Cataphatic Emptiness: rGyal-tshab on the Buddha-essence Theory of Asaṅga's Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā
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***{{i|Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas' realization of objective selflessness|44}} | ***{{i|Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas' realization of objective selflessness|44}} | ||
***{{i|Refuting the Vijñānavādin standpoint concerning emptiness|47}} | ***{{i|Refuting the Vijñānavādin standpoint concerning emptiness|47}} | ||
| − | 3. The Three Stages of Teaching according to the DIR 49 | + | **{{i|3. The Three Stages of Teaching according to the DIR|49}} |
| − | Establishing the unique vehicle 49 | + | ***{{i|Establishing the unique vehicle|49}} |
| − | As the distinctive presentation of the | + | ***{{i|As the distinctive presentation of the Prāsaṅgika-Mādhyamika viewpoint|54}} |
| − | 54 | + | **{{i|4. The ''Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra'' and the TGS|56}} |
| − | 4. The | + | **{{i|5. The TGS as Being Definitive|62}} |
| − | 5. The TGS as Being Definitive 62 | + | *{{i|Chapter 3: Critiques of Absolutism, Skepticism, and Quietism|69}} |
| − | Chapter 3: Critiques of Absolutism, Skepticism, and Quietism 69 | + | **{{i|1. Critique of Dol-po-pa's "Great Madhyamaka"|70}} |
| − | 1. Critique of Dol-po-pa's "Great Madhyamaka" 70 | + | ***{{i|Refuting Dol-po-pa's classification of the TGS|71}} |
| − | Refuting Dol-po-pa's classification of the TGS 71 | + | ***{{i|Refuting Buddha-essence as a permanent entity|72}} |
| − | Refuting Buddha-essence as a permanent entity 72 | + | ***{{i|Refuting Buddha-essence as being endowed with twofold purities|77}} |
| − | Refuting Buddha-essence as being endowed with twofold purities 77 | + | *{{i|2. Critique of the Mainstream Positions|81}} |
| − | 2. Critique of the Mainstream Positions 81 | ||
'Gos-lo's position on Buddha-essence 84 | 'Gos-lo's position on Buddha-essence 84 | ||
dGe-lugs-pa scholars' responses 89 | dGe-lugs-pa scholars' responses 89 | ||
Revision as of 16:00, 30 April 2020
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. |
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