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The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Part 3: Frameworks of Buddhist

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The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 6, Part 3: Frameworks of Buddhist The Treasury of Knowledge Book Six, Part Three: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy A Systematic Presentation of the Cause-Based Philosophical Vehicles The publication of this work has been made possible through the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation. The Treasury of Knowledge Book Six, Part Three: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy A Systematic Presentation of the Cause-Based Philosophical Vehicles Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé KALU RINPOCHÉ TRANSLATION GROUP under the direction of Venerable Bokar Rinpoché This volume translated, introduced, and annotated by Elizabeth M. Callahan Snow Lion Publications Ithaca, New York Boulder, Colorado Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 Ithaca, New York 14851 USA 607-273-8519 www.snowlionpub.com Copyright © 2007 Kalu Rinpoché All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. ISBN 978-1-55939-277-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Koṅ-sprul Blo-gros-mtha’-yas, 1813-1899. [Śes bya mtha’ yas pa’i rgya mtsho. English. Selections] The treasury of knowledge : Book six, part three, frameworks of Buddhist philosophy, a systematic presentation of the cause-based philosophical vehicles / Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé ; Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group under the direction of Bokar Rinpoché ; this volume translated, introduced, and annotated by Elizabeth M. Callahan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-277-8 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-55939-277-0 (alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—Doctrines. 2. Buddhist sects. 3. Buddhism—China —Tibet—Doctrines. I. Callahan, Elizabeth M. II. Title. BQ4140 . K672513 2007 294.3'420423—dc22 2007010391 Contents Foreword by Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche 7 Introduction 9 The Root Text: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy: A Systematic Presentation of the Cause-Based Philosophical Vehicles 57 1. Three Ya¯nas and Four Tenet Systems 83 Section I: Hi¯naya¯na 85 2. The Shra¯vakaya¯na: An Overview and the Four Truths 87 3. The Shra¯vakaya¯na: Its Tenet Systems, Orders, and Results 123 4. The Pratyekabuddhaya¯na 151 Section II: Maha¯ya¯na 159 5. The Maha¯ya¯na’s Distinctions and Training 161 6. Chittama¯tra 175 7. An Overview of Madhyamaka 195 8. Rangtong-Madhyamaka 203 9. Sva¯tantrika 217 . 10. Pra¯sangika 223 11. Shentong-Madhyamaka 249 12. Secret Mantra-Madhyamaka 269 Appendix: Outline of the Text 275 Glossary 283 Endnotes 301 Bibliography of Works Cited by the Author 407 Reference Bibliography 423 Index 459 ForeWord !, ,:)3- 3$R/- ]R- PR?- 3,:- ;?- GA?- 36.- 0:A- >J?- L- !/- H2- 36S.- =?, 35/- *A.- ,J$- 0:A- i3- 0<- $8$- 0- =J$?- 0<- >J?- /, :#R<- =R- .%- 0R:C- %J?- :L%- .%-$%- 9$- $A- 2.$- 3J.- GA- i3- $8$- =J$?- 0<- >J?- 0<- :I<- 8A%- , :#R<- =R- 2<- 0:A- !R%- *A.- 3R?- 0:A- 3,:- ,3?- &.- .%- V=- 2- .%- , (R?- ,3?- &.- !/- mR2- gJ/-:VJ=- $%- 43- .- >J?- 0<- :I<- 8A%- , .J- =?- i3- .$- $?3- .%- ;R%?- .$- 2&- $*A?- =- :)$- 2.J- 2<- :I<- 8A%- , :#R<- =R- $?3- 0:A- .$R%?- 0, ?J3?- GA- $/?- =$?- :R.- $?=- 2.J- $>J$?- ~A%- 0R- %R- 2R- =- SA- 3- 3J.- &A%- SA- 3- <%- ><- <%- PR=- .- >J?- 0<- :I<- 8A%-, .J- =- 2gJ/- /?- hR- eJ- ,J$- 0:A-.$- s- ;J- >J?- s- <- ><- 5=- >J?- 0<- :I<- 2:A- .J- *A.- GA- KA<, :.A- >A/- +- $=- (J- 2- ;A/- 0?- ]R- PR?- 3(R$- .%- w/- 0- i3?- GA?- =J$?- 0<- #R%- .- (.- 0<- 36S.- &A$ , 3#/-3A%-5=-o3-0?-5?-?R, , If you thoroughly comprehend the philosophical vehicles presented in Jamgön Lodrö Tayé’s Treasury of Knowledge, you will develop the firm resolve to emerge from saṃsāra and will understand the absence of the self of persons. These are the teachings of the first turning of the dharma wheel. 8 C the treasury of knowledge You will understand emptiness, which is freedom from all conceptu- ally elaborated extremes, and will know that, on a conventional level, all phenomena are simply dependently originated appearances. Having understood these things, you will understand the threefold enumeration of utter purity and the twelvefold enumeration of complete purity1 with ease. These are the teachings of the middle turning of the dharma wheel. You will recognize that the abiding nature of mind, luminous sugata- garbha, is stainless in nature: stains are self-arising and self-liberated. This is the thought of the third turning of the dharma wheel. On the basis of this, you will know the way in which the five poisons are the five wisdoms, as is taught in the Vajrayāna. It is precisely for these reasons that this section of the Treasury of Knowl- edge is of the utmost importance. May those of great intelligence master this. Spoken by Tsülgyam, who is only called “Khenpo” (Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche) 5 November 2005 Introduction For Buddhists, the study of philosophy has a single goal: awakening. Study (or, as it is traditionally undertaken, listening) is the first of the three means to knowledge, the other