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Edward Conze presents the premier anthology of Buddhist texts and scriptures in this stunningly ambitious collection. He traces the development of Buddhism through the ages, with translations from the original Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese. For those looking for the perfect companion to Conze’s original text, ''Buddhism'', or for those new to Buddhist theology, ''Buddhist Texts Through the Ages'' contains a thorough and comprehensive guide to the theology. This edition also includes a glossary of English and foreign terms. (Source: [http://www.philosophicallibrary.com/book/buddhist-texts-through-the-ages/ Philosophical Library]) +
The primary aim of this article is to outline the Buddhist idea of a pure, luminous mind. First, the conception of a “luminous mind” (''pabhassara citta'') from the Pāḷi Nikāyas is considered. Two functions ascribed to this idea are examined: its soteriological role, i.e. pure mind as a enlightenment-enabling factor, and its role as a “link” between consecutive ''saṃsāric'' existences. Next comes the examination of the Theravāda idea of ''bhavaṅga'', which is seen as being related to the pure mind in its diachronic function. Main part of the article deals with combining the notion of a pure mind with Mahāyāna Buddhism by showing the role of the “innate mind” (''cittaprakṛti'') in tathāgatagarbha tradition. +
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Articles/Can We Speak of Kadam Gzhan Stong? Tracing the Sources for Other-Emptiness in Early-Fourteenth-Century Tibet +
It has become the norm for scholars familiar with the self-emptiness (''rang stong'') and other-emptiness (''gzhan stong'')'"`UNIQ--ref-00000602-QINU`"' in the history of Tibetan Buddhist scholastic tradition to associate the latter doctrine with Dolpopa (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292–1361), the foremost synthesizer of the Jonang (''jo nang'') School of Tibetan Buddhism. He developed a systematic,
distinctive view of ultimate truth (''don dam bden pa''; ''paramārthasatya'') and propagated this view widely and earned much scorn for it, leading to one of the most controversial doctrinal-sectarian disputes in Tibetan Buddhist history. His explication of other-emptiness, which he equates with the ultimate truth, is deemed radical and wholly unacceptable by many of his contemporaries and later Tibetan scholars because it stands in sharp contrast to the mainstream fourteenth-century and early-fifteenth-century Tibetan interpretations of self-emptiness, the notion that all phenomena including ultimate truth do not exist inherently. The self-emptiness interpretations are based primarily on Indie sources such as the ''Prajñāpāramitāsūtras'', Nāgārjuna's (c. 200) ''Madhyamakakārikā'', and Candrakīrti's (c. 570-640) ''Madhyamakāvatāra''. In contrast, Dolpopa generally does not claim that middle wheel treatises (''’khor lo bar pa’i gzhung'') such as the ''Prajñāpāramitāsūtras'' are the fundamental sources for his presentation of an other-emptiness view. Rather, he bases his formulation of other-emptiness on tantric sources such as the ''Kālacakra'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000603-QINU`"' last wheel sūtras {'''khor lo tha ma’i mdo'') such as ''Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra'','"`UNIQ--ref-00000604-QINU`"' and Indic commentarial sources'"`UNIQ--ref-00000605-QINU`"' traditionally credited to figures such as Maitreya, Asaṅga (c. 300), and Vasubandhu (c. 300).<br> As a prominent fourteenth-century Tibetan doxographer, Dolpopa, however, does not repudiate self-emptiness per se; rather, he speaks of two types of emptiness'"`UNIQ--ref-00000606-QINU`"' that have separate referent points. For him, self-emptiness refers only to conventional phenomena such as tables, chairs, and negative defilements that do not inherently exist'"`UNIQ--ref-00000607-QINU`"' or that are empty of their own entities. Dolpopa argues that since conventional phenomena cannot withstand analysis, in that their individual entities are essentially empty or deconstructed, as the existence of their nature is thoroughly investigated, they are empty of inherent existence. Therefore, he claims that self-emptiness is not ultimate truth.