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ཤེས་རབ་
shes rab

Hopkins Comments ?

No direct match.
91 other match(es)

Reference Notes from other Works [i.e. Footnotes/Endnotes]


Book Author/Translator Note
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510 The three trainings (shikṣhā, bslab pa) are the training in ethical conduct (shilashikṣhā, tshul khrims kyi bslab pa), the training in samādhi (samādhishikṣhā, ting nge 'dzin gyi bslab pa), and the training in wisdom (prajñāshikṣhā, shes rab kyi bslab pa). See Chapter 6, p. 184.


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480 Prajñāpāramitā-saṃchayagāthā, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa (also known as 'Phags pa mdo sdud pa). Toh. 13.


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470 Three yānas (those of the shrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas) are discussed in such sūtras as the Eight Thousand Stanza Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra (Aṣhṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa'i mdo) and Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra, Dam pa'i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo).


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590 The great omniscient dharma lord of Jonang (Jo nang chos rje kun mkhyen chen po) is one of many ways that Jamgön Kongtrul refers to Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361). See n. 815; and Stearns 1999.


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616 Chandrakīrti (Zla ba grags pa) (sixth to seventh century) is credited in Tibet with delineating the Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka system (dbu ma thal 'gyur), which he did by clarifying the thought of Nāgārjuna's Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba shes rab) in two well-known commentaries, Lucid Words (Mūlamadhyamakavṛittiprasannapadā, dBu ma'i rtsa ba'i 'grel pa tshig gsal ba) and Entrance to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatāra, dBu ma la 'jug pa). Put very simply, in these texts he upheld the use of consequences (prasaṅga, thal 'gyur) by Buddhapālita and refuted the use of independently [verifiable] reasonings (svatantra, rang rgyud pa'i gtan tshig) as put forth by Bhāvaviveka. See Padmakara Translation Group 2002, particularly 4–5 and 20–32. On the importance of Chandrakīrti in Tibet from the fourteenth century onwards, see Vose 2005. For a summary of his influence in India, see Brunnhölzl 2004, 340–1.


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39 The three trainings (shikṣhā, bslab pa) are the training in ethical conduct (shilashikṣhā, tshul khrims kyi bslab pa), the training in samādhi (samādhishikṣhā, ting nge 'dzin gyi bslab pa), and the training in wisdom (prajñāshikṣhā, shes rab kyi bslab pa).


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180 Rongtön the Great (Rong ston chen po), also known as All-Knowing Rongtön (Rong ston shes bya kun rig) or Rongtön Sherab Gyaltsen (Rong ston shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1367–1449), was a great Sakya scholar, famous for his commentaries on the Prajñāpāramitā (perfection of wisdom) sūtras. He founded a monastery at Penpo Nalendra (Phan po na lendra) and his main students were Shākya Chokden (Shākya mchog ldan) and Gorampa (Go ram pa).


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686 There are six extant commentaries, four of which are found in the Tengyur: the Fearless Commentary (Mūlamadhyamaka-vṛitti-akutobhayā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i 'grel pa ga las 'jigs med); Buddhapālita's Buddhapālita's Commentary on the "Fundamental [Treatise on] the Middle Way" (Buddhapālita-mūlamadhyamakavṛitti, dBu ma rtsa ba'i 'grel pa Buddhapālita); Bhāvaviveka's Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñapradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma); and Chandrakīrti's Lucid Words (Prasannapadā, Tshig gsal). Two are preserved in Chinese: Chung-lun by the Indian master known as Ch'ing-mu and Ta-sheng chungkuan shih-lun by Sthiramati.
The earliest commentary on Nāgārjuna's work by a commonly accepted known author is Buddhapālita's Buddhapālita's Commentary on the "Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way." The Fearless Commentary (Akutobhayā) is the earliest known commentary, but the traditional attribution of authorship to Nāgārjuna is not accepted by followers of Tsongkhapa, by many in the Sakya tradition, and by some modern scholars.
There is mention of other (no longer extant) commentaries by Yogāchāra masters (indicating the importance of Nāgārjuna's work for them): Guṇamati, Dharmapāla, and his student Devasharman. See Huntington 1986; Ruegg 1981, 47–9, 48n120; Tillemans 1990, 57–8n123; and Brunnhölzl 2004, 905n948.


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592 The Collection of Reasonings (rigs tshogs) are (1) Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab); (2) Rebuttal of Objections (Vigrahavyāvartanīkārikā, rTsod pa bzlog pa'i tshig le'ur byas pa); (3) Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shūnyatāsaptati, sTong nyid bdun cu pa); (4) Sixty Verses on Reasoning (Yuktiṣhaṣhṭikā, Rigs pa drug cu ba); and (5) Thorough Grinding (Vaidalya-sūtra, Zhib mo rnam 'thag). Note that rig tshogs should be rigs tshogs (TOK, II:508.20).


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694 Bhāvaviveka (Legs ldan 'byed pa) (sixth century) was the Mādhyamika master retrospectively considered to be the originator of the Svātantrika-Madhyamaka school, said to have been the abbot of fifty monasteries in the region of Dhānyakaṭa, in South India. He excelled in debate and was the first to use the dialectical methods developed by Dignāga in a Madhyamaka context, which are found in his Lamp of Wisdom. He is also considered the first to make the distinction between a "nominal ultimate" (paryāyaparamārtha, rnam grangs pa'i don dam) and "non-nominal ultimate" (aparyāyaparamārtha, rnam grangs ma yin pa'i don dam), as found in his Summary of the Meaning of the Middle Way (Madhyamakārthasaṃgraha, dBu ma'i don bsdus pa).
Bhāvaviveka criticizes the view of the three natures in Chapter 25 of his Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma). His Heart of the Middle Way (with its auto-commentary, Blaze of Reasoning) is noted for its refutation of Yogāchāra (fifth chapter) and for being the first Buddhist compendium of both Buddhist and non- Buddhist Indian philosophical systems (it may be the first of this type of text in all of Indian philosophical writing). His works are only preserved in Tibetan translation. See Eckel 1992, 2–15; and Ruegg 1981, 61–7. For information on the form of his name and authorship of texts, see also nn. 614 and 628.


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608 Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab ces bya ba, by Nāgārjuna. Chapter 25, verse 3. Toh. 3824, f. 16a6–7. See Garfield 1995, 73 and 323–4; and Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso 2003, 164–5.


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744 Tak-tsang Lotsāwa (sTag tshang lo tsā ba Shes rab rin chen) (b. 1405) was a famous scholar of the Sakya tradition who is well known for his vigorous refutation of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk tradition.


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16 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361): see Chapter 11, nn. 815 and 812; and Stearns 1999.


