A Greater Perfection? Scholasticism, Comparativism and Issues of Sectarian Identity in Early 20th Century Writings on rDzogs-chen (original) (raw)
Related papers
Nonsectarianism (ris med) in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Eastern Tibet: Religious Diffusion and Cross-fertilization beyond the Reach of the Central Tibetan Government, 2021
Mdo sngags Chos kyi rgya mtsho (1903–1957) was a scholar from Mgo log in Eastern Tibet who proposed a synthesis of Dge lugs and Rnying ma philosophy and practice. This chapter examines that synthesis by focusing on his Gsang sngags gsar rnying gi lta ba gcig tu sgrub pa dag snang nor bu'i me long, which claims that Dge lugs doctrine is compatible with early Rnying ma sources, especially writings by Klong chen rab 'byams (1308–1364) and Rong zom Chos kyi bzang po (1012–1088), and Phyag rdzogs gdams pa'i skor gyi brjed tho, which recommends the gradualism of lam rim while also recognising the importance of Rdzogs chen and Mahāmudrā. Such syncretism involves a notable elision of 'Ju Mi pham’s (1846–1912) transformation of Rnying ma scholasticism and represents an unusual form of nonsectarianism (ris med) quite unlike that which was advocated by Kong sprul (1813–1899) and Mkhyen brtse'i dbang po (1820–1892).
Doctoral Thesis , 2022
Acknowledgements Many individuals and institutions have supported me during the research and writing of this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes, who readily accepted me as his doctoral student and supported this project at every stage. I am also deeply indebted to Khenchen Nyima Gyaltsen of Kagyu College, Dehradun, who, through his tireless explanations, immensely helped improve my understanding of the Tibetan texts investigated in this dissertation. I further wish to express my sincere gratitude to all my teachers, colleagues, friends, and family members who have supported me in various capacities during the last few years: Dr. Jan-Ulrich Sobisch, who shared his then-unpublished study of the Nyi ma'i snang ba ("Light of the Sun") with me and read through large parts of this thesis, sharing his invaluable insights into 'Jig-rten gsum-mgon's thought; Prof. Dr. Carmen Meinert and Dr. Dylan Esler for their valuable advice during the initial stages of this project; Konchok Tenzin (Mark Riege), Könchog Yeshe Metog (Claudia Jürgens), and Khenpo Konchok Sherab of Songtsen Library, Dehradun, for scanning and sending important texts from Dehradun; Dr. Dan Martin for sharing his copy of the handwritten manuscript of the Rin byang ma; Mark Riege for sharing his recordings and preliminary translation of the 'Ong ges zhus pa; my friends Sina Joos, Chandra Ehm, and Sophia Gebauer for their company, loving support, and friendship; and last but not least my parents Kerstin Reisinger and Martin Querl as well as my partner Sonam Spitz, without whose loving care and unconditional support during all the stages of this work nothing would have been possible. Special mention must also be made of my colleagues and fellow students at the
Contribution to Tibetan Studies | 7
Red mda' ba. Buddhist Yogi-Scholar of the Fourteenth Century The Forgotten Reviver of Madhyamaka Philosophy in Tibet, 2009
Red mda’ ba gZhon nu blo gros (1348-1412) played a pivotal role in the history of Tibetan Buddhists' engagement with Indian Madhyamaka, especially with regard to Candrakirti's interpretation of Nagarjuna. The lasting impact of this historical figure on the shape of Buddhist philosophy in Tibet - and particularly that of Madhyamaka - has been highly underestimated to date. Red mda' ba was an important teacher of scholastic Buddhist philosophy to the three main founders of Tibetan dGe lugs tradition. On the basis of this biography, Red mda’ ba’s contribution to the spiritual culture of Buddhism at his time can now be analyzed. It elucidates his influence in upgrading philosophical studies and dialectics, and expanding scholastic education in the monasteries, as well as his contribution to Tsong kha pa’s foundation of the dGe lugs pa school, the lineage to which the Dalai Lamas belong. This work therefore aims to present the first detailed exposition of this crucial figure of Tibetan culture. The thesis presents a critical edition and English translation of the biography of Red mda’ ba.
Perspectives on Tibetan Culture, Ret Number 51, Juillet , 2019
This article focuses on a specific iconography of the dGe lugs pa school. This iconography is known by the name of tshogs zhing (a spiritual field for the accumulation of merits), here analyzed in its 18 th century form. The images described here are an essential tool for the religious practice prescribed by the dgGe lugs pa's bla ma mchod pa tantric literature. As an esoteric literature, the bla ma mchod pa is based on an "essential instruction" (man ngag) which gathers teachings on the main tantras of the so called niruttara classes. This paper will discuss the oldest iconography of the bla ma mchod pa tshogs zhing, directly related to the root text of the first Paṇ chen Bla ma Blo bzang Chos kyi rgyal mtshan (1567-1662). Among the many images of tshogs zhing I have analyzed 1-almost identical in the representation of this specific subject-I present here a xylograph (Fig. 2) and a thang ka (Fig. 1). The xylograph, realized in the style of the 18 th century's woodblocks of sNar thang, 2 is an uncatalogued item of the Tucci Tibetan Collection (IsIAO Library, Rome). The thang ka is property of a Tibetan private citizen living now in Bodhgaya, in the Indian state of Bihar. 3 Within the dGe lugs pa order, the bla ma mchod pa literature stems from essential tantric and esoteric instructions (man ngag) related to the guru devotion liturgies and practices prescribed by guruyoga literature. 4 In order to receive these particular man 1 Research has been done in the dGe lugs pa monasteries of Ladakh, McLeod Ganj and the Kathmandu Valley. Further sources of comparison were several catalogues on Tibetan art (see below) and the web site www.himalayanart.org. As primary sources, I also studied and translated two texts, Sangs rgyas ye shes's Bla ma mchod pa'i cho ga dngos grub kun 'byung, and Ye shes rgyal mtshan's Bla ma lha'i rnal 'byor gyi khrid dmigs kyi bsdus don snyan rgyud gter mdzod 'byed pa'i lde mig (see the bibliography for complete references). 2 A monastery located 15 km west of Shigatse, in gTsang (Central Tibet), which is famous as a printery. 3 I wish to thank the former President of IsIAO, the late Professor Gherardo Gnoli, and Mr. Thinlay Nepali for allowing me to study and show the xylograph and the thang ka presented here. 4 Bla ma mchod pa translates the Sanskrit term gurupūjā. Concerning the meaning of mchod pa, see Makransky 1996.
Based on a paper at the International Conference, Exploring Tibet’s History and Culture, 19th–21st November 2009, Delhi University and the Central University for Tibetan Studies (CUTS); extracted from “William of Ockham, etc.”, Paris 2010