Kurtis Schaeffer at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

Kurtis Schaeffer at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium - 19 of 23

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Notes from the Cave: 'Jigs med gling pa on Buddha-Nature

'Jigs med gling pa (1730-1798) was a key figure in the development of late-period Great Perfection thought in Tibet. His major philosophical work, the Treasury of Precious Qualities (Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod), was much-studied in the years after its composition in 1789. The Treasury’s presentation of Great Perfection ontology is grounded (if you will) in buddha-nature. Perhaps more interestingly, much of 'Jigs med gling pa’s debate with interlocutors about Great Perfection revolves around buddha-nature rather than Great Perfection per se. 'Jigs med gling pa was also deeply skeptical about the possibility of expressing anything of value about buddha-nature, as opposed to the value of experiencing buddha-nature for oneself in meditation. “The best commentary on buddha-nature I’ve ever seen is the one I made in my cave!” he quips. This paper portrays 'Jigs med gling pa’s antinomian approach to buddha-nature in the context of Great Perfection thought, as well as his more ephemeral bits of commentary, conversation, and opinion about buddha-nature that can be found scattered throughout his life writings and occasional pieces.

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About the video

Featuring	Kurtis Schaeffer
Creator	University of Vienna, Tsadra Foundation
Event	Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia (19 July 2019, University of Vienna, Austria)
Related Website	Buddha-Nature Project
Video Web Location	Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia
Creation Date	19 July 2019
Citation	Schaeffer, Kurtis. "Notes from the Cave: 'Jigs med gling pa on Buddha-Nature." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 37:04. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32COWVlJ38.