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522 Yogāchāras (rNal 'byor spyod pa, Yoga Practitioners). Early uses of this term designated Buddhist practitioners in general, but it later came to be associated with the works attributed to Maitreya, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu, possibly having been derived from the title of Asaṅga's Yogāchārabhūmi (rNal 'byor spyod pa'i sa, Bhūmis of Yogic Practice). The first, or at least an early, use of "Yogāchāra" as referring to a school of thought is found in Bhāvaviveka's Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma), and his Heart of the Middle Way (Madhyamakahṛidayakārikā, dBu ma'i snying po'i tshig le'ur byas pa) and its auto-commentary, Blaze of Reasoning (Tarkajvālā, rTog ge 'bar ba). This became the most common term in India for followers of the thought of Maitreya, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu, followed by "Proponents of Consciousness" (Vijñānavādin, rNam shes smra ba). See Hanson 1998, 3–11; and Davidson 1985, 51.


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53 Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab ces bya ba.


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811 Tsen Kawoché (bTsan kha bo che) (b. 1021) was a translator who studied the five Dharma Treatises of Maitreya with the Kashmiri paṇḍita Sajjana (or Sañjana). According to Jamgön Kongtrul's Irrepressible Lion's Roar (8–10), Maitrīpa recovered the Highest Continuum and Differentiation of Phenomena and Their Nature and transmitted all five treatises to the paṇḍita Ānandakīrti, who taught them to the Kashmiri paṇḍita Sajjana. When Tsen Kawoché received these teachings from Sajjana, Zu Gawé Dorjé served as the translator. The line of transmission that ensued from Tsen Kawoché and Zu Gawé Dorjé is known as "the meditative tradition of Maitreya's Dharma Treatises," and is differentiated from the line of transmission that passed from the paṇḍita Sajjana to Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab (rNgog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab), known as "the tradition of hearing and reflection." The Kagyu and Nyingma traditions have relied more on the meditative tradition of Tsen Kawoché and Zu Gawé Dorjé, whereas the exegetical tradition of Ngok Lotsāwa has been maintained in the Geluk system.
Some of Tsen Kawoché's teachings were preserved by the Jonang master Kunga Drolchok (Kun dga' grol mchog) (1507–1566) in his Instructions on the Shentong View (gZhan stong gi lta khrid). Stearns (1999, 88) says, "Tsen Kawoché . . . is often thought to be the first Tibetan to have taught what later came to be known as the Zhentong view." See Stearns 1999, 42–3 and 88–9; and Roerich 1949, 347–8.


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67 Bhāvaviveka criticizes the view of the three natures in Chapter 25 of his Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma), and replies to the Yogāchāra (as represented by Guṇamati and Dharmapāla) in Chapters 5 of his Heart of the Middle Way and Blaze of Reasoning. See Eckel 1985; and Brunnhölzl 2004, 492–3.


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471 Mikyö Dorjé (Mi bskyod rdo rje) (1507–1554), the eighth Karmapa, was renowned as a scholar. He wrote four of the five great treatises on the Sūtrayāna studied in the Karma Kagyu tradition: (1) Chariot of the Dakpo Kagyu Siddhas: A Commentary on the "Entrance to the Middle Way" (dBu ma la 'jug pa'i rnam bshad dpal ldan dus gsum mkhyen pa'i zhal lung dvags brgyud sgrub pa'i shing rta); (2) Repose of the Noble Ones: A Commentary on the "Ornament of Clear Realization" (Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa'i rgyan gyi 'grel pa rje btsun ngal gso); (3) Bestowing the Fulfillment of Accomplishment and Happiness: A Commentary on the "Treasury of Abhidharma" (Chos mngon pa mdzod kyi 'grel pa grub bde'i dpyid 'jo); and (4) Disk of the Sun: A Detailed Commentary on the "Root Vinaya Sūtra" ('Dul ba mdo rtsa ba'i rgya cher 'grel pa nyi ma'i dkyil 'khor).


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617 The division of Mādhyamikas into Those Who Logically Establish Illusion (sGyu ma rigs grub pa) and Proponents of Complete Nonabiding (Rab tu mi gnas par smra ba) on the basis of their assertions concerning the ultimate is a subject of much discussion in Tibet. Some, such as Tak-tsang Lotsāwa (sTag tshang lo tsā ba), equate the first with Svātantrikas and the latter with Prāsaṅgikas (see Phuntsho 2005, 239n38). Others, such as Ngok Loden Sherab (rNgog blo ldan shes rab) and Do-drup Damchö (rDo grub dam chos), reject the classification altogether (see Iaroslav 2000, 50; Phuntsho 2005, 238n38; and Ruegg 2000, 33n60). Tsongkhapa concurs with Ngok Loden Sherab on the unsuitability of these divisions in relation to ultimate reality, calling them "not a good approach." For Tsongkhapa's explanation, see The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Cutler and Newman 2002, 115–6. (There is, however, controversy concerning the exact meaning of Tsongkhapa's statement; see Hopkins 2003, 800na.) For Ke-drup Jé's views, see Cabezón 1992, 89—90.
Longchen Rabjam in his Precious Treasury of the Supreme Yāna (Theg pa'i mchog rin po che'i mdzod) applies both subcategories to Svātantrikas. He states that "Those Who Logically Establish Illusion" (sgyu ma rigs grub tu 'dod pa) is one of many names used for the lower Svātantrika (rang rgyud 'og ma), and "[Proponents of] Complete Nonabiding" is one of many names used for the higher Svātantrika (rang rgyud gong ma). For Shākya Chokden's comments on these divisions, see Iaroslav 2000, 84n197.
It seems that in Tibet the terms used here, "Those Who Logically Establish Illusion" and "Proponents of Complete Nonabiding," are used interchangeably with "Proponents of Illusionlike Nonduality" (Māyopamādvayavādin, sGyu ma ltar gnyis med du smra ba) and "Proponents of the Complete Nonabiding of All Phenomena" (Sarvadharmāpratiṣhṭhānavādin, Chos thams cad rab tu mi gnas par smra ba), which Jamgön Kongtrul lists separately. See Cabezón 2003, 307n2.


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521 Aṣhṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa'i mdo. (Toh. 12; ACIP KD0012.) This quotation is not found in this text, but it does appear in the Descent into Laṅkā Sūtra and the Sūtra on the Ten Bhūmis (Dashabhūmikasūtra, Sa bcu pa'i mdo).


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251 The translation follows PKTC reading shes rab kyis nyon sgrib; TOK, II:460.19 has shes rab kyi nyon sgrib. PKTC accords with the Compendium of Abhidharma (Dg.T. Beijing 76:229): shes rab kyis rnam par grol ba'i dgra bcom pa.


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677 Madhyamakaprajñāvatāra, dBu ma shes rab la 'jug pa, by Chandrakīrti, verse 1. Toh. 3863; Dg.T. Beijing 60:929. The colophon of this text states that it was written by the great master Chandrakīrti and translated by the author himself and the lotsāwa Gö-khukpa Lha-tsé ( 'Gos khug pa lha btsas), who lived in the eleventh century. The author of this text was the eleventh-century Chandrakīrti, known in the Tibetan tradition as "the lesser Chandrakīrti," who was a disciple of Jetāri (ca. eleventh century), one of the teachers of Atīsha. (He is sometimes referred to by Western scholars as Chandrakīrti III; see Vose 2005, 39–40.)


