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Theory, Practice, and Ultimate Reality in the Thought of Mipham Rinpoche

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Abstract

This thesis explores the thought of one of Tibet's preeminent scholars, 'Jam mgon 'Ju Mi pham rnam rgyal (1846-1912), focusing on one of his most important texts, the Precious Lamp of Certainty. The critical philosophical traditions of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism inculcate a developmental or gradualist interpretation of the path towards enlightenment based on philosophical study and critical reasoning. The Precious Lamp of Certainty uses critical philosophical methods to establish the viability of the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen), a philosophical and meditative oriented towards subitism or sudden enlightenment.

Citation	Pettit, John W. "Theory, Practice, and Ultimate Reality in the Thought of Mipham Rinpoche." PhD diss., Columbia University, 1998.

Table of Contents About the Book Texts Translated Quotes

• Table of Contentsi
• List of Diagrams and Tablesv
• Acknowledgementsvi
• Source Abbreviationsxii
• Annotations, Diacritics and Transcriptionxiv
• 1. Introduction1
  • 1.1 Mipham Rinpoche and the Precious Lamp of Certainty1
  • 1.2 Outline4
  • 1.3 The Precious Lamp of Certainty: Context and Significance5
    • 1.3.1 Dialectical Philosophy and the Great Perfection5
    • 1.3.2 The Lamp's Purpose9
  • 1.3.3 The Lamp's Comparative Method11

l.4 Methods and Sources ........... ............... ........................................ 12 1. 4 .1 Tibetan Language Sources ....................... ....... ........ ................ 15 1.4.2 English Language Sources ................. ........... ....... ... ................ 19 l.4.3 Digital Sources: ACIP ...... ......... ............. ...... .... ...... .... .......... . 24 l . 5 The Contributions of this Work .................... ..... ........ ............... ... 25 2. The Life and Works of Mipham Rinpoche .............. ...... ........ ..... .... 32 2.1 Accounts ofMipham's life ... ......... ...................... ......... ....... ...... .. 39 2.2 The Essential Hagiography by mKhan chen Kun bzang dpal ldan ..................... ... .................. 42 3. Indo- Tibetan Buddhism: An Overview .......................... ........ ........ 65 3. l Historical and Philosophical Dimensions of Buddhism ....... ........ 65 3.2 Hinayana and Mahayana ..... ................. ....... ... ..... .... ......... ....... ... 66 3.3 Important Teachings of Mahayana Scriptures ....... ........ ........ ....... 73 3.3. l Prajnaparam.ica ................................ ......... ....... ..... .......... ... .... . 73 3.3.2 The Sa.nJdhinirmocanaa nd the "Essence Sutras" .... ... ..... ....... . 75 3 .3 .3 Sources for Buddhist Hermeneutics .......... .......... ............... .. ... 80 3 .4 Traditions of Indian Madhyamaka ...... ......... ....... ............. .... ..... ... 84 3.4. l Origins of Prasangika and Svatantrika Madhyamaka ...... . ...... 84 3.4.2 Yogacara and the Yogacara-Madhyamaka synthesis ...... ....... .. 90 3.4 .3 Madhyamaka and Pramaoa ...................................... ............. .. 95 3.5 Vajrayana: Buddhist Tantra .... ............... ............ .......... ... ... ....... 101 3.5.1 Indian Origins .......... ....... ......... ....... ...... ........... ...... ........ .... .. 101 3.5.2 Philosophical Dimensions ofTantra ...... .... ......... ........... ....... 104 3.5 .3 Styles ofTantric Practice ......... ........... .... ............... .......... ..... 115 4. Tibetan Buddhist Traditions and the Great Perfection .... ......... ..... 119 4.1 The Yarlung Empire and the Introduction of Buddhism ..... ....... 120 4.2 Early Nyingma Teachers and Texts ....................... .................... 126 4.2.1 The Treasure Tradition ...... .. ............................. ....... ...... ....... 129