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000608-QINU`"'<br> On the other hand, he passionately demonstrates that other-emptiness exists inherently and ultimately. Furthermore, it is identified with the ''tathāgata''-essence (''de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po'', ''tathāgatagarbha'' or buddha-nature (''sangs rgyas kyi rigs''; ''buddhagotra'') endowed with enlightened qualities that exists in all beings. Dolpopa argues that this form of emptiness is not empty of its own entity, since it ultimately and permanently exists. Also, ultimate truth is empty of all conventional phenomena that are antithetical to ultimately existent other-emptiness. So, while self-emptiness, which he refers to as "empty-emptiness" (''stong pa’i stong pa''), is primarily taught in the ''Prajñāpāramitāsūtras'' of the middle wheel teachings, it is not ultimate truth, as it is empty of its own entity and it is not free from conceptual thought. On the other hand, other-emptiness, which he dubs "non-empty-emptiness" (''mi stong pa’i stong pa''), while not primarily taught in the Prajñāpāramitāsūtras, is delineated in last wheel teachings of the Buddha, such as ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'', ''Śrīmālādevīsūtra'', and others to refer to the naturally enlightened buddha-nature that is empty of all conventional phenomena. This is Dolpopa’s position on the two types of emptiness and the hierarchy of Mahāyāna literature in a nutshell and much of the discourse that follows on other-emptiness in the history of Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism has its roots in Dolpopa’s doctrinal formulation of other-emptiness vis-à-vis self-emptiness.<br> While Dolpopa certainly gets the well-deserved credit for making other-emptiness "a place of fundamental importance in the expression of his philosophy"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000609-QINU`"' in Tibet, his controversial interpretation of Mahāyāna texts and the relative early availability of his writings to international scholars has perhaps led some to assume that Dolpopa’s thought is more original than it really was. Fortunately, the recent release of dozens of Kadam (''bka’ gdams'') volumes of previously unknown philosophical texts that predate Dolpopa allows us to reconsider this issue. Among the new texts that might be pertinent to a reconstruction of the early history of other-emptiness discourse in Tibet is the writing of Rinchen (''rin chen ye shes'', 13th-14th c.) in conjunction with the previously available Buton’s (''bu ston rin chen grub'', 1290-1364) ''Precious Garland of Rebuttals'' (''’phrin yig gi lan rin po che’i phreng ba'').'"`UNIQ--ref-0000060A-QINU`"' I argue that Dolpopa’s unique doctrinal views with respect to ultimate truth and their related Indie sources are found in Rinchen’s doctrinal formulation of Mahāyāna literature. Furthermore, there is a good reason to argue that Dolpopa’s unique views were directly influenced by the Kadam scholar.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000060B-QINU`"' Therefore, in this article, I analyze their points of convergence and divergence on the issues of buddha-nature, textual authority, and doxographical strategy, and suggest that Kadam influence on Dolpopa needs to be recognized more than we do in modern scholarship on Dolpopa’s works. (Wangchuk, introduction, 9–11)
The Mahāyāna has sometimes been associated with the doctrine that all sentient beings will attain complete awakening, a doctrine which is often linked to some conception of the "embryo of the Tathāgata (''tathāgatagarbha'')'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'. However, according to an alternate Mahāyāna doctrine, only some sentient beings will attain the complete awakening of a buddha — and some may even be excluded from attaining any form of awakening at all. In this paper, I will examine just such a doctrine, as it is found in an Indian Yogācāra treatise, the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' ("Ornament to the Mahāyāna Sūtras"; abbr., MSA), a Sanskrit verse-text, and its prose commentary, the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra-bhāṣya'' (MSABh),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'. Particular Tibetan and Chinese sources attribute the composition of the MSA to the bodhisattva Maitreya'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"', which gives us some indication of the importance this text was understood to have within certain traditions. Nevertheless, the authorship and date of the verse-text and its commentary are not certain; I hypothesize that the MSA/Bh may be dated to the fourth century CE (perhaps