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332 Five faculties (dbang po lnga): faculty of faith (dad pa'i dbang po); faculty of exertion (brtson 'grus kyi dbang po); faculty of mindfulness (dran pa'i dbang po); faculty of samādhi (ting nge 'dzin gyi dbang po); and faculty of wisdom (shes rab kyi dbang po). See Pruden 1988, 157.


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98 Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab (rNgog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab) (1059–1109).


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630 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361), is considered to be the first to widely employ the terms Rangtong (Intrinsic Emptiness, Empty-of-Self, or Self-Empty) (Rang stong) and Shentong (Extrinsic Emptiness, Empty-of-Other, Other-Emptiness) (gZhan stong). See also n. 815.
Jamgön Kongtrul's statements are similar to those made by Tāranātha in his Essence of Shentong (gZhan stong snying po): "There are two [kinds] of Mādhyamikas: ordinary Mādhyamikas and great Mādhyamikas. The ordinary [Madhyamaka] is known in this land of Tibet as Rangtong and [its followers] are known in both India and Tibet as Proponents of the Absence of a Nature . . . Great Madhyamaka is known in Tibet as Shentong, and is the Vijñapti-Madhyamaka (Madhyamaka of [the Proponents of] Cognition)" ([178.3:] dbu ma pa la dbu ma phal pa dang/ dbu ma chen po gnyis kyi phal po ni bod yul 'dir rang stong du grags shing rgya bod gnyis kar du ngo bo nyid med par smra ba zhes grags pa ste/... [179.5:] gnyis pa dbu ma chen po ni/ bod du gzhan stong du grags pa rnam rig gi dbu ma ste). See Hopkins 2007, 55 and 62.


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815 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361) is generally considered to be the first to use the terms "Shentong" (gzhan stong) and "Rangtong" (rang stong) extensively. For an excellent overview of Dolpopa's proclamation of Shentong as the highest expression of the Madhyamaka view, see Stearns 1999, 45–55.
For a survey of the Shentong tradition in Tibet, see Stearns 1999, 41–77; for use of the term "Shentong" prior to Dolpopa, see Stearns 1999, 42–5 and 50–1. See also Kapstein 1992a, 23–4; Kapstein 2000a, 106–19; Mathes 2004, 285–328; and Hopkins 2006.


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701 Buddhajñānapāda ([Sang rgyas] Ye shes zhabs) (ca. thirteenth century) was invited to Tibet in 1200. He wrote a Madhyamaka text, Entering the Victor's Path (Jinamārgāvatāra, rGyal ba'i lam la 'jug pa), and a commentary on the Abhisamālaṃkāra, The Garlands of Wisdom Lamps (Prajñāpradīpāvalī, Shes rab sgron ma'i 'phreng ba). See Ruegg 1981, 117.


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279 The three types of unconditioned phenomena (asaṃskṛita, 'dus ma byas) are space (ākāsha, nam mkha '), analytical cessations (pratisaṃkhyānirodha, so sor brtags pas 'gog pa), and nonanalytical cessations (apratisaṃkhyānirodha, so sor brtags pa ma yin pa'i 'gog pa). Analytical cessations, or cessations resulting from knowledge, are the state of freedom from defiled phenomena, that is, mental afflictions. This cessation is attained through the power of the analysis of, or the wisdom (prajñā, shes rab) engaging, the four truths of noble ones. Nonanalytical cessations, or cessations not resulting from knowledge, are temporary absences of mental afflictions owing to the incompleteness of the necessary conditions. For example, when one concentrates intently on a specific task, one does not feel tired, but feelings of tiredness will return. See Pruden 1988, 59; and Hopkins 1983, 218.


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457 This and the following quotations are found in Haribhadra's [Revised Edition of the] "Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in Twenty-five Thousand Lines" (Pañchaviṃshatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Shes rab kyi pha rol ru phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa). Toh. 3790; Dg.T. Beijing 50:827–8.


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510 The three trainings (shikṣhā, bslab pa) are the training in ethical conduct (shilashikṣhā, tshul khrims kyi bslab pa), the training in samādhi (samādhishikṣhā, ting nge 'dzin gyi bslab pa), and the training in wisdom (prajñāshikṣhā, shes rab kyi bslab pa). See Chapter 6, p. 184.


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480 Prajñāpāramitā-saṃchayagāthā, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa (also known as 'Phags pa mdo sdud pa). Toh. 13.


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470 Three yānas (those of the shrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas) are discussed in such sūtras as the Eight Thousand Stanza Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra (Aṣhṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa'i mdo) and Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra, Dam pa'i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo).


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590 The great omniscient dharma lord of Jonang (Jo nang chos rje kun mkhyen chen po) is one of many ways that Jamgön Kongtrul refers to Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361). See n. 815; and Stearns 1999.


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616 Chandrakīrti (Zla ba grags pa) (sixth to seventh century) is credited in Tibet with delineating the Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka system (dbu ma thal 'gyur), which he did by clarifying the thought of Nāgārjuna's Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba shes rab) in two well-known commentaries, Lucid Words (Mūlamadhyamakavṛittiprasannapadā, dBu ma'i rtsa ba'i 'grel pa tshig gsal ba) and Entrance to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatāra, dBu ma la 'jug pa). Put very simply, in these texts he upheld the use of consequences (prasaṅga, thal 'gyur) by Buddhapālita and refuted the use of independently [verifiable] reasonings (svatantra, rang rgyud pa'i gtan tshig) as put forth by Bhāvaviveka. See Padmakara Translation Group 2002, particularly 4–5 and 20–32. On the importance of Chandrakīrti in Tibet from the fourteenth century onwards, see Vose 2005. For a summary of his influence in India, see Brunnhölzl 2004, 340–1.


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39 The three trainings (shikṣhā, bslab pa) are the training in ethical conduct (shilashikṣhā, tshul khrims kyi bslab pa), the training in samādhi (samādhishikṣhā, ting nge 'dzin gyi bslab pa), and the training in wisdom (prajñāshikṣhā, shes rab kyi bslab pa).


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180 Rongtön the Great (Rong ston chen po), also known as All-Knowing Rongtön (Rong ston shes bya kun rig) or Rongtön Sherab Gyaltsen (Rong ston shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1367–1449), was a great Sakya scholar, famous for his commentaries on the Prajñāpāramitā (perfection of wisdom) sūtras. He founded a monastery at Penpo Nalendra (Phan po na lendra) and his main students were Shākya Chokden (Shākya mchog ldan) and Gorampa (Go ram pa).


