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The Relationship between Morality and the Body in Monastic Training according to the Śikṣāsamuccaya | Mrozik, Susanne Petra. "The Relationship between Morality and the Body in Monastic Training according to the Śikṣāsamuccaya." PhD diss., Harvard University, 1998. | Abstract Where do we locate the effects of monastic training? Are these located primarily in the interior of a person's psyche or on the exterior of the body? This thesis argues that according to the Śikṣāsamuccaya, a Sanskrit Buddhist compendium of monastic discipline, virtue is as much a feature of the body as it is an inner quality—a perception which has wide resonance in the Buddhist literature of many schools. Morality is persistently associated with the body in this text. Beings are adorned or perfumed with virtue; likewise they are disfigured by sin or reek with the stench of their immoral conduct. | Harvard University | 11 March 2021 02:10:27 | |
MindFulness in Santideva's Siksasamuccaya | Jamieson, Robert Craig. "MindFulness in Santideva's Siksasamuccaya." MA thesis, University of London (King's College), 1979. | University of London | 10 March 2021 23:58:40 | ||
Bodhicitta and Bodhisattva: A Study of the Bodhicaryāvatāra of Śāntideva | Matics, Marion L. "Bodhicitta and Bodhisattva: A Study of the Bodhicaryāvatāra of Śāntideva." PhD diss., Columbia University, 1960. | Columbia University | 10 March 2021 18:41:52 | ||
Selfhood and the Metaphysics of Altruism | Maroufkhani, Kevin Perry. "Selfhood and the Metaphysics of Altruism." PhD diss., University of Hawai'i, Manoa, 2017. | Abstract Altruistic and greater-good considerations are not only fundamental aspects of ethical maturity, but also a basic means for coming to know each other. Rational egoism (the view that practical rationality requires some form of personal pay-off for the goal-driven agent) is not so easily snubbed, nor has it fallen terribly out of fashion in the social sciences and economics. I argue that it is not a truism that altruism is less natural than egocentrism for an ordinary self. It is false. I aim to reconceive the problem that altruistic considerations seem less rational than justified, egocentric considerations. I conclude that the self can identify with subjectivity as such, and thereby advance the interests of a "we-self." While epistemically distant, the "we-self" is ontologically prior to the ego. | University of Hawai'i, Manoa | 23 February 2021 16:36:05 | |
Le commentaire de Mi-pham au chapitre IX du Bodhicaryāvatāra de Śāntideva: Échos modernes d'une controverse du XVème siècle | Arguillère, Stéphane. "Le commentaire de Mi-pham au chapitre IX du Bodhicaryāvatāra de Śāntideva: Échos modernes d'une controverse du XVème siècle." PhD diss., Université Paris-Sorbonne, 1994. | Le preśent travail comporte une version française couvrant les deux premier tiers du commentaire de 'Jam-mgon 'Ju Mi-pham rNam-rgyal rGya-mtsbo (1846-1912) au neuvième chapitre du Bodhicaryāvatāra de Śāntideva, commentaire intitulé Shes-rab kyi le'u'i tshig don go sla-bar rnam-par bshad-pa Nor-bu Ketaka. L'auteur est l'un des philosophes tibétains les plus illustres de l'époque récente, bien que son œuvre ait rencontré beaucoup d'adversité et soit encore dédaignée par certain. Mais cette célébrité serait à elle seule un motif bien futile pour nous faire consentir l'effort de le lire. Il faut donc, dans un premier temps, exposer les raison du choix de ce texte comme objet de cette recherche. (Arguillère, introduction, 1) | Université Paris-Sorbonne | 18 February 2021 00:35:34 | |
Gleichheit und Mitgefühl: Prajñākaramatis Kommentar zu Bodhicaryāvatāra VIII. 89-108 | Gruber, Hans Michael. "Gleichheit und Mitgefühl: Prajñākaramatis Kommentar zu Bodhicaryāvatāra VIII. 89-108." MA thesis, University of Hamburg, 1988. | This is Hans Michael Gruber's MA thesis from the University of Hamburg (1988) titled "Equality and Compassion: Prajñākaramati's Commentary on Bodhicaryāvatāra VIII. 89–108" (Gleichheit und Mitgefühl: Prajñākaramatis Kommentar zu Bodhicaryāvatāra VIII. 89-108). | Universität Hamburg | 12 February 2021 18:32:26 | |
Ethics in the Śikṣāsamuccaya: A Study in Mahāyāna Morality | Clayton, Barbra R. "Ethics in the Śikṣāsamuccaya: A Study in Mahāyāna Morality." PhD diss., McGill University, 2001. | Abstract This dissertation examines the ethics of Śāntideva, an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker of the seventh century CE, particularly through his work, the Śikṣāsamuccaya (Compendium of Teaching). This study therefore helps redress a significant imbalance in the scholarship on Buddhist ethics, which has up to now focused primarily on the morality of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. The dissertation incorporates both descriptive and metaethical analyses to answer three questions: What is Śāntideva's moral theory, and how does it compare with other characterizations of Buddhist ethics? Can one moral theory adequately describe Buddhist moral traditions? | McGill University | 12 February 2021 17:40:28 | |
Śāntideva and Kant: An East-West Comparative Study in Ethics | Bacrǎu, Andrei-Valentin. "Śāntideva and Kant: An East-West Comparative Study in Ethics." MA thesis, Nālandā University, 2019. | Abstract For the past few decades, Buddhism has become a trending academic topic in Western departments, in religious studies as well as philosophy. This thesis is concerned with the way in which the domain of Buddhist ethics has been discussed and is developing, particularly in the field of comparative studies. Since one of the core doctrines of Buddhism is
no-self, the "anātman", Western scholars have shied away from making positive claims over the nature of moral agency and ethical reasoning in Buddhism. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse and discuss the extent to which we can understand, contextualise and explain Buddhist ethics from the lens of Western philosophical concepts and traditions. Specifically, this thesis parallels Kant's system with Buddhism. This thesis is going to be broadly addressing some thematic aspects in the Buddhist philosophy of Śāntideva and the Mādhyamaka tradition he belongs to, as well as how Buddhist ethics he developed have emerged from the Mādhyamaka theoretical framework. The first chapter will look at the tools of reasoning Mādhyamikas use to justify their metaphysical claims of an ontological dualism, illustrated by the doctrine of conventional and ultimate truths, respectively.[1] Some of the main arguments that defend the
conventional-ultimate distinction shall be placed in a dialogue with Kantian metaphysics. Notes
| Nālandā University | 11 February 2021 23:06:53 | |
Of the Progresse of the Bodhisattva: The Bodhisattvamārga in the Śikṣāsamuccaya | Mahoney, Richard. "Of the Progresse of the Bodhisattva: The Bodhisattvamārga in the Śikṣāsamuccaya." MA thesis, University of Canterbury, 2002. | Abstract
The Buddha is credited with clearly and succinctly expounding the Buddhist path (mārga). Despite the eloquence and brevity of the Buddha's exposition, the corpus of Buddhist scriptures explaining the path is prolix.