two being reflection and meditation. All Buddhist practitioners engage in some form of study, though for many of those whose main interest is meditation, the formal study of philosophy, with its branch areas of epistemology and logic, seems quite unnecessary. Yet, as Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s foreword explicates, the sys- tematic study of the topics contained in this volume will lead us from the foundational Buddhist teachings on the four truths to the Madhyamaka of Secret Mantra, and thence to awakening. Khenpo Tsültrim teaches that there are four ways to approach the real- ization of mahāmudrā: through training progressively in the view, medi- tation, conduct, or the tantras. In the Karma Kagyu tradition, training in meditation starts with the four common preliminaries and four uncom- mon preliminaries,2 and is followed by shamatha (calm abiding) and vipashyanā (superior insight) meditations according to either a Sūtrayāna or a Vajrayāna approach. When training in conduct, the first step is to do no harm, either to oneself or to others; subsequent training in altruistic behavior may be followed by instruction in other styles of conduct appro- priate to one’s level of practice.3 To train according to the tantras is to practice the meditations of the four sets of tantra in sequence, starting with kriyā (action) tantras, charyā (conduct) tantras, yoga tantras, and finally anuttarayoga (highest yoga) tantras. Khenpo Tsültrim explains that while any of these three approaches will lead to the realization of mahāmudrā, training in the stages of the view, such as presented by Jamgön Kongtrul in this section of his Treasury of Knowledge, is the most profound way to proceed.4 10 C the treasury of knowledge Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé and the Rimé Movement Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé5 (1813–1900) was a Tibetan polymath: an erudite and eclectic scholar, teacher, meditation practitioner, and even a skilled political mediator when needed. Along with other luminaries of his time, such as Dza Paltrul,6 Jamyang Khyentsé Wangpo,7 Chokgyur Lingpa,8 and later Ju Mipham,9 Jamgön Kongtrul contributed to the revi- talization and preservation of many lineages and traditions of Buddhist teachings in what is called the Rimé (ris med), or nonsectarian, movement. His outstanding quality as a synthesizer and harmonizer, both on a secu- lar and a religious level, is just one of the reasons for his leading role as a nonsectarian. There are many good accounts of Jamgön Kongtrul’s life and times, such as Gene Smith’s (2001) “’Jam mgon Koṅg sprul and the Nonsectarian Movement,” The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul (Barron 2003), and Ringu Tulku’s (2006) The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great.10 Here we will look at those aspects of his thought that are most relevant to this book. The origins of the Rimé movement The nineteenth-century Rimé movement was both a reaction to its times and a reflection of the views of its proponents. The religious climate in Tibet (which was intertwined with its politics) had become highly parti- san, and the Rimé movement was a push towards a middle ground where the various views and styles of the different traditions were appreciated for their individual contributions rather than being refuted, marginalized, or banned. Jamgön Kongtrul and others brought to light many valuable teachings in both their own and others’ traditions, some of which had been dangerously close to being lost, and to reduce the Rimé movement to the redressing of religious power or prestige would be to undervalue its funda- mental ecumenical spirit. The Rimé masters’ contribution is not simply one of balance: it enables us to experience the rich wisdom and means found in a variety of approaches. It should be mentioned that a Rimé approach does not mix traditions. Each tradition of Buddhism in Tibet has its own meditation texts and com- mentaries, and its own approach to training practitioners. Jamgön Kongtrul and his contemporaries were concerned with preserving and promulgat- introduction c 11 ing these traditions, each in its own right; by doing so, they ensured their availability for subsequent generations of practitioners and scholars. Jamgön Kongtrul’s influences Two aspects characteristic of the Rimé movement are seen in Jamgön Kongtrul’s presentation of Buddhist doctrine in general and its philosophy in particular. The first is a return to emphasizing Indian sources—to fun- damentals (though not to fundamentalism)—and the other is the revival of the Shentong system and the establishment of its place in the study of Madhyamaka philosophy. As we shall see, he drew upon the works of Indian masters, from Nāgārjuna, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu to Chandrakīrti and Shāntarakṣhita. For his Shentong presentation, he relied primarily on the works of two more recent Shentong masters: the Sakya scholar Shākya Chokden11 and the Jonang master Tāranātha.12 Tibetans rely more on the Indian exegetical works than sūtras: “original” sources often means the writings of Nāgārjuna, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu, rather than the words of the Buddha found in the sūtras.
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