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686 There are six extant commentaries, four of which are found in the Tengyur: the Fearless Commentary (Mūlamadhyamaka-vṛitti-akutobhayā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i 'grel pa ga las 'jigs med); Buddhapālita's Buddhapālita's Commentary on the "Fundamental [Treatise on] the Middle Way" (Buddhapālita-mūlamadhyamakavṛitti, dBu ma rtsa ba'i 'grel pa Buddhapālita); Bhāvaviveka's Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñapradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma); and Chandrakīrti's Lucid Words (Prasannapadā, Tshig gsal). Two are preserved in Chinese: Chung-lun by the Indian master known as Ch'ing-mu and Ta-sheng chungkuan shih-lun by Sthiramati.
The earliest commentary on Nāgārjuna's work by a commonly accepted known author is Buddhapālita's Buddhapālita's Commentary on the "Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way." The Fearless Commentary (Akutobhayā) is the earliest known commentary, but the traditional attribution of authorship to Nāgārjuna is not accepted by followers of Tsongkhapa, by many in the Sakya tradition, and by some modern scholars.
There is mention of other (no longer extant) commentaries by Yogāchāra masters (indicating the importance of Nāgārjuna's work for them): Guṇamati, Dharmapāla, and his student Devasharman. See Huntington 1986; Ruegg 1981, 47–9, 48n120; Tillemans 1990, 57–8n123; and Brunnhölzl 2004, 905n948.


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592 The Collection of Reasonings (rigs tshogs) are (1) Fundamental Treatise on the Middle Way (Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab); (2) Rebuttal of Objections (Vigrahavyāvartanīkārikā, rTsod pa bzlog pa'i tshig le'ur byas pa); (3) Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shūnyatāsaptati, sTong nyid bdun cu pa); (4) Sixty Verses on Reasoning (Yuktiṣhaṣhṭikā, Rigs pa drug cu ba); and (5) Thorough Grinding (Vaidalya-sūtra, Zhib mo rnam 'thag). Note that rig tshogs should be rigs tshogs (TOK, II:508.20).


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694 Bhāvaviveka (Legs ldan 'byed pa) (sixth century) was the Mādhyamika master retrospectively considered to be the originator of the Svātantrika-Madhyamaka school, said to have been the abbot of fifty monasteries in the region of Dhānyakaṭa, in South India. He excelled in debate and was the first to use the dialectical methods developed by Dignāga in a Madhyamaka context, which are found in his Lamp of Wisdom. He is also considered the first to make the distinction between a "nominal ultimate" (paryāyaparamārtha, rnam grangs pa'i don dam) and "non-nominal ultimate" (aparyāyaparamārtha, rnam grangs ma yin pa'i don dam), as found in his Summary of the Meaning of the Middle Way (Madhyamakārthasaṃgraha, dBu ma'i don bsdus pa).
Bhāvaviveka criticizes the view of the three natures in Chapter 25 of his Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma). His Heart of the Middle Way (with its auto-commentary, Blaze of Reasoning) is noted for its refutation of Yogāchāra (fifth chapter) and for being the first Buddhist compendium of both Buddhist and non- Buddhist Indian philosophical systems (it may be the first of this type of text in all of Indian philosophical writing). His works are only preserved in Tibetan translation. See Eckel 1992, 2–15; and Ruegg 1981, 61–7. For information on the form of his name and authorship of texts, see also nn. 614 and 628.


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608 Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab ces bya ba, by Nāgārjuna. Chapter 25, verse 3. Toh. 3824, f. 16a6–7. See Garfield 1995, 73 and 323–4; and Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso 2003, 164–5.


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744 Tak-tsang Lotsāwa (sTag tshang lo tsā ba Shes rab rin chen) (b. 1405) was a famous scholar of the Sakya tradition who is well known for his vigorous refutation of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk tradition.


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16 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361): see Chapter 11, nn. 815 and 812; and Stearns 1999.


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522 Yogāchāras (rNal 'byor spyod pa, Yoga Practitioners). Early uses of this term designated Buddhist practitioners in general, but it later came to be associated with the works attributed to Maitreya, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu, possibly having been derived from the title of Asaṅga's Yogāchārabhūmi (rNal 'byor spyod pa'i sa, Bhūmis of Yogic Practice). The first, or at least an early, use of "Yogāchāra" as referring to a school of thought is found in Bhāvaviveka's Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma), and his Heart of the Middle Way (Madhyamakahṛidayakārikā, dBu ma'i snying po'i tshig le'ur byas pa) and its auto-commentary, Blaze of Reasoning (Tarkajvālā, rTog ge 'bar ba). This became the most common term in India for followers of the thought of Maitreya, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu, followed by "Proponents of Consciousness" (Vijñānavādin, rNam shes smra ba). See Hanson 1998, 3–11; and Davidson 1985, 51.


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53 Prajñā-nāma-mūlamadhyamakakārikā, dBu ma rtsa ba'i tshig le'ur byas pa shes rab ces bya ba.


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811 Tsen Kawoché (bTsan kha bo che) (b. 1021) was a translator who studied the five Dharma Treatises of Maitreya with the Kashmiri paṇḍita Sajjana (or Sañjana). According to Jamgön Kongtrul's Irrepressible Lion's Roar (8–10), Maitrīpa recovered the Highest Continuum and Differentiation of Phenomena and Their Nature and transmitted all five treatises to the paṇḍita Ānandakīrti, who taught them to the Kashmiri paṇḍita Sajjana. When Tsen Kawoché received these teachings from Sajjana, Zu Gawé Dorjé served as the translator. The line of transmission that ensued from Tsen Kawoché and Zu Gawé Dorjé is known as "the meditative tradition of Maitreya's Dharma Treatises," and is differentiated from the line of transmission that passed from the paṇḍita Sajjana to Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab (rNgog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab), known as "the tradition of hearing and reflection." The Kagyu and Nyingma traditions have relied more on the meditative tradition of Tsen Kawoché and Zu Gawé Dorjé, whereas the exegetical tradition of Ngok Lotsāwa has been maintained in the Geluk system.
Some of Tsen Kawoché's teachings were preserved by the Jonang master Kunga Drolchok (Kun dga' grol mchog) (1507–1566) in his Instructions on the Shentong View (gZhan stong gi lta khrid). Stearns (1999, 88) says, "Tsen Kawoché . . . is often thought to be the first Tibetan to have taught what later came to be known as the Zhentong view." See Stearns 1999, 42–3 and 88–9; and Roerich 1949, 347–8.


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67 Bhāvaviveka criticizes the view of the three natures in Chapter 25 of his Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa, Shes rab sgron ma), and replies to the Yogāchāra (as represented by Guṇamati and Dharmapāla) in Chapters 5 of his Heart of the Middle Way and Blaze of Reasoning. See Eckel 1985; and Brunnhölzl 2004, 492–3.