It is asserted in this paper, then, that Ś considers the unsurpassed and perfect enlightenment of the Buddha attained by the practice of complete giving (sarvadāna ≡ sarvotsarjana) and complete giving attained by the practice of the right strivings. This conception of the way of the bohisattva is represented in Figure 7.1[5] and in more detail in Figure 7.2[6]. Notes
| University of Canterbury | 8 February 2021 20:09:05 | |
Ethics in Schopenhauer and Buddhism | Hutton, Kenneth. "Ethics in Schopenhauer and Buddhism." PhD diss., University of Glasgow, 2008. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/912/1/2009huttonphd.pdf. | Abstract In the following thesis I outline Schopenhauer’s ethics in its metaphysical context and in contrast to ethics based on egoism. I look at criticisms of Schopenhauer’s philosophy which have emerged quite recently, and some of which (if valid) would undermine Schopenhauer’s compassion-based moral theory. I have explained these criticisms and offered a defence of Schopenhauer. In order to take up Schopenhauer’s claim of affinity with Buddhist philosophy, I outline first of all early Buddhist then Mahāyāna ethics focusing on the latter’s central idea of compassion. | University of Glasgow | 15 January 2021 22:15:13 | |
Stotra, Psychological Conditioning, and the Bodhicaryāvatāra: Together with a Translation of the Bodhicittānuśaṃsapariccheda | Thomas, Paul. "Stotra, Psychological Conditioning, and the Bodhicaryāvatāra: Together with a Translation of the Bodhicittānuśaṃsapariccheda." MA thesis, Center for Buddhist Studies, Kathmandu University, 2014. | Abstract The Bodhicaryāvatāra has been studied by modern scholars from a number of angles; however, one aspect of it has been neglected: its practical use as a tool for Mahāyāna Buddhist practitioners. Buddhist literature has often been used as a tool for the process of bhāvanā ("meditation" or "cultivation"), a term which refers to a process of deliberate cultivation of specific attitudes such as renunciation or compassion. The Bodhicaryāvatāra is a typical example of such a text that is intended to be used a tool in this process. Furthermore, its first chapter, entitled the Bodhicittānuśaṃsapariccheda ("The Chapter on the Benefits of Bodhicitta"), in addition to being a tool for bhāvanā, is basically a short praise to bodhicitta and bodhisattvas. Thus it is to some extent an example of the genre of stotra ("(generally religious) praise"), which is a genre of Sanskrit literature ubiquitous in all Indian religious traditions as far back as we have documentation. In Part I I examine the way in which the genre of stotra fits into the more general use of literature as a tool of mental cultivation, with particular focus on the Bodhicittānuśaṃsapariccheda. I show that genres such as stotra are intimately linked with other less overtly ritualistic Indian religious literature in terms of their role in praxis, particularly the process of bhāvanā. I also show the way in which this relationship involves the concept of puṇya, or "merit," which figures in both the process of bhāvanā and in the genre of stotra. Part II consists of a translation of the first chapter of the only surviving commentary on the Bodhicaryāvatāra, Prajñākaramati's pañjikā. | Kathmandu University | 14 January 2021 18:45:56 | |
Virtues-Pāramitās: St. Ignatius of Loyola and Śāntideva as Companions on the Way of Life | Spiranec, Tomislav. "Virtues/Pāramitās: St. Ignatius of Loyola and Śāntideva as Companions on the Way of Life." STD diss., Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California, 2018. | Abstract This dissertation conducts a comparative study of the cultivation of the virtues in Catholic spiritual tradition and the perfections (pāramitās) in the Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions in view of the spiritual needs of contemporary Croatian young adults. The comparison is carried out through the exploration of two key texts: The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, a sixteenth-century Basque Catholic, and the founder of the Society of Jesus, and The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra) of Śāntideva, an eight-century Indian Mahāyāna monk. | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | 14 January 2021 17:54:28 | |
Santideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra | Nyanawara, U. "Santideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra." MA thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2004. | Abstract The purpose of this paper is to study 'Santideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra.' I do not explore it in detail, but rather in general. The legendary biography of Santideva is included. The role of the text, Bodhicaryavātāra, and remarks on the text, made by various scholars throughout history, are also mentioned. The meaning of bodhi or bodhisattva is clarified to some degree. The bodhicaryas, the ways of the Bodhisattvas, are explained, such as Bodhicitta, the awakening mind; Pāramitās, perfections; and Bodhisattva-bhūmis, the stages of Bodhisattva. | California State University, Long Beach | 14 January 2021 00:25:47 | |
Love in Christianity and Buddhism: A Comparative Study of Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae and Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra | Gu, Rouyan. "Love in Christianity and Buddhism: A Comparative Study of Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae and Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra." PhD diss., The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2019. | Abstract Through comparing Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae with Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra, this study makes use of the distinction between "human love" and "divine love" as a conceptual framework to study about love in Christian and Buddhist traditions. In Chapter 1, I defined the meaning of divine love and human love, dividing the latter into human love1 and human love2. The former emphasizes aspects such as desire, sentiments, and personal benefit, while the latter emphasizes aspects such as benevolence and altruism. Chapter 2 introduced the reader to the terminologies of love seen in the Summa Theologiae and the Bodhicaryāvatāra in order to highlight the different types of love found in Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism. In Chapter 3, I discussed Aquinas's fourfold categorization of love: amor, dilectio, caritas, and misericordia. And I advance an interpretation of the relationship between these different kinds of love. Chapter 4 is about Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra, its Mahayanist compassion, and altruistic spirit. I also discuss Śāntideva's view of worldly love; he emphatically promotes that practitioners abandon worldly love in order to embrace the Bodhisattva ideal of compassion. By comparing Aquinas and Śāntideva’s accounts of love, chapter 5 illustrates how Buddhism illuminates Christianity regarding the relation between divine love and human love, and, how Christianity illuminates Buddhism regarding the relation between self-love and altruism. I conclude this dissertation by drawing out some major differences regarding the relationship between divine love and human love in Christian and Buddhist traditions and the implications for interpreting their religious goals and experience. This study carries an in-depth study of love in a wider context of Christian and Buddhist traditions. Based on the methodology of “reciprocal illumination” and dialoguing with the interdisciplinary studies on love, its findings contribute to the Christian-Buddhist studies/comparison in particular and the comparative philosophy of religions in general. | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 13 January 2021 21:12:59 | |