c. 350 CE)'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"'. It is my hope that an examination of such a source may contribute to the study of the various ways in which the contours of the Mahāyāna have been drawn from a doctrinal perspective. In the MSA/Bh, one way in which the limits of the Mahāyāna are defined is through the employment of the ''gotra''-theory, a theory which identifies the soteriological potentialities of individuals through reference to their spiritual "family" or "lineage." So in order to understand this text's discursive construction of the category "Mahāyāna," we must understand its concept of ''gotra''. (D'Amato, "Can All Beings Potentially Gain Awakening," 115–16) +
In this book I will outline ground, path and fruition in the hope of helping you gain some understanding about your basic nature, your own mind. This nature of mind is always present, and it can be called different names: the natural state, the basic nature, the real condition, the enlightened essence, or buddha-nature. This basic nature is what is meant by ground.<br> Path is a state of confusion which is not recognizing this ground, our basic state, to be as it is. Conceptual mind and time are both present during the path. But when your mind is pure, free of these, that is called fruition, and that is what is to be attained. To reiterate, confusion is called path. This confusion can be cleared up. There are three methods to clarify confusion: view, meditation and conduct. By means of the view, meditation and conduct we reveal what is already present. Slowly and gradually, we uncover more and more of the basic state. This process is what I will try to explain. (Tsoknyi Rinpoche, chapter 1, 20–21) +
Casey Kemp presents an overview and analysis of Jigten Gonpo’s explanation of luminosity as outlined in his text '' 'Od gsal rnam lnga gcig tu bsre ba'i man ngag'', a pith instruction on merging (''bsre ba''). +
Media/Casey Kemp: Buddha-Nature as a Path of Means: The Influence of Buddha-Nature Theory on Eleventh-Century Tibetan Tantric Instructions +
''Kemp, Casey. "Buddha-Nature as a Path of Means: The Influence of Buddha-Nature Theory on Eleventh-Century Tibetan Tantric Instructions." Old Topic, New Insights: Buddha-Nature at the Crossroads between Doctrine and Practice. The 16th IATS Conference, Prague, July 3–9, 2022. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department. Video, 18:48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr8U2HiLpEE.'' +
Books/Cataphatic Emptiness: rGyal-tshab on the Buddha-essence Theory of Asaṅga's Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā +
'''Abstract'''<br>
<br>
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.<br> 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.<br> This comparative approach will provide a broader synthetic understanding of the role that Buddha-essence played as a doctrinal genre in Tibetan intellectual history. +
As the title indicates, the present study is primarily devoted to a textual examination of the ''Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-lun'' (hereafter referred to as ''Hsüan-lun''), a work written by the Sanlun monk Chi-tsang (549-623) to serve as an outline of the major teachings of his Three Treatises tradition.[1] The text consists of several independent essays on subjects such as the "Two Truths," "Eight Negations," "Buddha-nature," "Ekayāna," "Nirvāṇa," and "Two Knowledges."[2] From this compendium on Sanlun doctrine, the essays on the "Two Truths" and the "Buddha-nature" will primarily serve as the textual basis for this study. The objective of this dissertation is to discuss how the Sanlun theory of two truths (''saṁvṛti-satya'' and ''paramārtha-satya'') and the ''Nirvāṇa-sūtra'' concept of Buddha-nature (''buddha-dhātu'') were defined and interpreted by Chi-tsang.[3]
More specifically, this study will explore the relationship between the theory and practice of the two truths and the Buddha-nature. In these two significant components of Chi-tsang's thought, one can see the synthesis of the Prajñāpāramitā doctrine of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') and the Buddha-nature theory of "not-empty" (''aśūnya''). In combining these two major doctrinal trends of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Chi-tsang's thought is innovative and constitutes an important phase in Chinese intellectual history. (Koseki, introduction, 1)<br><br>
<h5>Notes</h5>