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471 Mikyö Dorjé (Mi bskyod rdo rje) (1507–1554), the eighth Karmapa, was renowned as a scholar. He wrote four of the five great treatises on the Sūtrayāna studied in the Karma Kagyu tradition: (1) Chariot of the Dakpo Kagyu Siddhas: A Commentary on the "Entrance to the Middle Way" (dBu ma la 'jug pa'i rnam bshad dpal ldan dus gsum mkhyen pa'i zhal lung dvags brgyud sgrub pa'i shing rta); (2) Repose of the Noble Ones: A Commentary on the "Ornament of Clear Realization" (Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'i man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon par rtogs pa'i rgyan gyi 'grel pa rje btsun ngal gso); (3) Bestowing the Fulfillment of Accomplishment and Happiness: A Commentary on the "Treasury of Abhidharma" (Chos mngon pa mdzod kyi 'grel pa grub bde'i dpyid 'jo); and (4) Disk of the Sun: A Detailed Commentary on the "Root Vinaya Sūtra" ('Dul ba mdo rtsa ba'i rgya cher 'grel pa nyi ma'i dkyil 'khor).


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617 The division of Mādhyamikas into Those Who Logically Establish Illusion (sGyu ma rigs grub pa) and Proponents of Complete Nonabiding (Rab tu mi gnas par smra ba) on the basis of their assertions concerning the ultimate is a subject of much discussion in Tibet. Some, such as Tak-tsang Lotsāwa (sTag tshang lo tsā ba), equate the first with Svātantrikas and the latter with Prāsaṅgikas (see Phuntsho 2005, 239n38). Others, such as Ngok Loden Sherab (rNgog blo ldan shes rab) and Do-drup Damchö (rDo grub dam chos), reject the classification altogether (see Iaroslav 2000, 50; Phuntsho 2005, 238n38; and Ruegg 2000, 33n60). Tsongkhapa concurs with Ngok Loden Sherab on the unsuitability of these divisions in relation to ultimate reality, calling them "not a good approach." For Tsongkhapa's explanation, see The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Cutler and Newman 2002, 115–6. (There is, however, controversy concerning the exact meaning of Tsongkhapa's statement; see Hopkins 2003, 800na.) For Ke-drup Jé's views, see Cabezón 1992, 89—90.
Longchen Rabjam in his Precious Treasury of the Supreme Yāna (Theg pa'i mchog rin po che'i mdzod) applies both subcategories to Svātantrikas. He states that "Those Who Logically Establish Illusion" (sgyu ma rigs grub tu 'dod pa) is one of many names used for the lower Svātantrika (rang rgyud 'og ma), and "[Proponents of] Complete Nonabiding" is one of many names used for the higher Svātantrika (rang rgyud gong ma). For Shākya Chokden's comments on these divisions, see Iaroslav 2000, 84n197.
It seems that in Tibet the terms used here, "Those Who Logically Establish Illusion" and "Proponents of Complete Nonabiding," are used interchangeably with "Proponents of Illusionlike Nonduality" (Māyopamādvayavādin, sGyu ma ltar gnyis med du smra ba) and "Proponents of the Complete Nonabiding of All Phenomena" (Sarvadharmāpratiṣhṭhānavādin, Chos thams cad rab tu mi gnas par smra ba), which Jamgön Kongtrul lists separately. See Cabezón 2003, 307n2.


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521 Aṣhṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa'i mdo. (Toh. 12; ACIP KD0012.) This quotation is not found in this text, but it does appear in the Descent into Laṅkā Sūtra and the Sūtra on the Ten Bhūmis (Dashabhūmikasūtra, Sa bcu pa'i mdo).


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251 The translation follows PKTC reading shes rab kyis nyon sgrib; TOK, II:460.19 has shes rab kyi nyon sgrib. PKTC accords with the Compendium of Abhidharma (Dg.T. Beijing 76:229): shes rab kyis rnam par grol ba'i dgra bcom pa.


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677 Madhyamakaprajñāvatāra, dBu ma shes rab la 'jug pa, by Chandrakīrti, verse 1. Toh. 3863; Dg.T. Beijing 60:929. The colophon of this text states that it was written by the great master Chandrakīrti and translated by the author himself and the lotsāwa Gö-khukpa Lha-tsé ( 'Gos khug pa lha btsas), who lived in the eleventh century. The author of this text was the eleventh-century Chandrakīrti, known in the Tibetan tradition as "the lesser Chandrakīrti," who was a disciple of Jetāri (ca. eleventh century), one of the teachers of Atīsha. (He is sometimes referred to by Western scholars as Chandrakīrti III; see Vose 2005, 39–40.)


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332 Five faculties (dbang po lnga): faculty of faith (dad pa'i dbang po); faculty of exertion (brtson 'grus kyi dbang po); faculty of mindfulness (dran pa'i dbang po); faculty of samādhi (ting nge 'dzin gyi dbang po); and faculty of wisdom (shes rab kyi dbang po). See Pruden 1988, 157.


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98 Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab (rNgog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab) (1059–1109).


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630 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361), is considered to be the first to widely employ the terms Rangtong (Intrinsic Emptiness, Empty-of-Self, or Self-Empty) (Rang stong) and Shentong (Extrinsic Emptiness, Empty-of-Other, Other-Emptiness) (gZhan stong). See also n. 815.
Jamgön Kongtrul's statements are similar to those made by Tāranātha in his Essence of Shentong (gZhan stong snying po): "There are two [kinds] of Mādhyamikas: ordinary Mādhyamikas and great Mādhyamikas. The ordinary [Madhyamaka] is known in this land of Tibet as Rangtong and [its followers] are known in both India and Tibet as Proponents of the Absence of a Nature . . . Great Madhyamaka is known in Tibet as Shentong, and is the Vijñapti-Madhyamaka (Madhyamaka of [the Proponents of] Cognition)" ([178.3:] dbu ma pa la dbu ma phal pa dang/ dbu ma chen po gnyis kyi phal po ni bod yul 'dir rang stong du grags shing rgya bod gnyis kar du ngo bo nyid med par smra ba zhes grags pa ste/... [179.5:] gnyis pa dbu ma chen po ni/ bod du gzhan stong du grags pa rnam rig gi dbu ma ste). See Hopkins 2007, 55 and 62.


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815 Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) (1292–1361) is generally considered to be the first to use the terms "Shentong" (gzhan stong) and "Rangtong" (rang stong) extensively. For an excellent overview of Dolpopa's proclamation of Shentong as the highest expression of the Madhyamaka view, see Stearns 1999, 45–55.
For a survey of the Shentong tradition in Tibet, see Stearns 1999, 41–77; for use of the term "Shentong" prior to Dolpopa, see Stearns 1999, 42–5 and 50–1. See also Kapstein 1992a, 23–4; Kapstein 2000a, 106–19; Mathes 2004, 285–328; and Hopkins 2006.


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701 Buddhajñānapāda ([Sang rgyas] Ye shes zhabs) (ca. thirteenth century) was invited to Tibet in 1200. He wrote a Madhyamaka text, Entering the Victor's Path (Jinamārgāvatāra, rGyal ba'i lam la 'jug pa), and a commentary on the Abhisamālaṃkāra, The Garlands of Wisdom Lamps (Prajñāpradīpāvalī, Shes rab sgron ma'i 'phreng ba). See Ruegg 1981, 117.