The Self and the Suffering Other: Levinas and Śāntideva on the Ethics of Compassion | Edelglass, William. "The Self and the Suffering Other: Levinas and Śāntideva on the Ethics of Compassion." PhD diss., Emory University, 2004. https://search.proquest.com/openview/b54f906acd6c17eedd6fa816807b260d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y. | Abstract Grounded in the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Śāntideva, this thesis is an exploration of the tension between the call of the suffering other and the care for the self. I argue that the asymmetrical ethics of compassion that prioritizes the suffering of the other over the concerns of the self is at the heart of Levinas's philosophy. While defending Levinas's understanding of the asymmetrical character of ethics, I have looked elsewhere for a solution to the problematic violence of Levinasian ethical subjectivity, in which the self is perpetually guilty, traumatized by the inescapable burden of a responsibility it cannot fulfill. To address this violence towards self while maintaining the asymmetrical ethics of compassion, I have drawn on Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. Śāntideva’s account of subjectivity and ethics indicates a path of self-cultivation that develops compassionate attention to the suffering other. I have described and analyzed this path, emphasizing how it addresses the deepest needs of the self while simultaneously enabling a greater sensibility to the suffering of others and a greater capacity for the alleviation of their distress. | Emory University | 13 January 2021 19:02:36 | |
The Concept of Bodhicitta in Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra (Diss) | Brassard, Francis. "The Concept of Bodhicitta in Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra." PhD diss., McGill University, 1996. | Abstract This thesis is a contribution to the study of the interpretation of the concept of bodhicitta. This concept is a technical term of frequent occurrence in Buddhist Sanskrit literature. Within the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition, bodhicitta is closely related to the spiritual practices of the Buddhist aspirant to enlightenment. Specifically researched is Śāntideva’s use of this concept in his Bodhicaryāvatāra, a text known to have been composed around the 8th century. The form of this study is as follows: first, a survey of the various interpretations of the concept of bodhicitta suggested so far; secondly, an analysis of its possible functions in the context of the spiritual path of the aspirant to enlightenment; thirdly, a discussion of what I believe to be an appropriate understanding of bodhicitta. An argument will be made that the path to realization consists in cultivating an awareness of the reality described by the concept of bodhicitta. Such cultivation should bring one to the realization that what is described by it is indeed the only possible reality. This means that bodhicitta is the means to as well as the description of the goal to attain. | McGill University | 12 January 2021 22:48:25 | |
Accessing Tibetan Tathāgatagarbha Interpretations based on The Ratnagotravibhāga | Burchardi, Anne. "Accessing Tibetan Tathāgatagarbha Interpretations based on The Ratnagotravibhāga." Unsubmitted PhD diss., University of Copenhagen, 2001. | Abstract Buddha Nature or Tathāgatagarbha is a complex phenomenon that has been the subject of discussion in Buddhist cultures for centuries. This study presents for the first time a survey of the extent of Tibetan commentarial literature based upon the Indian Tathāgatagarbha Śāstra, the Ratnagotravibhāga, as well as a comparison of passages of Tibetan interpretations upon The Three Reasons given for the presence of Tathāgatagarbha in the Ratnagotravibhāga. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the inconsistencies regarding the dating, authorship, structure and content of this source text within the Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan traditions. Thereby the present study addresses primarily the need for an overview of the Tibetan commentarial literature upon this important Śāstra, by surveying more than forty Tibetan commentaries. This survey will facilitate contextualization of future studies of the individual commentaries. Secondarily it addresses the need for documentation and interpretation of precise concepts and arguments, by presenting line for line comparison of passages of interpretations by four different authors, Rngog Blo ldan shes rab (1059-1109), Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan (1292-1361), Rgyal tshab dar ma rin chen (1364-1432) and Mi pham phyogs las rnam rgyal (1846-1912). This comparison will trace divergent traditions of Tathāgatagarbha interpretation based on the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tibet. It becomes apparent that the main divergence in these four authors' Tathāgatagarbha exegesis hinges on their interpretation of Dharmakāya and the role it plays as the first supporting reason for the presence of Tathāgatagarbha. Where some interpret Tathāgatagarbha as being "empty", others maintain that it is "full of qualities", apparent contradictions that however, are based upon the same scriptural passages of the source text, the Ratnagotravibhāga. That the ambiguous nature of the source text accommodates such seemingly contradictory interpretations should be kept in mind when studying Tibetan interpretations so as to avoid dismissal of certain interpretations in favour of others. The aim of the present study is to provide a structural framework for accessing Tibetan Tathāgatagarbha interpretations based on the Ratnagotravibhāga that surveys their extent and documents their nature. The study may thus contribute to a broader understanding of Tibetan literature in general and of Buddha Nature interpretation in particular. | University of Copenhagen | 16 December 2020 23:27:06 | |
Thought of Buddha Nature as Depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra | Sy, Nguyen Dac. "Thought of Buddha Nature as Depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra." PhD diss., University of Delhi, 2012. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/28355. | Abstract 1. Evolution of the Buddha-nature Concept Structurally, therefore, excluding the introduction and conclusion, the thesis consists of six major chapters in accordance with the above six main themes respectively. | University of Delhi | 11 November 2020 18:33:07 | |
Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation | Kim, Young-ho. "Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation." PhD diss., McMaster University, 1985. | Abstract This dissertation provides a comprehensive study and complete translation of Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra (CSPS). This document occupies an important place in Chinese Buddhist literature. Its significance in the study of Chinese Buddhism can be described in two ways. Firstly, the CSPS was the first commentary ever written on the Lotus Sūtra, which was to become a scripture of fundamental importance on the Far Eastern Buddhist scene, especially for the later Chinese Buddhist schools. Furthermore, it was the first commentary on any Buddhist scripture that was written in Chinese and structured in fully developed commentarial form. The CSPS set a pattern in many ways for later Buddhists to follow in terms of both structure and ideology. | McMaster University | 3 September 2020 18:05:40 | |