4.2.2 The Great Perfection ................. ............ ...... ............ ............. 133 4.2.2 .1 Origins .......................................... ....... .......... .......... ..... 133 4.2.2.2 The View of the Great Perfection ...... .............. ............... . 134 4.2 .2.3 The Three Classes of Great Perfection ........ ............. .. .. 137 4 .2.2.4 Great Perfection in Practice ....... ............ ............ ........ ..... 13 9 4.2.3 The Great Perfection in Comparative Philosophical Texts .... 142 4.2.3.1 Ch'an and the Great Perfection in the bSam gtan mig sgron ............................................ 143 4.2 .3.2 Other Early Doxographies ......... ............ ............. ...... ...... 147 4.3 The New Translation Period and the Nyingma Tradition ..... ...... 152 4.3.1 Rong zom PaJJ4ita ............... ....... .......... ...... ................ .... ...... 156 4.3.2 The Rise ofScholasticism ... .................... ... ...................... . 162 4.3.3 Klong chen rab 'byams ............ ........ ..... ....... ...... ........ ........... 165 4.3.4 Nyingma Monasticism and the Ecumenical Movement .... ..... 174 4.3.5 A Nyingma Philosophy? ....... ...... ........... ............................... 178 5. Philosophical Distinctions ofMipham's Thought .... ....... ............ 182 5.1 The Gelug Philosophical Tradition ................... ... ...................... 183 5.2 Theory, Practice and Ultimate Reality .... ......... .......................... 188 5.3 Valid Cognition and Philosophical Analysis ........... ................... 195 5 .4 The Philosophy of Extrinsic Emptiness ............. ............ ............ 204 5.5 Mipham's Interpretation of Extrinsic Emptiness ..... .......... ......... 211 5.6 Mipham's Position on the Talhagai.agarbh.a.. ......... . .......... ...... 220 6. The Precious Lamp of Certainty .............. .......... .... .......... ............ 229 6.1 Recapitulation of Earlier Discussions ............... ....................... .. 229 6.2 The Topics of the lamp ................ ......................... ................... 231 6.2.1 The Lamp and Tsang Khapa's Eight Great Difficult Points ... 235 6.2.2 Some Observations on Topics Five, Six and Seven .... ........... 241 6.3 View, Meditative Practice and Ultimate Reality in the Lamp ..... 245 6.3. l Anup~ and Purvapak$85: An Ove1view ......... ...... .......... 246 6.3.1.1 Essential Issues and Arguments in Topics One, Three and Four ................. ....... ............... .. 248 6.3.1.2 Go ram pa's Analysis of View and Meditation in the TSB .......... .................. ..................................... ..... 251 6.3.1.2.1 Go ram pa on the Ultimate View ............ ............. ...... 253 6.3.1.2.2 Go ram pa on Meditative Practice ... ......... ............ ..... 259 6.3 .2 Topic One: Philosophical View and Rational Negation ........ 262 6.3.2.1.1 Tsong Khapa on the Negandum and its Substratum ... 262 6.3 .2.2 Mipham's Theory of Negation ................. ..... .............. .... '267 6.3.2 .2. l Negation and the Definition of the Ultimate ....... ....... 267 6.3.2.2.2 Mipham's Analysis of Negation in the MAZL ...... ..... 272 6.3.2.2.3 Mipham's Theory of the Ultimate : Gnosis and Coalescence ....... ..... ................................ 280 6.3.3 Topics Three and Four: Tsong Khapa and .Mipham on Modal Apprehension and Analytical Reasoning ........... .... 289 6.3.3.1 Tsang Khapa on the Role of Conceptuality

in Meditation ................ ................... .............. ........... ...... 289 6 .3.3.1. l Yon tan rgya mtsho on ~fodal Apprehension and Analysis ....................... ...................................... 294 7. Ascertainment (nges pa) and Certainty (nges shes): Some Conclusions ................ .................. ................... .................. 305 7. l Mipham's Place in Tibetan Philosophy ................ ....... ...... ...... 327 8. The Translation of the Precious Lamp of Certainty ............... ....... 338 8. l Method and Style ................................. ........................ ....... ...... 338 8.2 Technical terms ......................................................................... 340 8.2.1 Proper Names ............................ ................. ......... ......... ........ 347 8.2.2 On the Use and Disuse of Sanskrit Terms ......... ........ ...... ...... 348 8.2.3 Outline of the Lamp and Khro shul 'jam rdor's Commentary . 348 Abbreviations and Bibliography ........................................... 349 8.3 Translation of The Precious Lamp of Certainty ..... .............. ...... 350 [Introduction] .................... ............................................. ............ ...... 350 [Topic One] ................ ............................................. ....... ...... ........... 352 [Topic Three} ............... ................................................... ......... ...... .. 356 [Topic Four] ........ ............. ............. ......................... ........ ............... . 360 [Topic Five] .......... ................................ ............................... ............ 367 [Topic Six] ........................ .......................... ............................... ...... 372 [Topic Seven] ...................................... .................... ........................ 380 [Conclusion] .................... .............................................. ...... ............ 39 l 9. A Critical Edition of the Precious Lamp of Certainty ............... .... 395 9. l.1 Editions Consulted ...................................... ............. ..... ....... 395 9. l.2 Abbreviations and Bibliography ...... ......................... ........... 398 9.2 A Critical Edition of the Precious Lamp of Certainty ................ 400 [Introduction]. ...... ............. ............. ......................... ............. ............ 400 [Topic One] ..................... ................... ........... ...... ...................... 403 [Topic Two] ........... ................................................. ............. ........ ... 407 [Topic Three] ...... ........ ............................................... .......... ..... ..... 412 [Topic Four] .................................. .......................... ................... ..... 418 [Topic Five] ......... ............... ..................................... .................. ...... 427 [Topic Six] ..... ............ .............................................. .............. .......... 434 [Topic Seven] ............ .............. ............................... .................. ....... 444 [Conclusion] ..................... ................................. .............................. 458 10. Stainless Light: A Commentary on the Precious Lamp of Certainty ......................... .................... .............................. ...... 462 [Topic One] .......... .............. ........................................ .............. ........ 472 [Topic Three] ...... ....... .............................................. .............. .... ...... 494 [Topic Four]. ................................ .............................................. ...... 509 [Topic Five] ................ .......................................................... ...... ..... 532 [Topic Six] ............ .................................................... ................ ....... 548 [Topic Seven]. ................................ ............................................. ..... 576 [Conclusion] ............. .......... .................. ................................ ...... .... 608 l l. The Lion's Roar of the View of Extrinsic Emptiness ................. .. 616

12. Glossary of Technical Terms in Sanskrit, Tibetan and English .... 627 13. Works Consulted .............................................................. ........ ... 645 14. Appendix: Explanatory Diagrams and Tables .............................. 667

I 5. Notes to Tables ................................................. ............................. 674

• mi pham rgya mtsho. "nges shes rin po che'i sgron me." In gsung 'bum/_mi pham rgya mtsho. TBRC W23468. 9: 73 - 126. paro, bhutan: lama ngodrup and sherab drimey, 1984-1993.

Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

prajñā - One of the key terms for wisdom or knowledge, most often having the sense of insight, transcendent knowledge, or perhaps gnosis. In some contexts it can also refer to cognition or intellectual understanding. Skt. प्रज्ञा Tib. ཤེས་རབ་ Ch. 般若