Jayānanda
The Tibetan literature has not preserved very much about Jayānanda. He appears to have publicly debated with Phya-pa Chos-kyi seng-ge (1109–1169) on madhyamaka subjects at Gsang-phu ne'u-thog monastery, of which the latter was abbot for eighteen years, most likely from 1152 to 1169, which resulted in a public defeat for him by that unique thinker who was one of Tibet's few, but foremost opponents of the *prāsaṇgika-madyamaka. The great Gser-mdog Paṇ-chen Śākya-mchog ldan (1428–1507) writes that he thereafter left Tibet for Mount Wutai. In this connection, it is rather curious that he also writes . . . that Jayānanda had composed the Madhayamakāvatāravṛtti in Tibet. This work was not very much studied in later times, akthough a notable exception seems to have been Tsong-kha-pa, who cites it severally in some of his major writings, and then usually in a highly critical vein, particularly in connection with its "Tibetan followers." His influence in Tibet was nonetheless not inconsiderable. Among his many disciples, we should count Rma-bya Brtson-'grus seng-ge (?–1185) who, in fact, wrote a commentary on the Tarkamudgarakārikā. So far, it seems that only his exegesis of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā has been presevered by way of a late nineteenth century Sde-dge blockprint. (Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp, "Jayānanda. A Twelfth Century Guoshi from Kashmir Among the Tangut." Central Asiatic Journal 37, no. 3/4 (1993): 188–97)
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Philosophical positions of this person
Since he equates the teachings on buddha-nature as an expedient way to teach emptiness, all beings have it because emptiness is pervasive.
Kano, K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p. 151.
Though he was a follower of Madhyamaka, he likely equates the buddha-nature teachings with Yogācāra, as he deems both to be provisional.
- Kano, K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p. 150.
- "One problem with Jayānanda’s position is that, having asserted that the Buddha-nature doctrine is provisional, he utilizes it as an authoritative teaching for establishing the single-vehicle theory, which he takes to be a definitive teaching." Kano, K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p. 152.
"...He states that Buddha-nature was taught in order to attract those who fear emptiness. Kano, K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, pp. 150-151.
Other names
- ཁ་ཆེའི་པཎྜི་ཏ་ཛཱ་ཡ་ཨ་ནནྡ་ · other names (Tibetan)
- kha che'i paN+Di ta dzA ya a nan+da · other names (Wylie)
Affiliations & relations
- rma bya byang chub brtson 'grus · student