#Biographical data on Chi-tsang can be found in the ''Hsü Kao-seng-chuan'' (T5O, 513c-515a). The material selected by Tao-hsüan explains that Chi-tsang was a third generation Chinese whose ancestors originally came from Parthia {An-hsi). Passing through what is now North Vietnam, his family eventually settled in Chin-ling {Nanching), where Chi-tsang was born. According to the biography, Chi-tsang's countenance was Central Asian, but his speech was Chinese, and he apparently never forgot his ethnic background. Many of his works are often signed, "Hu Chi-tsang," again indicating his Central Asian origins. Chi-tsang came from a family of Buddhists; his father was also a monk who took the name, Tao-liang. Two points in the biography are rather hazy. First, the biography states that Chi-tsang became a novice under Fa-lang (507–581) when he was seven. Material on Fa-lang indicates that he left Mt. She, the center of San-lun studies in the south (Chiang-nan), in 558 to reside at the Hsing-huang ssu in Chien-k'ang (Nanching). At that time, Chi-tsang was ten or eleven. Second, the biography also notes contact with Paramārtha, the Tripiṭaka-master, who arrived in China in 546. According to Kanakura Enshō, Paramārtha entered Chin-ling in 548 and immediately left the following year. Chi-tsang may have received his name from Paramārtha, but during Paramārtha's brief stay in Chin-ling, Chi-tsang_probably had not made his appearance in the world. See Kanakura Enshō, ''Sanron Gengi'' (Tokyo: Iwanami, 1941), pp. 191–92. In addition to the primary material, see, also, Ōchō Enichi, "Eon to Kichizō," ''Bukkyō Shisō-shi Ronshū'' (Tokyo: Daizō Shuppansha, 1964), pp. 433–450; Hirai Shunei, ''Chūgoku Hannya Shisō-shi Kenkyū'' (Tokyo: Shunjū-sha, 1976), pp. 346–50. For a discussion of the three Mādhyamika texts (Sanlun), translated by Kumārajīva (''Middle Treatise'', ''Twelve Topic Treatise'', and the ''Hundred Treatise'' by Āryadeva), see Richard Robinson, ''Early Mādhyamika in India and China'' (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1967), pp. 28–39.<br>
#In addition to these six essays, two additional essays have been added, a content analysis of sūtras and śāstras. The material in these sections is taken from Chi-tsang's other work, the ''Sanlun-hsüan-i''. The essay on the two truths is similar in content to an independent work on the two truths, the ''Erh-t_i-i''. Material on ''ekayāna'' is also similar to his large work on the ''Lotus Sūtra'', the ''Fa-hua-hsüan-lun''. The essay on the "Two Knowledges" draws much of its material from a large commentary on the ''Vimalakīrti-sūtra'', the ''Ching-ming~hsüan-lun''. Finally, the essays on Buddha-nature and nirvāṇa are independent works and do not overlap with his other writings. The origins of the essay on the "Eight Negations" is not clear. Ui Hakuju, for example, believes that this essay was not written by Chi-tsang. Early Sanron scholars such as Chinkai also question the authenticity of this essay (cf. ''Daijo genron mondō'', T70, 572c- 573a). Whether Chi-tsang actually wrote this essay still remains a question, and the most common answer given is that this essay was written by Chi-tsang's contemporary, Chün-cheng. Chün-cheng is the author of another Sui Sanlun work, the ''Ta-ch'eng-ssu-lun-hsüan-i''. Despite the problem of authorship, Hirai believes that the ''Hsüan-lun'' as a whole is a work written by Chi-tsang (or compiled by a disciple). The content of the essays is consistent with Chi-tsang's other works, and all the Japanese catalogs and commentators agree that it is a work written by the "Great Master of Chia-hsiang ssu," Chi-tsang's posthumous title. Ui also noted that the text was known as the ''Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-i'' or the ''Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-chang''; he also referred to a twenty chüan version of the text, but did not give his source. Again, the Japanese catalogs and commentators all agree that the text was written in five chüan. See Ui Hakuju, "Daijo genron kaidai," ''Kokuyaku Issaikyō, Shoshubu'' I (Tokyo: Daitō Shuppansha, 1965), pp. 67–73. See, also, Hirai Chūgoku Hannya, pp. 356; 378.<br>
#The Sanskrit for Buddha-nature (''buddha-dhātu'' or ''buddha-gotra'') follows Takasaki Jikidō, ''Nyoraizo Shisō no Kenkyū'' (Tokyo: Shunjūsha, 1974), p. 11. See, also, his article, "Nyoraizō-Busshō shisō," ''Kōza Bukkyō Shisō'', vol. 3 (Tokyo: Risōsha, 1975), pp. 101–133. Further, see Ogawa Ichijō, ''Nyoraizo-Busshō no Kenkyū'' (Kyoto: Buneidō, 1974), pp. 62–66.