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279 The three types of unconditioned phenomena (asaṃskṛita, 'dus ma byas) are space (ākāsha, nam mkha '), analytical cessations (pratisaṃkhyānirodha, so sor brtags pas 'gog pa), and nonanalytical cessations (apratisaṃkhyānirodha, so sor brtags pa ma yin pa'i 'gog pa). Analytical cessations, or cessations resulting from knowledge, are the state of freedom from defiled phenomena, that is, mental afflictions. This cessation is attained through the power of the analysis of, or the wisdom (prajñā, shes rab) engaging, the four truths of noble ones. Nonanalytical cessations, or cessations not resulting from knowledge, are temporary absences of mental afflictions owing to the incompleteness of the necessary conditions. For example, when one concentrates intently on a specific task, one does not feel tired, but feelings of tiredness will return. See Pruden 1988, 59; and Hopkins 1983, 218.


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457 This and the following quotations are found in Haribhadra's [Revised Edition of the] "Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in Twenty-five Thousand Lines" (Pañchaviṃshatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā, Shes rab kyi pha rol ru phyin pa stong phrag nyi shu lnga pa). Toh. 3790; Dg.T. Beijing 50:827–8.


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8. Condensed Transcendent Wisdom Scripture (Ārya-prajñāpāramitā-sañcayagāthā, 'Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa sdud pa tshigs su bcad pa) found in Collection of Scriptures and Dhāraṇī (gZungs bsdus/mDo sngags gsung rab rgya mtsho'i snying po sdud pa) (two volumes; Dharamsala, 1976), vol. sMad cha, f.8a5.


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28. From The Treatise on the Transcendent Wisdom Pith Instructions, Commentary on the Ornament of Realization (Abhisamayālaṃkārakārikā-prajñā-pāramito-padeśa-śāstraṭīkā-prasphuṭapadā, Shes rab phar phyin man ngag gi bstan bcos mngon rtogs rgyan gyi 'grel pa). Dg. T. Shes phyin, vol. Nga, ff. 1-110 (Toh. 3796).


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7. The three kinds of wisdom (shes rab gsum): the wisdoms resulting from study, reflection, and meditation.


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23. Lumé Tsultrim Sherab (Klu-mes Tshul-khrims Shes-rab), a significant figure in the preservation of the Vinaya transmission in Tibet after the persecution of the Buddhist doctrine by Langdarma (Glang Dar-ma).


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1023. The Uttaratantra teaches two different models of the causal relationship between the seven vajra points. The first model in I.3 identifies the three jewels and the basic element as causes (or as three conditions and one cause, respectively) and the last three vajra points, as results. The second model in I.23 and I.26 as well as RGVV on I.2 describes the basic element as the cause, the last three vajra points as conditions, and the three jewels as results. Ngog Lotsāwa refers to these two models as "the cycle of the nonabiding nirvāṇa" and "the cycle of the three jewels," which he describes extensively at the beginning of his commentary (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 2a.2–6a.5). For details, see Kano 2006, 136–47 and 370–82, and CMW on Uttaratantra I.26.


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1888. As mentioned before, the Uttaratantra teaches two different models of the causal relationship between the seven vajra points. Model (1) in I.3 identifies the three jewels and the basic element as causes (or as three conditions and one cause, respectively) and the last three vajra points as results. Model (2) in I.23 and I.26 as well as RGVV on I.2 describes the basic element as the cause, the last three vajra points as conditions, and the three jewels as results. The beginning of Ngog Lotsāwa's commentary (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 2a.2–6a.5) elaborates on these two models and calls them (1) "the cycle of the nonabiding nirvāṇa" and (2) "the cycle of the three jewels" (for details, see Kano 2006, 136–47 and 370–82). YDC (244–45) uses almost identical terms for these two cycles ("the cycle of nirvāṇa" and "the cycle of the three jewels") in terms of the relationship between the seven vajra points and their definite number but otherwise differs in several points from Ngog. (1) In terms of the cycle of the three jewels, the vajra points are definite as seven—the three that are results and the four that are the cause and the conditions. The three jewels are definite as the three results because they are the objects of refuge that are the results of those who wish for liberation, who are definite as having three dispositions (śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas). Or, the three jewels are gradually accomplished on the last three bhūmis (see RGVV; J3–4), while all three are perfectly accomplished on the buddhabhūmi. As for the cause and the conditions being definite as four, the basic element is the substantial cause, while the remaining three vajra points are the cooperating conditions. Here, there are two modes in which this happens: (a) the close causes included in a single mind stream and (b) the distant causes included in different mind streams. (1a) The basic element from the path of accumulation up through the seventh bhūmi is the cause. The triad of profound awakening on the eighth bhūmi, the qualities of wisdom on the ninth bhūmi, and consummate enlightened activity on the tenth bhūmi represents the three conditions. Through these four that are the cause and the conditions coming together at the end of the continuum of the ten bhūmis, the three jewels are directly accomplished. (1b) The basic element in one's own mind stream during the time of its not having awakened is the cause. The triad of awakening, the qualities, and enlightened activity that has already manifested in the mind stream of someone else represents the conditions. This is so for the following reasons. By virtue of profound awakening, that other awakened person teaches one the profound and by virtue of the qualities, the vast. By virtue of enlightened activity, one is made to directly engage in these two. In that way, the three jewels are accomplished progressively by virtue of the awakening of the basic element in one's own mind stream. There is no flaw in three results arising from a single cause because this single cause accomplishes those three results through the power of the three conditions—by virtue of the condition of awakening, the Buddha is accomplished; by virtue of the qualities, the dharma is accomplished; and by virtue of enlightened activity, the saṃgha is accomplished. This is what the former masters say. Nevertheless, the three jewels that are the ultimate results are one and only labeled as three. Also, the meaning of attainment here refers only to what has been present primordially in a self-arisen manner finally becoming manifest. (2) According to the cycle of nirvāṇa, the three of awakening, the qualities, and enlightened activity represent the results. Among them, awakening is one's own welfare, while the sambhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya promote the welfare of those to be guided who are close and distant, respectively. Thus, in terms of the two welfares, the results are definite as three. The basic element is the cause, and the three jewels are the conditions. For, by virtue of the Buddha, the dharma, and the saṃgha performing the activities of the teacher, the path, and the companions, the basic element awakens and thus is accomplished as the results that consist of awakening and so on. It may be objected that the basic element is not tenable as a cause because it is the expanse—emptiness. Though it is not tenable as a cause that produces something, it is suitable as a cause of becoming free because the three jewels are nothing but the stained basic element's having become stainless. Nor is it the case that the three jewels and the three of awakening, the qualities, and enlightened activity are repetitious because there is the difference of their being either causes or results in the context of these two cycles. See also the presentation of these two cycles in a text by Sherab Jungné (Tib. Shes rab 'byung gnas; 1187–1241), the nephew and successor of Jigden Sumgön (Roberts 2011, 398–400).