A Socio-Historical Study of the Kingdom of Sde-dge (Derge, Kham) in the Late Nineteenth Century: Ris-med Views of Alliance and Authority | Hartley, Lauran Ruth. "A Socio-Historical Study of the Kingdom Of Sde Dge (Derge, Kham) In The Late Nineteenth Century: Ris Med Views Of Alliance And Authority." M.A. thesis, Indiana University, 1997. | This thesis seeks to broaden our understanding of religio-political alliances in Tibet beyond the more sectarian view that arises by generalizing from historical developments in Central Tibet. Specifically, I discuss the sociopolitical situation in during the 19th century in the eastern Tibetan kingdom of Sde-dge (Derge, Kham). This case study provides an example of religio-political alliance at the local level which cannot be grasped by a model that highlights a single sectarian affiliation. On the contrary, one strategy for securing rule in Sde-dge was precisely for the king NOT to maintain an exclusive relationship with one tradition, but to form close ties with monasteries of different traditions. The thesis also examines the Rgyal po'i lugs kyi bstan bcos [Treatise on how a king should rule], written by 'Ju Mi pham rgya mtsho (Mipham) for the king of Sde-dge in 1895. | Indiana University | 30 July 2020 17:46:53 | |
A Study of Yogācāric Influence on Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine as Found in Laṅkāvatārasūtra | Hsiao, Mei. "A Study of Yogācāric Influence on Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine as Found in Laṅkāvatārasūtra." PhD diss., University of Calgary, 2008. https://archive.org/details/yogacharastudyofyogacaricinfluenceontathagatagarbhadoctrineasfoundinlankavatarasutrameihsiaothe_179_w/mode/2up. | Abstract Through a close examination on three Sanskrit compounds — i.e., tathāgatanairātmyagarbha, tathāgatagarbhālayavijñāna and pariniṣpannasvabhāvas tathāgatagarbhahṛdayam — in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra, this thesis will demonstrate how the tathāgatagarbha thought in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra is significantly enriched by Yogācāric influence. | University of Calgary | 13 July 2020 15:24:45 | |
Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine according to the Gzhan Stong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga (Dissertation) | Hookham, S. K. "Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine according to the Gzhan Stong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga." PhD diss., University of Oxford, 1986. | Abstract This thesis aims to establish a comprehensible model of the gZhan stong interpretation of Tathāgatagarbha doctrine as found in the Ratnagotravibhāga, according to gZhan stong commentators such as Dol po pa (1292-1361), Mi bskyod rdo rje (1507-54), Kong Sprul (1813-1899) and living Tibetan experts on that doctrine such as the bKa' brgyud Lamas Khenpo Tsultrim and Thrangu Rimpoche. The thesis shows the contrasting versions of Tathāgatagarbha doctrine existent in the Tibetan tradition. It draws especially on Kong sprul's explanations in his introduction to his commentary on the Ratnagotravibhāga. In section 2 this introduction is translated in full with extensive footnotes. Kong sprul's view is contrasted with that of Dol po pa, who was the first to popularize the name of gZhan stong for Tathāgatagarbha doctrine in Tibet. It is the author's hope that this thesis will help not only to correct Tibetan and Western misunderstandings of Dol po pa's gZhan stong, but will contribute to establishing him in his rightful place as one of Tibet's greatest exponents of Tathāgatagarbha doctrine. Section three paraphrases the whole of the Ratnagotravibhāga and its Vyākhyā from the gZhan stong point of view. This means that Tathāgatagarbha and Dhātu are interpreted as the Absolute non-dual Jñāna. This is in contrast to the Rang stong interpretation, which is that it is mere emptiness of self-nature. Among ancillary topics discussed are the Great Madhyamaka as described in Kong sprul's Shes bya kun khyab; Absolute versus relative Cittamātra as discussed by Dol po pa in his Ri chos; and the gZhan stong view that the third Dharmacakra is Nitartha and that the Nitartha is found both in the general teachings of the Absolute Dhātu, such as the Saṅdhinirmocanasūtra, and in the specific teachings on the Tathāgatagarbha complete with the inseparable Buddha Qualities, such as the Śrīmālādevīsūtra. | Oxford University Press | 10 July 2020 19:54:04 | |
The Buddha Nature: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna (Dissertation) | Brown, Brian Edward. "The Buddha Nature: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna." PhD diss., Fordham University, 1981. | Abstract The present dissertation identifies the ontological presuppositions and the corresponding soteriological-epistemological principles that sustain and define the Mahāyāna Buddhist belief in the inherent potentiality of all animate beings to attain the supreme and perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood. More specifically, the study establishes a coherent metaphysic of Absolute Suchness (Tathatā), synthesizing the variant traditions of the Tathāgata-embryo (Tathāgatagarbha) and the Storehouse Consciousness (Ālayavijñāna). | Fordham University | 10 July 2020 17:03:19 | |
The Active Self: A Philosophical Study of the "Buddha Nature Treatise" and Other Chinese Buddhist Texts | King, Sallie B. "The Active Self: A Philosophical Study of the 'Buddha Nature Treatise' and Other Chinese Buddhist Texts." PhD diss., Temple University, 1981. | Buddha nature is the Thusness revealed by the twin
Notes
| Temple University | 8 July 2020 21:26:36 | |
Chibeto ni okeru hōshōron no juyō to tenkai | Kano, Kazuo. "Chibeto ni okeru hōshōron no juyō to tenkai" (On the Acceptance and Development of the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tibet). MA thesis, University of Kyoto, 2001. | Kyoto University | 8 July 2020 16:33:46 | ||
Sanskrit Grammatical Literature in Tibet | Verhagen, Pieter C. "Sanskrit Grammatical Literature in Tibet." PhD diss. University of Leiden, 1991. | Universiteit Leiden | 10 June 2020 06:34:25 | ||
A Study of Dharmakīrti's Pramāṇavārttika: An English Translation and Annotation of the Pramāṇavārttika Book I | Nagatomi, Masatoshi. "A Study of Dharmakīrti's Pramāṇavārttika: An English Translation and Annotation of the Pramāṇavārttika Book I." PhD diss. Harvard University, 1957. | Harvard University | 4 June 2020 06:59:34 | ||
The Ālayavijñāna in the Context of Indian Buddhist Thought: The Yogācāra Conception of an Unconscious | Waldron, William S. "The Ālayavijñāna in the Context of Indian Buddhist Thought: The Yogācāra Conception of an Unconscious." PhD diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990. | Abstract The thesis focuses on the relations between mind and karma and the continuity of life in saṃsāra based upon a concept of mind, the ālayavijñāna, as presented in the texts of Asaṅga and Vasubandhu of the Yogācāra school of Indian Buddhism, A.D. 4-5th centuries. It has been the topic of many sectarian disputes as well as the springboard for several far-reaching doctrinal developments, so it is desirable to examine it within its early Indian Buddhist context. The first section presents the multivalent viññāṇa of the Pali Canon and related concepts. It demonstrates that the major characteristics later predicated of the ālayavijñāna were present in an unsystematized but implicit form in the viññāṇa of the early discourses. The next section describes the systematic psychological analysis developed by the Abhidharma and its consequent problematics. It argues that the incongruity of Abhidharmic analysis with the older unsystematized doctrines led to major theoretical problems concerning the key concepts of kleśa and karma, to which the Sautrāntika school