Douglas Duckworth at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium
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Douglas Duckworth at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium - 8 of 23
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Sentient Beings Within: Buddha-Nature and the Great Perfection
This paper describes the status of a sentient being in the buddha rather than how the buddha, or buddha-nature, exists in sentient beings. It focuses in particular on how buddha-nature is interpreted by Mi pham (1846-1912) in light of his tradition of the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen). The qualities of a buddha, as present or not at the time of a sentient being, is an issue closely associated with Madhyamaka debates in Tibet around “other-emptiness” (gzhan stong) and “self-emptiness” (rang stong). A position that accepts that the qualities of the buddha are primordially present, unconditioned, and thus not newly produced, is closely connected to the affirmation of an “other-emptiness” view. While Mi pham accepts this position, he also qualifies his assertion by emphasizing the way that the buddha-nature is also empty, and by making a distinction between the way things are (in which all of the buddha’s qualities are primordially present), and the way things appear (in which the qualities of a buddha are newly produced). This paper considers the way his unique treatment of buddha-nature reflects his legacy of the Great Perfection.
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Related Books and Articles
- Hookham, S.K. The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991.
- Kapstein, Matthew. "We are all gzhan stong pas: Reflections on the Reflexive Nature of Awareness: A Tibetan Madhyamaka Defence by Paul Williams." Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 7 (2000): 105–125.
- Pettit, John W, and Mi pham rgya mtsho. Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999.
- Gimello, Robert M. "Apophatic and Kataphatic Discourse in Mahāyāna: A Chinese View." Philosophy East and West 26, no. 2 (1976): 117-136.
Related Texts
- Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
- Lion's Roar, Exposition of Buddha Nature (Bde gshegs snying po'i stong thun chen mo seng ge'i nga ro)
- Lion's Roar Proclaiming Extrinsic Emptiness (Gzhan stong khas len seng ge'i nga ro)
- Vajra Essence (Gnyug sems ’od gsal ba’i don rgyal ba rig ’dzin brgyud pa’i lung bzhin brjod pa rdo rje snying po)
- Trilogy of the Innate Mind (Gnyug sems skor gsum)
- Intelligent Presence (Gnyug sems ’od gsal ba’i don la dpyad pa rdzogs pa chen po gzhi lam ’gras bu’i shan ’byed blo gros snang ba)
People Mentioned
About the video
| Featuring | Douglas Duckworth |
|---|---|
| Creator | University of Vienna, Tsadra Foundation |
| Event | Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia (17 July 2019, University of Vienna, Austria) |
| Related Website | Buddha-Nature Project |
| Video Web Location | Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia |
| Creation Date | 17 July 2019 |
| Citation | Duckworth, Douglas. "Sentient Beings Within: Buddha-Nature and the Great Perfection." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 42:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slBWdnUfS8w. |
