volume I of Khotanese Texts was published in 1946, Volume II in 1954 and Volume III, which completed the publication of the longer texts in 1956. Volume IV containing the Śaka Texts from the Hedin Collection appeared in 1961. The fifth volume completed the printing of the texts. When it was published in 1963, it contained a large number of fragments and other pieces published for the first time, as well as the Hoernle Collection, the Samguata-Sutra folios and the Karma Text. (Source: [https://www.cambridge.org/ar/academic/subjects/languages-linguistics/asian-language-and-linguistics/indo-scythian-studies-being-khotanese-texts-volume-v-volume-5?format=HB&isbn=9780521119948 Cambridge University Press]) +
Kaiji Jeffrey Schneider gives a general dharma talk on buddha-nature at the San Francisco Zen Center. He begins with a discussion of the five skandhas and discusses how the later notion of tathāgatagarbha represented a radical shift in the Buddhist understanding of the mind and consciousness. +
About the teaching, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche said:
"The topic on which I want to speak tonight has to do with the ultimate inner peace or happiness that inhabits all of our beings. This inner peace has as its nature an inner luminosity and brilliant clarity. This is primordially our nature, and it is primordially the nature of all sentient beings... However, regardless of our thoughts about how we’re going to gain peace and happiness, there are very few who actually come to awaken their original natural inner peace and happiness. Why is that? The answer to this is something I’d like to speak about."
Posted in honor of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's 11th Decho Anniversary, July 21-22, 2024. +
This annotated translation of an early ninth-century essay by the Hua-yen and Ch'an master Kuei-feng Tsung-mi (780-841) provides the nonspecialist with a window through which to survey the landscape of medieval
Chinese Buddhist thought. Unlike other more technical expositions of Buddhist teachings, ''Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity (Yuan Jen lun)'' does not presuppose a detailed knowledge of Buddhist doctrine. In a brief
and accessible fashion, it presents a systematic overview of the major teachings within Chinese Buddhism. The organizational framework used by Tsung-mi, moreover, represents one of the primary methods devised by
Chinese Buddhists to organize and make sense of the diverse body of teachings they received from India. Finally, Tsung-mi's essay is especially noteworthy in that it sheds light on the interaction of Buddhism with the
indigenous intellectual and religious traditions of Confucianism and Taoism. Peter N. Gregory's commentary, which follows a running translation of the work, will help bridge the temporal and cultural gap separating contemporary Western readers from the text's intended medieval Chinese audience. (Source: back cover) +
Books/Interpretations of Unity: Hermeneutics in Śākya mchog ldan's Interpretation of the Five Treatises of Maitreya +
'''Abstract'''<br><br>
This dissertation is a study of the process through which Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, by synthesizing doctrines and texts into consistent models, integrates views of reality within doctrinal and soteriological systems. It consists of an analysis of the most fundamental doctrinal tension found in the Tibetan tradition, namely the apparent inconsistency of doctrines belonging to the negative Mādhyamika and to the more affirmative Yogācāra trends of Mahāyāna Buddhism. As a case study aiming to provide a first systematic examination of that problematic, the dissertation surveys and analyzes Tibetan interpretation of the set of texts referred to as the Five Treatises of Maitreya (''byams chos sde lnga''), and at the way those interpretations deal with the doctrinal tensions found in that set of text. In addition to providing a recension of major interpretations of the Five Treatises developed between 1100 and 1500, a detailed account is given of the model of interpretation given by gSer mdog Paṇ chen Śākya mchog ldan, a famous teacher of the Sa skya school of Tibetan Buddhism. When confronted with the features of other interpretations, Śākya mchog ldan's interpretation of the Five Treatises, which proceeds primarily by allowing a plurality of views to be maintained even at the level of definitive meaning, provides us with a new insight in the Tibetan philosophical tradition: the most fundamental dimension of philosophical reconciliation of doctrinal views, especially of the kind found in the Five Treatises, can be described as pertaining to textual hermeneutics. Moreover, Śākya mchog ldan's contribution to that domain of Buddhist thought, by placing hermeneutics at the very centre of his system of Buddhist doctrine and practice, suggests that hermeneutics is a fundamental category of all Buddhist philosophical debates, and that it should be part of any attempt to understand the Tibetan philosophical tradition. +
Discovering the Buddha Within is an experiential learning program of the Buddha Dharma created as part of the vast vision of Guru Vajradhara His Holiness the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa. The aim of this curriculum is to explain the essence of the Buddha's teachings in an easy and understandable yet comprehensive way. This three-year curriculum follows the Buddha's teachings on the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, followed by the sacred transmission of four tantras that correspond to three gradual levels of discovering the ultimate nature of the mind and phenomena. For each level, the teacher will explain the view (intellectual understanding), meditation (experiential understanding), and application (applying this understanding to change one's daily habits) of the topics according to Shravakayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
Meditations that form the core part of each level are divided into two sections: Shamatha (calm abiding) and Vipashyana (advanced insight).
The main masters who will teach the Discovering the Buddha Within curriculum are His Eminence Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and other masters including His Eminence Gyalton Rinpoche and senior khenpos of Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat.
This program is open to everyone, long term Buddhist as well as non-Buddhists willing to learn the foundation of meditation and Buddhist' universal wisdom.