offered the concept of seeds (bija). The third section, based primarily upon the texts translated herein, depicts the origination and gradual development of the ālayavijñāna within the Yogācāra school from a somatic "life principle", to an explicitly unconscious mind, to its final bifurcation into an unconscious afflicted mind (kliṣṭa-manas) and a passive respository of karmic seeds, the latent loci of kleśa and karma, respectively. The last section compares the ālayavijñāna systematically with Freud's and Jung's concepts of the unconscious, concluding that their respective philosophical milieus led both traditions to conceptions of unconscious mental processes as necessary compensations for strictly intentional epistemological models. In the appendix the major texts presenting the ālayavijñāna, Chaps. V and VIII.37 of the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra, part of the Viniścaya-saṃgrahaṇī of the Yogācārabhūmi, and Ch. 1 of the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha, are translated and extensively annotated in order to contextualize the minutiae of this concept of mind with its canonical precursors and its Abhidharmic contemporaries. (Source: ProQuest) | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 2 June 2020 17:27:53 | |
Mipham Gyatso Rinpoche’s ‘Makeover’ of Hwashang Moheyan | Jitta, Yanneke J. “Mipham Gyatso Rinpoche’s ‘Makeover’ of Hwashang Moheyan". Master’s thesis, Rangjung Yeshe Institute / Kathmandu University, 2015. | Rangjung Yeshe Institute Kathmandu University | 2 June 2020 09:43:01 | ||
The Translation and Introduction to the First Two Chapters of the mDzod ’Grel mNgon pa’i rGyan by mChim ’Jam pa’i dbYangs | Coghlan, Ian. "The Translation and Introduction to the First Two Chapters of the mDzod ’Grel mNgon pa’i rGyan by mChim ’Jam pa’i dbYangs". PhD diss., La Trobe University, 2002. | La Trobe University | 1 June 2020 10:00:02 | ||
Wǒnhyo's Commentaries on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna | Park, Sung-bae. "Wǒnhyo's Commentaries on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna." PhD diss., University of California, Berkeley, 1979. | In contrast to, for example, the Christian canon and the Confucian canon, the Buddhist canon is unusually difficult to define, because the Buddhist scriptures are several thousands in nurnber.[1] One who wishes to gain knowledge of this canon cannot be asked or expected to read all or even most of them, so the Buddhist who wishes to present the essence of the teaching to others is immediately faced with the problem of having to pick a representative text to serve as introduction, survey, summary or outline to this vast body of material. This problem is compounded, especially in East Asia, by the existence of many Buddhist schools, most of them having a particular text which served as their bases.[2] For example, the T'ien-t'ai school is based on the Saddharma-paṇḍarīka-sūtra, the Hua-yen school on the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, and so on. Accordingly, to choose a representative text from the several thousand Buddhist scriptures is unavoidably to come very close to accepting some sort of sectarian perspective. Thus, those who enquire after the essence of Buddhist teaching, yet who wish at the outset to avoid sectarian affiliation, will hesitate to approach the canon. Notes
| University of California at Berkeley | 29 May 2020 22:29:42 | |
Chi-tsang's Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-lun: The Two Truths and the Buddha-Nature | Koseki, Aaron K. "Chi-tsang's Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-lun: The Two Truths and the Buddha-Nature." PhD diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1977. | As the title indicates, the present study is primarily devoted to a textual examination of the Ta-ch'eng-hsüan-lun (hereafter referred to as Hsüan-lun), a work written by the Sanlun monk Chi-tsang (549-623) to serve as an outline of the major teachings of his Three Treatises tradition.[1] The text consists of several independent essays on subjects such as the "Two Truths," "Eight Negations," "Buddha-nature," "Ekayāna," "Nirvāṇa," and "Two Knowledges."[2] From this compendium on Sanlun doctrine, the essays on the "Two Truths" and the "Buddha-nature" will primarily serve as the textual basis for this study. The objective of this dissertation is to discuss how the Sanlun theory of two truths (saṁvṛti-satya and paramārtha-satya) and the Nirvāṇa-sūtra concept of Buddha-nature (buddha-dhātu) were defined and interpreted by Chi-tsang.[3]
More specifically, this study will explore the relationship between the theory and practice of the two truths and the Buddha-nature. In these two significant components of Chi-tsang's thought, one can see the synthesis of the Prajñāpāramitā doctrine of emptiness (śūnyatā) and the Buddha-nature theory of "not-empty" (aśūnya). In combining these two major doctrinal trends of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Chi-tsang's thought is innovative and constitutes an important phase in Chinese intellectual history. (Koseki, introduction, 1) Notes
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 28 May 2020 21:35:50 | |
Yogâcāra Buddhism Transmitted or Transformed? Paramārtha (499–569) and His Chinese Interpreters | Keng, Ching. "Yogâcāra Buddhism Transmitted or Transformed? Paramārtha (499–569) and His Chinese Interpreters." PhD diss., Harvard University, 2009. | Abstract This dissertation argues that the Yogâcāra Buddhism transmitted by the Indian translator Paramârtha (Ch. Zhendi 真諦) underwent a significant transformation due to the influence of his later Chinese interpreters, a phenomenon to which previous scholars failed to paid enough attention. | Harvard University | 27 May 2020 18:52:34 | |
The Critique of Svatantra Reasoning by Candrakīrti and Tsong-kha-pa: A Study of Philosophical Proof According to Two Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka Traditions of India and Tibet | Yotsuya, Kodo. The Critique of Svatantra Reasoning by Candrakīrti and Tsong-kha-pa: A Study of Philosophical Proof According to Two Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka Traditions of India and Tibet. Tibetan and Indo-Tibetan Studies 8. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1999. | Universität Hamburg | 22 May 2020 05:08:32 | ||
A Lineage in Time: The Vicissitudes of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud from the 11th through 19th centuries | A Lineage in Time: The Vicissitudes of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud from the 11th through 19th centuries | The rNgog lineage was a religious hereditary lineage that flourished in Tibet from the 11th to the 15th century and participated in the efflorescence of several tantric transmissions that remain alive in contemporary Tibetan Buddhism. This dissertation is the history of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud religious lineage that takes root in 10th-century India, was acculturated in Tibet through the efforts of the translator Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000?-1081?) and spans the second millennium. It is also the history of the rNgog hereditary lineage, from its mythic origins, to its blossoming in the 12th century and its silent dispersion in the political transformations of 17th-century Central Tibet. Its core is a pair of twenty-five-folio narratives composed within the rNgog lineage that are at the crossroads of hagiography, genealogy and records of teachings received. Its framework are two large collections of tantric exegesis and rituals. The first, the Treasury of bKa’ brgyud Mantras, was compiled in the 19th century in order to safeguard the Mar rngog traditions and facilitate their transmission. The second one, the Compilation of rNgog Cycles, was published ten years ago but contains ancient material composed by the rNgog and their disciples. The aim of this study is to understand the history of these texts and, more broadly, the history of the rNgog and their position in the religious field of Central Tibet until the 17th century. For this, several approaches are adopted, including source criticism, textual and socio-historical analysis. | École Pratique des Hautes Études | 21 May 2020 16:05:45 | |
