Monastic Pedagogy on Emptiness in the Geluk Sect Of
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Monastic Pedagogy on Emptiness in the Geluk Sect of Tibetan Buddhism: Intellectual History and Analysis of Topics Concerning Ignorance According to Svatantrika-Madhyamika in Monastic Textbooks by Jamyang Shaypa Jongbok Yi Seoul, Republic of Korea B.A., Sungkyunkwan University, 1997 M.A., Seoul National University, 2000 M.A., University of Virginia, 2005 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Religious Studies University of Virginia May, 2013 Professor David Germano Professor Kurtis Schaeffer Professor Jeffrey Hopkins Professor Karen Lang Professor Dorothy Wong i Copyright by Jongbok Yi All Rights Reserved May 2013 i Abstract This dissertation is a multifaceted study of an essential genre of Tibetan Buddhist monastic textbooks called Decisive Analysis (mtha’ dpyod) from historical, intellectual, and pedagogical viewpoints. It focuses on the section on the object of negation in Jamyang Shaypa’s Decisive Analysis of the Middle, which is the main monastic textbook on the philosophy of the Middle (madhyamaka, dbu ma) in Gomang Monastic College of Drepung Monastery. Chapter 1 of Part I provides a historical overview of the development of monastic textbooks in Gomang Monastic College from 15th century C.E. to 18th century C.E. The development is presented in three phases: Early Monastic Textbooks, Old Monastic Textbooks, and New Monastic Textbooks. This chapter concludes that these monastic textbooks contribute to organizational identity by providing philosophical distinctiveness and hence enhancing the communal solidarity of the monastic college. Through Chapters 2 – 5, this study looks at the intellectual history recorded in the section on the object of negation in Madhyamaka in Jamyang Shaypa’s Decisive Analysis of the Middle. These chapters discuss how Decisive Analysis not only functions as an authoritive monastic text providing debate skills and strategy, but also is as an arena where historical figures criticize each other through virtual debates conducted in debate style. The pedagogical aspect of Decisive Analysis is explored in Part II. Decisive Analysis mostly consists of debates except for the part on Establishing Our Own System. ii However, if exposition of Jamyang Shaypa’s philosophical points is relatively sparse in Establishing Our Own System, how can such a Decisive Analysis text function as a main monastic textbook? The tabular presenation in Part II demonstrates an effective way of understanding Decisive Analysis in this regard. Using Jamyang Shaypa’s own positions extracted from a series of debates documented in the parts on Refuting Other Systems and Dispelling Objections, this study exposes how these sections implicitly convey Jamyang Shaypa’s own philosophical stances. It demonstrates that the monastic textbooks have an explicit pedagogical goal and function indicated clearly in their detailed account of actual debate format and methodology—they teach monks how to debate but also make arguments promoting specific philosophical points. iii Dedicated to my late father Bangoo Yi (이반구), my mother Sunhee (임선희), and to the memory of my friend and teacher Jungnok Park iv Table of Contents Contents ABSTRACT ··························································································· I Table of Contents ·················································································· iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ····································································· XI INTRODUCTION ·················································································· 1 Overview ····················································································· 1 Previous Research ··········································································· 2 Monastic Textbooks in the Geluk Sect ··················································· 6 Two pedagogical approaches to the use of monastic textbooks in Tibetan Buddhism ···················································································· 18 Monastic Textbooks in the Geluk tradition ············································· 20 Three layers of yig cha in the Geluk tradition and extracurricular materials ······ 25 Chapter Summaries ········································································ 29 PART I ······························································································· 38 Chapter 1: History of Monastic Textbooks in Gomang Monastic College ············ 39 Introduction ······················································································· 39 The Origins and Early Years of Drepung Monastery ······································· 40 The Founder of Drepung Monastery, Jamyang Chöjé ··································· 40 Early history of education in Gomang Monastic College ······························· 45 The 1st Abbot Janglingpa Drakpa Rinchen ············································· 45 v The last direct disciple of Jamyang Chöjé in Gomang Monastic College: the 8th Abbot Penden Lodrö ······································································· 50 The 13th Abbot of Gomang Monastic College, Gungru Rinchen Jangchup ······· 53 The Old Textbooks of Gomang Monastic College by Gungru Chökyi Jungné ········· 57 Gungru Chöjung's life ········································································ 57 The list of the Old Monastic Textbooks ··················································· 78 The New Textbooks of Gomang Monastic College by Jamyang Shaypa ················ 83 Conclusion ························································································ 91 Chapter 2: Tsongkhapa's Identification of the Object of Negation in Svātantrika- Mādhyamika ························································································ 94 Introduction ······················································································· 94 The two types of objects of negation in the Mādhyamika School ························ 96 The uniqueness of Kamalaśīla's Illumination of the Middle in the discussion of objects of negation in Tsongkhapa's Svātantrika system ································ 97 The identification of the object of negation in terms of the intellectually imbued apprehension of true existence ··························································· 98 Identification of the object of negation in terms of the innate apprehension of true existence ··················································································· 107 Extracting the object of negation in terms of the innate apprehension of ultimate/true existence ························································································· 119 Conclusion ······················································································ 124 Chapter 3: The Relation between the Two Types of Object of Negation: Refutation of Taktshang, the Translator ·································································· 126 Introduction ····················································································· 126 How does Tsongkhapa present the two types of objects of negation? ·················· 136 Is the innate mode of apprehension of true existence different from the intellectually imbued mode of apprehension of true existence? ······································ 136 vi Can the refutation of the intellectually imbued apprehension of true existence harm the innate apprehension of true existence? ······················································ 146 Jamyang Shaypa's refutation of Taktshang's criticism of Tsongkhapa's thought ·· 156 Does Jamyang Shaypa really convey Taktshang's criticism? ························· 156 Jamyang Shaypa’s criticism of Taktshang··············································· 164 Conclusion ······················································································ 174 Chapter 4: Historico-Intellectual Interaction among Geluk Scholars on the Identification of the Object of Negation from the 15th to 18th Centuries C.E ······· 177 Introduction ····················································································· 177 Jetsünpa and Gungru Chöjung: The Search for the Possible Existence of Another Svātantrika Source Text Identifying the Measure of the Object of negation in terms of the Innate Apprehension of True Existence ················································ 179 Does Jñānagarbha's stanza Identify the Measure of the Object of negation in terms of the Innate Apprehension of True Existence? ········································ 190 Jamyang Shaypa's Presentation ······························································ 191 Jamyang Shaypa's Refutation ································································ 194 Conclusions ····················································································· 198 Chapter 5: Analysis of the Three Spheres of Self-contradiction ······················· 203 Introduction ····················································································· 203 The procedure of the refutation of the opponent's misconception ······················ 204 Identifying the three spheres of self-contradiction ('khor gsum) ····················· 212 Application of parallel consequence (1): The nonexistence of the imputational nature as the final mode of subsistence according to the Cittamātra system ··················· 220