This essay is an investigation into the concept of insentient things possessing Buddha-nature with a focus on [[Jingxi Zhanran]]’s thoughts. In the history of Chinese Buddhism, Zhanran was not the originator of such a concept; however, he was the first Tiantai thinker to advocate this idea. He strongly argues that according to the Tiantai Perfect Teaching, Buddha-nature certainly extends to insentient things, which refers to inanimate objects without a nervous system, i.e., tangible or formless nonliving existents. This essay therefore aims at revealing this intent of Zhanran by exploring his argument of insentient things’ Buddha-nature. For Zhanran, the key quality of Buddha-nature is all-pervasiveness, and thus naturally, not only animate beings but also inanimate things are imbued with Buddha-nature. According to the principle of mutual inclusion, each dharma realm includes the other nine realms. Also, because body and land are mutually identical, the bodies and lands of Buddhas are interfused with those of the dwellers in the other nine realms. Thus, the inanimate lands also have Buddhanature. Lastly, mutual inclusion reveals a two-way relationship between the sentient and the insentient, thereby giving the possibility of reversing the positions of the subjective observer and the objective phenomenon. As such, it is conducive to my conclusion that insentient things can also take up an active role on the path of Buddhahood, as Zhanran contends that they inherently possess the threefold Buddha-nature. +
Christian Charrier and Patrick Carré share insights from their new translation of 'Jam mgon Kong sprul’s commentary on the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'' into French entitled ''Traité de la Continuité suprême du Grand Véhicule''. +
Media/Christopher Jones: Defining a "Buddha-Nature Discourse": The Case of the Mahāmeghasūtra (Sprin chen po'i mdo) +
''Jones, Christopher. "Defining a 'Buddha-Nature Discourse': The Case of the ''Mahāmeghasūtra'' (''Sprin chen po'i mdo'')." Old Topic, New Insights: Buddha-Nature at the Crossroads between Doctrine and Practice. The 16th IATS Conference, Prague, July 3–9, 2022. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department. Video, 17:22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7pzXbM4-c.'' +
Christopher Jones discusses the development of the concept of buddha-nature in the first five hundred years of the Common Era. He postulates that the most likely trajectory of buddha-nature thought in India entailed a reimagining of the expression tathāgatagarbha away from its contentious "ātmavādin" origins. +
Articles/Cittaprakṛti and Ayoniśomanaskāra in the Ratnagotravibhāga: A Precedent for the Hsin-Nien Distinction of The Awakening of Faith +
The question of the authorship of the ''Ta-ch'eng chi-hsin lun'' ''The Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna'', tr. Paramārtha, hereafter referred to as the AFM), has long been a lively subject of discussion among scholars of Buddhism. Such eminent Buddhologists as Demiéville, Liebenthal, and Mochizuki (to name just a few), have debated the authenticity of the two Chinese translations of the text and discussed the possibility that the original text of the AFM might have been composed in China as part of a controversy between two branches of the ''Ti-lun'' sect.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' In recent editions of the ''Journal of the IABS'' the question of the authorship of the AFM has been raised again. In a couple of intriguing essays, Professor Whalen Lai has presented some new arguments in support of the Chinese authorship of the text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'<br>
I do not intend here to try to resolve all of the many questions involved in determining the author of the AFM (such an undertaking is well beyond the scope of a short paper), but I would like to address an argument that Professor Lai raised in the first of his articles—namely his contention that the AFM's exposition of the relationship of ''hsin'' (mind) and ''nien'' (thought, thought-moment) bears such an "unmistakable sinitic stamp" that it must have been authored in China.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' I will try to show that the AFM's central conception of an "unmoved," pure mind (''hsin'') existing as the basis of the deluded movement of thoughts (''nien'') has an important Indian precedent in the ''cittaprakṛti'' and ''ayoniśomanaskāra'' notions of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga-mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' (hereafter referred to as the RGV), a text with which the AFM's author may well have been familiar. I do not intend this as a criticism of Professor Lai's research—the parallels he finds between Chinese thought regarding ''hsin'' and ''nien'' prior to the period of the Six Dynasties and the elucidation of these notions in the AFM deserve serious attention. I simply would like to show that similar parallels—if not direct textual influences—exist between the AFM and the Indian-composed RGV, so that there is no compelling reason to conclude that the AFM theory of mind (''hsin'') and thoughts (''nien'') demonstrates Chinese authorship. (Grosnick, "''Cittaprakṛti'' and ''Ayoniśomanaskāra'' in the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''," 35–36)<br><br>