The Buddha Said That Buddha Said So: A Translation and Analysis of "Pūrvayogaparivarta" from the Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Sūtra | Miller, Adam Tyler. "The Buddha Said That Buddha Said So: A Translation and Analysis of "Pūrvayogaparivarta" from the Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Sūtra." MA thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2013. | University of Missouri-Columbia | 14 May 2020 02:00:46 | ||
The Akutobhayā and Early Indian Buddhism | Huntington, C. W., Jr. "The Akutobhayā and Early Indian Buddhism". PhD diss., University of Michigan, 1986. | University of Michigan | 12 May 2020 09:37:15 | ||
Toward a New Paradigm of East Asian Yogācāra Buddhism: Taehyŏn (ca. 8th Century CE), a Korean Yogācāra Monk, and His Predecessors | Lee, Sumi. "Toward a New Paradigm of East Asian Yogācāra Buddhism: Taehyŏn (ca. 8th Century CE), a Korean Yogācāra Monk, and His Predecessors." PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2014. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/74h5d0nv#main. | Abstract This dissertation seeks to locate the place of Taehyŏn 大賢(ca. 8th century CE), a Silla Korean Yogācāra monk, within the broader East Asian Buddhist tradition. My task is not confined solely to a narrow study of Taehyŏn’s thought and career, but is principally concerned with understanding the wider contours of the East Asian Yogācāra tradition itself and how these contours are reflected in Taehyŏn’s extant oeuvre. There are problems in determining Taehyŏn's doctrinal position within the traditional paradigms of East Asian Yogācāra tradition, that is, the bifurcations of Tathāgatagarbha and Yogācāra; Old and New Yogācāra; the One Vehicle and Three Vehicles; and the Dharma Nature and Dharma Characteristics schools. Taehyŏn's extant works contain doctrines drawn from across these various divides, and his doctrinal positions therefore do not precisely fit any of these traditional paradigms. In order to address this issue, this dissertation examines how these bifurcations originated and evolved over time, across the geographical expanse of the East Asian Yogācāra tradition. The chapters of the dissertation discuss in largely chronological order the theoretical problems involved in these bifurcations within Yogācāra and proposes possible resolutions to these problems, by focusing on the works of such major Buddhist exegetes as Paramārtha (499-569), Ji 基 (632-682), Wŏnhyo 元曉 (617-686), Fazang 法藏(643-712), and, finally, Taehyŏn. | University of California, Los Angeles | 8 May 2020 22:38:17 | |
The Awakening of Faith in Mahayana (Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun): A Study of the Unfolding of Sinitic Mahayana Motifs | Lai, Whalen. "The Awakening of Faith in Mahayana (Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun): A Study of the Unfolding of Sinitic Mahayana Motifs." PhD diss., Harvard University, 1975. http://www.acmuller.net/download/LaiWhalen_Awakening-of-Faith.pdf. | China, the country traditionally ruled by the Confucian literati, has prided herself in being moderate, rational and agnostic. So prevalent is this self-image, projected by her cultural elite and enhanced by Sinology itself, that to many, China is still the paradigm of la vie de la moderation, or, in Chinese, of chung-yung (the mean). Notes(As numbered in the original manuscript) | Harvard University | 8 May 2020 17:14:57 | |
The Nonduality of Nonconceptual Wisdom and Conceptual Cognition: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha Teaching in the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśa-parivarta | Shiu, Henry. "The Nonduality of Nonconceptual Wisdom and Conceptual Cognition: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha Teaching in the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśa-parivarta." PhD diss., University of Toronto, 2005. | Abstract Although the doctrine of tathāgatagarbha can be traced to the teaching of an innately pure luminous mind (prakṛtiś cittasya prabhāsvarā) in early Buddhist teachings, the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśa-parivarta (AAN) is often considered one of the earliest Buddhist scriptures that explicitly expound the teachings of the tathāgatagarbha. The central message of the AAN focuses upon the non-increase and non-decrease nature of the dharmadhātu. This brings out the idea of the dharmadhātu as a totality which transcends all dualistic notions. Translated into Chinese by Bodhiruci in 525 CE, the AAN is now extant only in Chinese translation (Taishō no. 668). Unfortunately, no serious studies have ever been conducted on this sūtra in Western scholarship. The precise relationship between the tathāgatagarbha and the two Mahāyāna traditions, Madhyamaka and Yogācāra, is also worth investigating in detail. The thesis will argue that the tathāgatagarbha is not a separate school in Indian Buddhism. It will then study the historical issues relating to the AAN, followed by a philosophical investigation of its teachings. The thesis will also undertake an "external" consideration of the doctrinal relationship between the AAN and a number of sūtras and śāstras. It will also incorporate a study of Bodhiruci (菩提流支), of the Northern Wei (北魏) dynasty, who translated the AAN into Chinese, as well as the first complete English translation of the AAN from its extant Chinese version. This study may provide an alternative view on the tathāgatagarbha theory. The thesis will argue that the tathāgatagarbha is referring to be an aspect of all experiences. This means that all beings are by nature having a dimension of the mind not fully realized, and it is yogic meditative practices that enable the practitioners to develop an awareness of the enlightenment which is always implicit in our consciousness. | University of Toronto | 8 May 2020 09:31:12 | |
A Study of the Wisdom Chapter (Prajñāpāramitā Pariccheda) of the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā of Prajñākaramati | Oldmeadow, Peter R. "A Study of the Wisdom Chapter (Prajñāpāramitā Pariccheda) of the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā of Prajñākaramati." PhD diss., Australian National University, 1994. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/110199. | Abstract This thesis is a study of the heart of Prajñākaramati's Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā: the only commentary preserved in Sanskrit on Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra, one of the most popular and influential texts in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The primary purpose of the thesis is an annotated translation of the Prajñāpāramitā Pariccheda (Wisdom Chapter) of the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā. The translation is based on Louis de La Vallée Poussin's edition of the Sanskrit text with close reference to the Tibetan a translation. The annotations present material necessary to understand Prajñākaramati's commentary both regarding the terminology he uses and the context in which he was writing. The annotations identify sources of quotations and parallel passages in other texts, and provide references to scholarly material on the subject matter treated by Prajñākaramati. While the reference point for the translation has been the Sanskrit text the Tibetan translation has been studied as an aid to the translation. Note has been made of where the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts diverge and some variant readings have been offered on this basis. There is an appendix containing an edited version of the Derge (sDe dge) and Peking editions of the Tibetan translation. A short introduction outlines the scope of the work, presents the known facts concerning Śāntideva and Prajñākaramati and their works, and discusses scholarly research done on Prajñākaramati's commentary. (Source: Australian National University) | Australian National University | 6 May 2020 16:16:44 | |