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1151. In the Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra, in terms of their respective functions, the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities are described as "buddha activities" and are numbered as such up to thirty-two. Thus, the sūtra does not contain a separate section on thirty-two kinds of buddha activity apart from this description of the functions of the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities. This section is followed by a further general discussion of buddha activity (D147, fols. 215a.3–217a.4), which includes the example of purifying a beryl. For further details and variations on the correspondences and the contents of the passages in RGVV about the qualities of the three jewels up through the thirty-two kinds of enlightened activity of buddhas as presented in the Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra, see CMW (435–52) and Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b (fols. 9a.6–19a.1; translated in Kano 2006, 391–414), and GC (75.5–78.15; translated in Mathes 2008a, 304–11).


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1918. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 8a.4–5.


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1143. Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra, D147, fol. 215b.1–7. GC (41.11–24) explains "the dharma wheel of irreversibility" as follows. Since wisdom is irreversible on the eighth bhūmi, it is called "the bhūmi of irreversibility." This means that before that, some people become tired of sitting on a cushion and meditating, thus rising from their cushion as well as from their meditative equipoise. Thus, they do not have poised readiness for meditative equipoise. On the eighth bhūmi, bodhisattvas do not rise from their resting in meditative equipoise in the nature of nonarising. Therefore, it is referred to as "poised readiness for nonarising." Since it also means being irreversible from unarisen wisdom, the teachings that are primarily given on this bhūmi are called "irreversible." Since they are transferred into the mind streams of disciples, they are called a "wheel," which consists of the Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra and the other sūtras belonging to this dharma wheel of irreversibility. Those to be guided directly by this dharma wheel are "sentient beings with various causal natures,"with "natures" referring to their dispositions. These sentient beings are the results arisen from different dispositions and thus possess them as their causes. This corresponds to the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra speaking of "those who have entered all yānas." The fruition of this dharma wheel is "to enter the domain of the tathāgatas"—suchness or the nature of phenomena. Thus, such bodhisattvas realize the true nature of a tathāgata, such as knowing the minds of sentient beings in terms of the true nature of these minds, and, upon having become buddhas, attain the arhathood of the unsurpassable yāna. Therefore, they are called "unsurpassable venerable ones" (see also n. 1183 on "irreversible bodhisattvas"). As for the three dharma wheels with respect to the example of cleansing a beryl, GC (42.25–43.2) says that the first one washes away the afflictions that arise from views about a self. The second one purifies coarse and subtle thoughts of clinging to (real) entities. The third one purifies what are called "the appearances of objects in the mind" because these are obstructions to seeing the tathāgata heart well. Note that GC (44.20–74.26; Mathes 2008a, 243–304) goes into great detail in establishing the superiority of the third dharma wheel in all respects. The Eighth Situpa, in his introduction to the table of contents of the Derge Kangyur (Chos kyi 'byung gnas 1988, 52–53), says that the three wheels of turning the dharma as presented in the Dhāraṇīśvararājaparipṛcchāsūtra are the wheel that speaks of revulsion toward saṃsāra, the wheel about the three doors to liberation, and the irreversible wheel. As for the rationale behind this division, according to the Uttaratantra (II.41 and II.57–59), those to be guided enter the path of peace (of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas) through first being exhorted by way of the teaching on developing revulsion toward their attachment to saṃsāra. Then, through speaking about emptiness, they are matured in the mahāyāna. Finally, through the contents of the irreversible wheel, they engage in the object of all tathāgatas and receive the great prophecy about their own awakening (on the eighth bhūmi). The Seventh Karmapa's commentary on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra (Chos grags rgya mtsho n.d., 74–84) compares the three turnings in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the three stages in the Dhāraṇīśvararājaparipṛcchāsūtra, concluding that the first and second stages match perfectly in terms of both their topics and recipients, while the third ones are not the same. For the wheel of irreversibility in the Dhāraṇīśvararājaparipṛcchāsūtra corresponds to the teachings on the tathāgata heart in general and the third phase explained in the Uttaratantra. The Eighth Karmapa's commentary on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra (Mi bskyod rdo rje 2003, 1:32–35) agrees with this and elaborates as follows. "The wheel of prophecy"in the Uttaratantra is the dharma wheel that teaches that all sentient beings are endowed with the tathāgata heart. It is obvious that Maitreya coined this conventional terminology as a comment on the presentation in the Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra. As for Maitreya's third "wheel of prophecy" and Nāgārjuna's third "wheel that puts an end to all views,"Karmapa Rangjung Dorje said that these two come down to the same essential point in a general way, in the sense that whatever is the final wheel must necessarily be the wheel that teaches freedom from reference points. However, more specifically, Nāgārjuna's final "wheel that puts an end to all views" states nothing but sheer freedom from reference points, while Maitreya's final "wheel of prophecy" explains that wisdom free from reference points is the distinctive feature of what is to be experienced by personally experienced wisdom. This is the only difference in terms of these two wheels not representing the same essential point. As for what is of expedient and definitive meaning in the three wheels in the Uttaratantra, the Eighth Karmapa quotes the great Kashmiri paṇḍita Ratnavajra as follows: "The wheel that introduces to the path of peace is the expedient meaning. The wheel of maturation is the wheel that is predominantly of definitive meaning and contains some parts of expedient meaning. The wheel of prophecy is the wheel of nothing but the definitive meaning." According to the Seventh Karmapa (Chos grags rgya mtsho n.d., 85), in themselves, the Dhāraṇīśvararājaparipṛcchāsūtra and the Uttaratantra do not explicitly make a distinction in terms of expedient and definitive meaning. However, Asaṅga's RGVV (J76; D4025, fols. 113b.7–114a.4) states that Uttaratantra I.155, through saying that the buddha heart is empty of adventitious stains but not empty of being the buddha heart, teaches the unmistaken emptiness by virtue of its being free from the extremes of superimposition and denial. Thus, implicitly, these texts hold that statements about the buddha heart's being empty (of itself) are of expedient meaning. Ngog Lotsāwa's commentary on the Uttaratantra (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 1b.2–2a.1) also connects the dharma wheel of irreversibility with the Uttaratantra, saying that the latter explains the true reality of the meaning of the mahāyāna—the intention of the sūtras of definitive meaning (the irreversible dharma wheel), which teach the dharmadhātu as the single principle. The other four Maitreya works, through explaining the meanings of the sūtras of expedient meaning, make beings into suitable vessels for this perfect dharma because they present seeming reality as well as the ultimate that is based on the thinking of others. For further details on the three turnings of the wheel of dharma, see Bu ston rin chen grub 1931, 2:45–56; Brunnhölzl 2004, 527–49; Brunnhölzl 2010, 23–28 and 213–15; and Brunnhölzl 2012a, 48–49).