[https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/jiabs/article/view/8605/2512 Read more here . . .]
Geydak Rinpoche, who attended the full three day conference, gives an extemporaneous review of the conference on behalf of the attendees. He shares that it was his first experience of an intellectual gathering including most brilliant representatives from all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. In the past, such thing was not possible and he would have assumed that there would be only much debate, confrontation and mudslinging and not a friendly, joyful and substantive discussion, if the differing traditions came together. The event, he says, was an eye opener and an exceptional event to share and learn from the best of minds with much laughter and joy.
In India, many such events may be happening but he shares how it is in fact both wonderful and ironic that such a convention of Buddhist scholars is the first one take place in Nepal, the birth place of the Buddha himself. Such meeting of minds was long overdue and he expresses his deepest gratitude to Tsadra Foundation and Shechen monastery for organising and hosting such an august event.
The event, which he says might have taken years to plan, is also exemplary in bringing together the traditional wisdom and learning with modern methodology and tools. Abstracts, paper and presentations are easily available online making it very convenient for access. Moreover, every monastery and scholarly centre in Kathmandu and areas in the vicinity were invited and asked to send their members to benefit from the event. Thus, as a participant, he states it was a free intellectual feast which each of the participants must have enjoyed and will cherish. He prays that all the attendees make the best of such an endeavour and continue to learn from the scholarly presentations. +
Khenpo Gyurme Tshultrim presents his vote of thanks to all presenters, who represent the main institutions of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the attendees and organisers. He says that it is an honour and fortune for Shechen monastery to host such an august gathering of great significance. He recounts how Dr Lopen Karma Phuntsho first called him, then visited Shechen monastery, and how the wonderful event gradually took shape.
He expresses gratitude to the presenters, who represent the best minds of the different Buddhist traditions, for their learned presentations and the abstracts and papers, which contain many months and years of work on their part. He also conveys his thanks to the monastic centres in and around Kathmandu for taking the rare opportunity and attending the conference despite busy schedule in the holy month of Saga Dawa. Invitations have been sent to most monasteries and centres in the area, with earnest request to attend, and the response was great. He explains that it is imperative that all traditions come together, given the easy communication facilities, to discuss and share their understanding and interpretations instead of remaining secluded and antagonising each other. It is time for the Buddhist scholars to also engage in conversations with non-Buddhist schools and update our knowledge and understanding. He requests the young attendees to take extra interest and zeal in studies and grasp opportunities such as this conference, and make use of the research papers even after the conference.
He, then, expresses his gratitude to Dr Karma Phuntsho, the convenor, Eric Colombel and Andrea, who have done so much for Tibetan Buddhism through the programmes of Tsadra, Marcus Perman, the director of Tsadra, and the team including Gwen Witt-Dorring, Dawa, Migmar and Kiran who helped organise the conference. He also thanks the Shechen team for moral support and actual organisation, particularly Lopen Karma Jurme who was the focal person for the conference. He also acknowledges Koncho, the treasurer of Shechen for the help in arranging the meals.