The Zen Master Dōgen’s Understanding of the Buddha-Nature in Light of the Historical Development of the Buddha-Nature Concept in India, China, and Japan | Grosnick, William. "The Zen Master Dōgen’s Understanding of the Buddha-Nature in Light of the Historical Development of the Buddha-Nature Concept in India, China, and Japan." PhD diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1979. | . . . The present study will have a twofold purpose: 1) to examine the history of the Buddha-nature concept in an attempt to discover a central core of meaning inherent in the concept, and 2) to evaluate Dōgen's view of the Buddha-nature in the light of that central core of meaning. Parts I and II of this work, which examine the doctrinal history of the Buddha-nature concept in India and China, are devoted to the former task, and Part III, which examines Dōgen's thought concerning the Buddha-nature, is devoted to the latter. It is hoped that through the examination of Dōgen's conception of the Buddha-nature in the light of the previous articulation of the concept, it will be possible to form conclusions concerning the significance of Dōgen's thought in Buddhist doctrinal history. (Grosnick, introduction, 7–8) | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 30 April 2020 11:34:14 | |
A Study of Master Yinshun’s Hermeneutics: An Interpretation of the Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine | Hurley, Scott. "A Study of Master Yinshun’s Hermeneutics: An Interpretation of the Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine." PhD diss., University of Arizona, 2001. https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/279857/azu_td_3031364_sip1_m.pdf;jsessionid=7F7C9754E7B4C951472D8BB20D5B4BBE?sequence=1. | Abstract This study is an examination of Master Yinshun's hermeneutics. It focuses especially on his interpretation of the Buddhist concept known as the tathagatagarbha, which refers to the idea that all sentient beings intrinsically possess the "womb of the Buddha." In some explanations of this teaching, the tathāgatagarbha is symbolic of the practitioner's potential for attaining enlightenment. In others, it functions as a synonym for the Ultimate and becomes the eternalistic substrate for all of existence. It is this latter view to which Yinshun takes exception, seeing it as antithetical to the doctrine of emptiness which espouses the notion that all things, including ideas, material objects, and living beings, lack a permanent and independent nature and thus cannot possess an unchanging, eternalistic form. | University of Arizona | 29 April 2020 08:54:59 | |
Affirmation in Negation: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha Theory in the Light of the Bodhisattva Practices | Chen, Shu-hui Jennifer. "Affirmation in Negation: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha Theory in the Light of the Bodhisattva Practices." PhD diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1998. | The Tathāgatagarbha theory, also known as the Buddha-nature theory, is one of the most influential Mahāyāna doctrines in the East Asian Buddhism. In 1989, it was severely criticized by some Japanese scholars, namely, Shiro Matsumoto and Noriaki Hakamaya, for being contradictory to the Buddha's teaching of non-self (anātman) and accused of being a non-Buddhist theory in disguise. The purpose of this study is to refute such an accusation and to demonstrate the relationship between this theory and the Bodhisattva practices which are the very core of the Mahāyāna Buddhism. This dissertation begins with definitions of the term "tathāgatagarbha" and some of its synonyms which are followed by a brief review of the historical development of the Tathāgatagarbha theory from India to China. With these as the background knowledge, it is easier to point out the fallacies of the two Japanese scholars' criticism on this theory. A key issue in their criticism is that they viewed the Tathāgatagarbha theory as the ātman of the Upaniṣads in disguise. It is therefore necessary to discuss not only the distinction between the ātman mentioned in the Tathāgatagarbha theory and that in the Upaniṣads but also the controversy over the issue of ātman versus anātman among the Buddhist scholars. In the discussion to clarify the issue of ātman in the Tathāgatagarbha theory, it is demonstrated that the ātman in the Tathāgatagarbha theory is not only uncontradictory to the doctrine of anātman in Buddhism but very important to the Bodhisattva practices in the Mahāyāna Buddhism. It functions as a unity for the Bodhisattvas to voluntarily return to the world of saṃsāra again and again. Furthermore, the purport of the entire theory, that all sentient beings are endowed with the essence of the Buddha, supports various Bodhisattva practices such as the aspiration to save all beings in the world, the six perfections, etc. In a word, the Tathāgatagarbha theory is an excellent representative of the soteriology of the Mahāyāna Buddhism. Included in the end of this dissertation is an annotated translation of the Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra. (Source Accessed May 26, 2020) | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 29 April 2020 05:45:56 | |
Buddhism and State in Seventeenth-Century Tibet: Cosmology and Theology in the Works of Sangyé Gyatso | MacCormack, Ian J. "Buddhism and State in Seventeenth-Century Tibet: Cosmology and Theology in the Works of Sangyé Gyatso." PhD diss., Harvard University, 2018. | This dissertation studies works of the Desi Sangyé Gyatso (1653–1705), a prolific and influential Tibetan statesman. Its main sources are texts by Sangyé Gyatso and, to a lesser extent, by the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Losang Gyatso (1617–82). The Dalai Lama was the highest authority of the Ganden Phodrang government, founded in 1642. Sangyé Gyatso was his lieutenant and took control upon the latter’s death. During his tenure as ruler, Sangyé Gyatso made major intellectual and practical contributions to this Tibetan Buddhist state. He wrote at length about the ruler’s authority and the goals of the state. His ideas developed in close conversation with Buddhist texts, concepts, and practices, leading to novel reformulations of well-traveled ideas, while also informing court practices, rituals, and architecture. Though famous as a politician, Sangyé Gyatso’s thinking about Buddhism and state has received less attention in scholarship. This project sheds light on several of his texts, both in the interest of fostering further study and to suggest alternative possibilities for thinking about religion and politics, beyond exposing the mechanisms of power. Over six chapters, this dissertation highlights three major productions of Sangyé Gyatso’s rule: a model for public speaking, a holiday to commemorate the Dalai Lama, and a new palace built in Lhasa. It argues for the direct participation of cosmological and theological discourses and their related practices in the work of situating, articulating, and realizing a Buddhist state. | Harvard University | 16 April 2020 14:03:39 | |