《開啟內在之佛》 是一個體驗式的佛法學習課程，是作為上師金剛持尊勝的第十二世慈尊廣定大司徒巴的宏大願景之一而設置。課程目的是以簡明易懂而又全面綜合的方式來講解佛陀教法的精要。課程為期三年，依於佛陀三轉法輪的教法，而後依據四部密續之神聖傳承，其對應於開啟心與現象究竟本性的三次第。每個次第，導師將依聲聞乘、大乘和金剛乘來講解該主題的見（智識上的領悟）、修（體驗式的領悟）和行（以此領悟來改變其日常習慣）。
禪修將作為每個次第的核心，其可以分為兩個部分：奢摩他（寂止）與 毗婆舍那（勝觀）。
此課程面向所有人士，包括長期的佛教徒以及意樂學習禪修基礎與佛教普遍智慧的非佛教徒們。
《開啟內在之佛》 課程的教授師主要有尊貴的詠給明就仁波切、尊貴的賈敦仁波切及八蚌智慧林的資深堪布等。([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYVpA4GgmCg Source Accessed June 8, 2023]) +
I have been told that many lamas have come here and given extensive instructions on the preliminary practices. It seems that at this time there is a great interest in receiving teachings on the nature of the mind. I have been requested . to give such a teaching so, although I don't really know how to give these teachings, because you have requested them, I will speak in brief.<br>
First of all, I would like you to consider all sentient beings who are equal to limitless space and generate a sense of loving kindness towards all of them. Generate the wish that each and every one of them may know happiness in this life and never return to the lower realms in future lifetimes, and that gradually they may all establish the status of buddhahood. Consider that it is for this purpose that you wish to receive the teachings on the. nature of the mind. Please give rise to the purest motivation of which you are capable.<br>
In the past it was always traditional for the teacher to examine disciples and for disciples to examine the teacher. From the standpoint of the spiritual teacher, this process of examination was necessary to determine whether or not the disciples were suitable vessels to receive teachings on the nature of the mind. From the standpoint of the disciples, it was necessary to determine whether or not the teacher was qualified to truly bring benefit to the disciples. In this way, much care would be taken by both teacher and disciples to examine one another, after which a relationship would be established and the teachings would be transmitted.<br>
These days both teacher and disciple are unable to do this. If you ask whether or not I am a truly qualified teacher of dzogchen, I am not. If I were, I would be able to see into the minds of all the disciples and know exactly whether they are ready· for the teachings or not. It is only a realized being, only a buddha, who has the power to really understand the minds of others. Therefore we should consider that the teacher of dzogchen must truly be an enlightened one. In our present circumstances we can also consider, first, that the mind of all sentient beings is buddha, that all~entient beings possess the buddha nature, which is their very essence, and second, that we have all obtained the precious human rebirth. With these two things together the teachings are allowed to be transmitted and received. (Yangthang Rinpoche, ''Introduction to the Nature of Mind'', Section One: The Prerequisites, 1–2)
Karl Brunnhölzl discusses whether the teachings on buddha-nature can be considered a radical teaching. He suggests that it is indeed radical, as it fundamentally raises questions about who we are and what it means to be on the path. +
In this Dharma teaching, Daehaeng Kun Sunim (1927–2012), a Seon (Zen) master and Buddhist nun from Korea, responds to questions about the concept of Juingong (the underlying mind) from an audience member. +
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Jamgön Mipam (1846-1912) is one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of Tibet. Monk, mystic, and brilliant philosopher, he shaped the trajectory of Tibetan Buddhism's Nyingma school. This introduction provides a most concise entrée to this great luminary's life and work. The first section gives a general context for understanding Mipam's life. Part Two gives an overview of Mipam's interpretation of Buddhism, examining his major themes, and devoting particular attention to his articulation of the Buddhist conception of emptiness. Part Three presents a representative sampling of Mipam's writings. (Source: [https://www.shambhala.com/jamgon-mipam-838.html Shambhala Publications]) +
In this interview during the AAR annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, November 2018, Jamie Hubbard and Paul Swanson discuss Critical Buddhism, buddha-nature, and Buddhism in Japan, as well as many other topics. Present during the interview are José Cabezón, Alexander Gardner, Marcus Perman, and other members of the Tsadra staff. +
Root text translation of one of the Seven Treasures or seminal works composed by the illustrious illuminator of the Great Perfection doctrine, the Omniscient Longchenpa.
Not only was the unsurpassed Longchen Rabjam one of the most prolific Buddhist authors of the 14th century, he was a fully realized practitioner who relied on his own incisive knowledge to compose many unparalleled shastras or enlightened commentaries. He composed the Seven Treasures as his crowning achievement, and the ''Jewel Treasure of the Dharmadhatu'' is the pinnacle of them all. This astonishing masterpiece sets forth the structure and practice of the Great Perfection path known as ''trekcho'', cutting through to original purity. The root verses are presented in poetically rhythmic, profound, and alluring verses that have been recited from memory by distinguished Dzogchen masters of the Great Perfection lineage for centuries up to the present time.
This publication also includes Omniscient Longchenpa’s autocommentary called ''A Treasury of Citations'', which is an indispensable guide to the root verses that are woven throughout this shastra, to illuminate how they refer to the context of the ground, path, and fruition, as well as the view, meditation and conduct of this exceptional Great Perfection path. True to the title, this commentary disseminates the most crucial information by citing the original speech of Buddha Vajradhara found in the seventeen Great Perfection upadesha tantras, as well as including many quotations from the sutras, tantras, and shastras in general. In short, for trekcho and togal practitioners of the quintessential Heart Essence cycle of Atiyoga, this text clarifies the necessary stages to realize and accomplish complete enlightenment in a single lifetime, at the moment of death, in the dharmata bardo, or in a natural nirmanakaya pure realm. [https://www.berotsana.org/products/jewel-treasure-of-the-dharmadhatu-book (Source: Berotsana Publications)] +