He also makes requests that more such events are organized in the future.
The volume brings together a selection of the late author's previously published papers written in English (and one in German). Their subject matter relates by and large to the ''tathāgatagarbha'' theory or the idea of Buddhanature, which have been the main subjects of his research over the years.<br> In part 1 he has singled out those scriptures that use the term ''tathāgatagarbha'' as their principal term and identified three scriptures—''Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra'', ''Anūnatvāpurṇatvanirdeśa'', and ''Śrīmālādevīnirdeśa''—as the basis for the formation of the ''tathāgatagarbha'' theory. Next, he has placed the ''Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra'', which uses the term ''buddhadhātu'' for the first time as a synonym of ''tathāgatagarbha'', and associated scriptures in a second group, while in the third group we have the ''Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra'' and so on, in which the concept of ''tathāgatagarbha'' is identified with ''ālayavijñana'', the basic concept of the Vijñānavāda.<br> In part 2, he has dealt with the prehistory of the ''tathāgatagarbha'' theory in Mahāyāna scriptures that use terms synonymous with ''tathāgatagarbha'', such as ''gotra'' and ''dhātu'', ''tathāgatagotra'', ''tathāgatotpattisambhava'', ''āryavaṃsa'', ''buddhaputra'', ''dharmadhātu'' and ''dharmakāya'', ''cittaprakṛti'', and so on. The main points made in this work are discussed in the papers that have now been brought together in the present volume.<br> This volume has for convenience' sake been divided into seven parts according to subject matter. Part 1 presents a textual study, namely, a critical edition of chapter 6 of the ''Laṅkāvatāra''. Part 2 deals with subjects concerning scriptures such as the ''Laṅkāvatāra'', part 3 with technical terms and basic concepts of the ''tathāgatagarbha'' theory, part 4 with ''tathāgatagarbha'' doctrine in general, and part 5 with Japanese Buddhism and Buddhism in East Asia (on the basis of scriptures translated into Chinese). Part 6 presents a historical survey of Japanese scholarship on Buddhism, and part 7 consists of several book reviews. (Source: [https://www.mlbd.in/products/collected-papers-on-the-tathagatagarbha-doctrine-jikido-takasaki-9788120839441-8120839447 Motilal Banarsidass])
The issue of sinification—the manner and extent to which Buddhism and Chinese culture were transformed through their mutual encounter and dialogue—has dominated the study of Chinese Buddhism for much of the past century. Robert Sharf opens this important and far-reaching book by raising a host of historical and hermeneutical problems with the encounter paradigm and the master narrative on which it is based. ''Coming to Terms with Chinese Buddhism'' is, among other things, an extended reflection on the theoretical foundations and conceptual categories that undergird the study of medieval Chinese Buddhism.<br><br>
Sharf draws his argument in part from a meticulous historical, philological, and philosophical analysis of the ''Treasure Store Treatise'' (''Pao-tsang lun''), an eighth-century Buddho-Taoist work apocryphally attributed to the fifth-century master Seng-chao (374–414). In the process of coming to terms with this recondite text, Sharf ventures into all manner of subjects bearing on our understanding of medieval Chinese Buddhism, from the evolution of T’ang “gentry Taoism” to the pivotal role of image veneration and the problematic status of Chinese Tantra.<br><br>
The volume includes a complete annotated translation of the ''Treasure Store Treatise'', accompanied by the detailed exegesis of dozens of key terms and concepts. (Source: [https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/coming-to-terms-with-chinese-buddhism-a-reading-of-the-treasure-store-treatise/ University of Hawai'i Press]) +
This edited transcript includes a detailed presentation of the five paths (accumulation, junction, seeing, meditation, completion), the two grounds (grounds free from attachment and the Buddha grounds), and the results. +
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche explains the origins of love and compassion as the first step to love ourselves so we can love others. Recorded in Hartford, CT., May 2013. +