Demonstration of the Buddha-nature of the Insentient in Zhanran’s The Diamond Scalpel Treatise | Pap, Melinda. "Demonstration of the Buddha-Nature of the Insentient in Zhanran’s The Diamond Scalpel Treatise." PhD diss., Budapest: Eötvös Loránd University, 2011. http://doktori.btk.elte.hu/lingv/papmelinda/thesis.pdf | The theme of the dissertation is the idea of Buddha-nature of the insentient (wuqing you xing 無情有性) as presented in the most prominent work of the Tang Dynasty (618−907) Tiantai 天 台 monk, Zhanran 湛 然 (711−782), The Diamond Scalpel (Jin’gang bei 金 剛 錍 ; T46:1932) treatise. The objective of the dissertation is a new translation of The Diamond Scalpel, completed with translations from commentaries written to it, a thorough and detailed analysis and explanation of the text, including a definition of the notions and ideas presented in it, furthermore a study of the idea of Buddha-nature former to Zhanran, a definition of its role and interpretations in Chinese Buddhism, essential to understanding the treatise itself. The dissertation includes four main chapters, these are: I. Zhanran's biography; II. The idea of Buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism; III. Demonstration of the Buddha-nature of the insentient in Zhanran’s The Diamond Scalpel treatise; IV. Summary. In the first chapter Zhanran’s life is presented through a translation, comparison and analysis of the chapters dealing with Zhanran’s life from the biographies of monks written in the Song Dynasty (960−1279). Biographies besides historical data also contain several miraculous elements, thus, this first chapter also provides a glimpse into the world of Buddhist biographies. This chapter also briefly introduces the reader into the history of Tiantai school before Zhanran, therefore this is placed at the beginning of the dissertation. Because the main theme of Zhanran’s treatise is the Buddha-nature of the insentient, the translation and analysis of the text is preceded by a chapter on the idea of Buddha-nature, focusing on its apparition, evolution an interpretations in Chinese Buddhism. This chapter is divided into two major parts, the first part gives a presentation of those sūtras and treatises, which had the greatest influence on the formation of Chinese interpretations of the notion. The second part deals with those Chinese traditions and schools, thinkers and ideas, which had great impact on the formation of the Chinese Buddha-nature theory. While presenting certain writings, schools and thinkers a greater emphasis is laid on those ideas, which appear in The Diamond Scalpel, or can be proven to have influenced Zhanran’s philosophy. Thus, both the premises for Zhanran’s conclusion and the ideas to be refuted clear out. The objective of this chapter is to place Zhanran’s work in a greater context, and to determine those antecedents, that lead Zhanran towards the formulation of his ideas. The third, most important and most extensive chapter is the translation of The Diamond Scalpel, complemented with translations from commentaries written to it, detailed analysis and interpretation of the text divided into sixty separate chapters. One of the most important objectives is to grasp the main ideas, and provide this difficult text a clear and easily understandable interpretation. The fourth chapter consists of a summary of the main ideas presented in The Diamond Scalpel, and an overall analysis of the text. (Pap, "Theme and Objective of the Research," 1–3) | Eötvös Loránd University | 6 April 2020 17:28:26 | |
Entering 'the Unified Maṇḍala of All the Siddhas:' The Sādhana of Mahāmudrā and the Making of Vajrayāna Buddhist Subjects | Yonnetti, Eben Matthew. "Entering ‘the Unified Maṇḍala of All the Siddhas:’ The Sādhana of Mahāmudrā and the Making of Vajrayāna Buddhist Subjects." MA Thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2017. | University of Colorado, Boulder | 23 March 2020 17:01:08 | ||
The Liberation of Matter: Examining Jingxi Zhanran’s Philosophy of the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Beings in Tiantai Buddhism | Chen, Shuman. "The Liberation of Matter: Examining Jingxi Zhanran’s Philosophy of the Buddha-Nature of Insentient Beings in Tiantai Buddhism." PhD diss., Northwestern University, 2014. | Abstract This dissertation examines the notion that not only sentient beings but also insentient ones, e.g., flora, mountains, rivers, and manmade objects, have Buddha-nature. Employing an exegetical approach, I investigate Jingxi Zhanran’s (711-782) theory of the Buddha-nature of insentient beings. Emphasizing the all-pervasiveness of Buddha-nature and the nonduality of mind and material, he eliminates the absolute distinction between sentient and insentient beings and contends that Buddha-nature includes all beings. Additionally, insisting on the Tiantai notion of mutual inclusion, which reveals a two-way relationship between sentience and insentience, Zhanran reverses the positions of the subjective observer and the objective phenomenon, subjectifying insentient beings. In addition to examining the theoretical profundity of Zhanran’s theory, my study examines the issues of sentience versus insentience and Buddha-nature that took place before Zhanran and discusses the subsequent Tiantai concerns with the Buddha-nature of insentient beings. Through textual analysis, I reexamine the emergence of the Chinese thought that connects Buddha-nature to insentient things, initially presented by Jingying Huiyuan (523-592) and Jiaxiang Jizang (549-623). I also illustrate that the concept of the Buddha-nature of insentient beings is implied in Zhiyi’s (538-597) thought by interpreting Zhiyi’s teachings that inspired Zhanran’s advocacy. Furthermore, I analyze, on doctrinal grounds, Chinese Tiantai descendants’ endorsement of Zhanran’s theory, contrasting it with their Japanese counterparts’, the latter who found it difficult to conceptualize how insentient beings’ spiritual cultivation might occur. I ultimately argue that Zhanran, indeed, articulates the Buddhahood of insentient beings, and that the modality of their practice through the nonduality between passivity and activity, and between Buddhahood and “insentienthood” can be explained. By raising questions about the human relation to the insentient world and exploring possibilities for attaining harmony through transcending the duality between selfness and otherness, and subjectivity and objectivity, I hope to contribute to the reexamination of anthropocentric religious liberation. | Northwestern University | 16 March 2020 23:19:03 | |
The Phur pa bcu gnyis: A Scripture from the rNying ma'i rgyud 'bum | Mayer, Robert David Simon. The Phur pa bcu gnyis: A Scripture from the rNying ma'i rgyud 'bum. PhD diss., University of Leiden, 1996. | Universiteit Leiden | 5 February 2020 17:52:56 | ||
The Life of the 4th lHo rje drung, 'Bri gung tulku O rgyan nus ldan rdo rje (1849-1902) | Unterthurner, Doris. The Life of the 4th lHo rje drung, 'Bri gung tulku O rgyan nus ldan rdo rje (1849-1902). MA Thesis, University of Vienna, 2019. | This thesis offers a glimpse into the life and a partial translation of the biography or liberation story (Tib. rnam thar) of one of the greatly accomplished Buddhist masters of the nineteenth century: the treasure revealer and ris med master lHo O rgyan nus ldan rdo rje, throne holder of the ‘Bri gung bKa’ brgyud monastery lHo lung dkar dgon ‘og min thub bstan bshad sgrub gling situated among alpine meadows along the lCi river in Nang chen, Qinghai. | Universität Wien | 30 January 2020 15:11:52 |