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579. Tib. 'Jam dbyangs gsar ma shes rab 'od zer.


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871. Tib. Lce sgom shes rab rdo rje.


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572. Tib. 'Bro lo tsā wa shes rab grags.


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259. Tib. Rog shes rab 'od.


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2747. Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan 1992b, fols. 12a.2–a.


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370. Tib. Shes rab rgyal mtshan.


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327. See A khu Shes rab rgya mtsho, Dpe rgyun dkon pa 'ga' zhig gi tho yig, in Chandra 1963, vol. 3, no. 11338, which lists "an exposition of the Uttaratantra composed by the translator Su Gawé Dorje as his notes on what paṇḍita Sajjana taught" (paṇḍita sajjana'i gsung la lo tsā ba gzu dga' rdor gyi zin bris byas pa'i rgyud bla ma'i rnam bshad).


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369. Tib. Zangs dkar lo tsā ba 'phags pa shes rab.


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2886. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993a, fol. 86b.3–5.


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2832. Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan 1992, fols. 49b.5–50a.5.


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15. Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan 1992a, 344–45. See also Stearns 2010, 316nn28–29.


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2722. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 28b.4–29b.2.


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554. Shes rab phun tshogs 2007, 9.


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2202. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 39b.5–40a.4.


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1092. Tib. Dol pa. This is probably Dol pa shes rab rgya mtsho (1059–1131), a student of Potowa Rinchen Sal.


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1905. In accordance with RGVV and the identical correct phrase in CMW (434) in the text below, CMW byung ba'i shes par shes rab kyis is emended to byung ba'i shes pas.


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1135. C, CMW (447–48), GC (30.9–14), and Ngog Lotsāwa's commentary (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 16b.2) all confirm that this example comes from the Daśabhūmikasūtra. The corresponding passage says: "O sons of the victors, it is as follows. For example, to whichever extent pure gold is heated in a fire by a skilled goldsmith, to that extent it becomes refined, pure, and pliable as he pleases. O sons of the victors, likewise, to the extent that bodhisattvas make offerings to the buddha bhagavāns, make efforts in maturing sentient beings, and are in a state of adopting these kinds of dharmas that purify the bhūmis, to that extent their roots of virtue that they dedicate to omniscience will become refined, pure, and pliable as they please" (for the Sanskrit, see Mathes 2008a, 505).


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230. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 4a.2–6.


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296. The ones used here include IM (155–56), BA (347–50), GC (4), Rong ston shes bya kun gzigs (1998, 142), Śākya mchog ldan (1988b, 239–41), HLS (129–32), Kun dga' grol mchog (1981, 82–84), Tāranātha (1982–1987, 4:483–89 and 4:491–514), 'Ju mi pham rgya mtsho (1984d, 5–6), JKC (4–10), TOK (1:460–61 and 2:543–44), Chos grags bstan 'phel (1990, 2–8), and Shes rab phun tshogs (2007, 2–9).


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2105. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 27b.6–28a.4. *2106. GC (241.6–14) comments on I.24cd–25 that the main subject of the Uttaratantra is the awakening (bhang chub) of a buddha (sangs rgyas). Since the first two reasons in I.25 teach the progression of the stains becoming pure, they teach the two aspects of being cleansed (bhang) and being purified (snags). Since the latter two reasons teach the qualities and their functions, they teach the two aspects of final realization (chub) and unfolding (ryas). In terms of the ground, the first two reasons mainly teach the basic element's aspect of being free from reference points because they teach that due to suffering and its origin being adventitious, they are primordially empty (and the basic element is empty of them). The latter two reasons mainly teach the aspect that the basic element abides as the phenomenon of basic awareness because they teach its qualities and activity. This is also the case because it is due to the basic element's aspect of being free from reference points that it represents the nirvāṇas of the three yānas by virtue of this aspect's being realized partially or in its entirety. It is due to the aspect of the basic element's being awareness that it represents the phenomena of saṃsāra because the entirety of saṃsāra arises from the ālaya-consciousness that represents a mere reflection of this phenomenon of awareness appearing. The Third Karmapa's autocommentary on his Profound Inner Reality (Rang byung rdo rje n.d., 21) explains the four inconceivable points as follows: "The [inconceivable] point of the ‘basic element' is that the buddha heart is [primordially] not tainted by any stains, but does not become buddhahood until all afflictive and cognitive stains have been relinquished. The [inconceivable] point of awakening is that [the basic element] is associated with these stains since beginningless time, but because these stains are adventitious, they are not established as any real substance. The [inconceivable] point of the qualities [of awakening] is that the sixty-four qualities of buddhahood exist in all sentient beings right now in a complete way, but if they are not triggered through the condition of the immaculate dharmas (the natural outflow of the utterly stainless dharmadhatu), their power does not come forth. [The inconceivable point of enlightened activity is that] there is no difference in enlightened activity's [effortless, spontaneous, and nonconceptual] operation in terms of all sentient beings and buddhas being either the same or different. Thus, its inconceivability is its being free from all expressions, yet serving as the basis for all expressions." For more details, see Brunnhölzl 2009, 129–31.


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407. VT (fols. 12v7, 13r2, 15r7) calls the basic verses mūla (III.4) and the commentarial verses vyākhyāśloka (I.64–65 and I.67–68). Jñānaśrīmitra's (c. 980–1040) Sākārasiddhiśāstra (in Jñānaśrīmitra, Jñānaśrīmitranibandhāvali, 503.20–22) calls the basic verses "mūla" (III.1) and the commentarial verses vivṛti (III.2–3; see also 502.17, 503.15, 536.22, and Schmithausen 1971, 124). Ngog Lotsāwa (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 34b.4) calls the basic verses rtsa ba lta bu'i tshigs su bcad pa.


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1060. Tib. Shes rab brtson 'grus.


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1079. Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan 1992b.


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2824. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 42b.2–43a.2. Note that both Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen and Rongtön are greatly influenced by Ngog's comments (see in the text below). For further details on Ngog's position on tathāgatagarbha, which seeks to adapt the teaching of the Uttaratantra to the Madhyamaka understanding of emptiness, as well as its impact on later Tibetan commentators, see Kano 2006, 129–253 and 367–495 and Kano 2009.


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397. The works by Karma Gönshön and Karma Trinlépa are not available at present, though Dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib 'jug khang (2004, 1404 and 1405) lists a Rgyud bla ma'i 'grel pa rton pa bzhi ldan mkhas pa dga' byed (87 fols.) and a Rgyud bla ma'i bsdus don rton pa bzhi ldan mkhas pa dga' byed (7 fols.) by Karma Gönshön. A khu Shes rab rgya mtsho, Dpe rgyun dkon pa 'ga' zhig gi tho yig, in Chandra 1963, vol. 3, no. 11337, has a Rgyud bla ma'i ṭikka by that author.