The Concept of Bodhicitta in Sant Ideva's Bodhicaryava Tara
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The concept of bodhicitta in Sant ideva's Bodhicaryava tara Francis Brassard Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University Mon treal, Canada. August 1996 A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Craduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of the Ph.D. @ Francis Brassard 1996 National Library Bibliothèque nationale l*l of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington OttawaON KlAOiû4 OttawaON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Ywr fi& Votre m/emcs Our Ne Notre reiérence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of îhis thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propiété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts kom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenirise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author7s ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Canada Table of contents Acknow ledgmen ts .................................................................................................................................................................. iv Abstract ............... ..................................................................................................................................................................... v Abbreviat ions.............. ... ................................................................................................................................................. VI 1ntroduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter one Bodhicitta and t the spiritual path of the bodhisattva ........ .... ................... 6 1. Methodological consideratiori .......................................................................................................... 6 2. Santideva's Bodhicaryavata ....~~~~.~~~.~~~~~~~~~.~~~.~~~~~.~~~~~.~.......... ..................................................... 11 i . The text ................................................................................................................................................ 12 .. - 11. Sant ideva ............................................................................................................................................ 17 ... 11 i . Prajnakararnat-- i ............................................................................................................................. 20 3. Review of literature.................................................................................................................................. 20 i . Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki............................................................................................................. 21 ii. Sangharakshita ....................................... .. ..................................................................................... 27 Chapter two: Bodhicitta as desire for enlightenment ............................................................................ 33 1. The importance and implications of the idea of motivation ................. ........... 34 2. Crit icisrn of Mhicitta as factor of motivation ................................................................... 41 i . Citta .......................................................................................................................................................... 41 ii. Citta-utpada ................................................................................................................................ 47 - iii. The two types of bodhicitta ......... .. ................. 1 ..- iv . The ethical aspect of bodhicitta ................................................................................. 39 3. Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................... 64 Chapter three Bodhicitta as object of concentration .......................................................................... 66 1. Arguments in favor of bodhicitta as object of concentrat ion ............................... 68 i . Derivat ives of the verbal root dgrah and ddhr............................................. 69 ii. The practice of meditation ............................................................................................. 73 iii. l mplications related to the idea of bodhicitta as object of concentration........................................................................................................................................ 78 2. Criticism of bodhicitta as abject of concentration .......................................................... 79 Chapter four: Bodhicitta and cult [vation of awarenes...................................................................... 87 1. The nature of religious language .............................. .. ........................................................... 89 i . The f unctional aspect of religious language............ ... ................................... 90 ii . The rnetaphysical aspect of rel igious language ............................................... 94 i i i . The et h ical aspect of re ligious language............. .. ...................................... 98 2. The cultivation of awareness............................................................................................................. 108 i . Examples of the cultivation of awareness ........... .. ............................................ 112 ii. The feeling of detachment.................................................................................................. 115 iii. The breaking up of distinctions.................................................................................... 119 iv . The unforeseeable nature of the experience of transforrnat ion .................................. ..................................................... 120 3 . The pract ice of devot ion ....................................................................................................................... 122 - i . saddha/s'raddha .......................................................................................................................... 124 4 . Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 28 Chapter f ive: The aspect of renunciat ion ....................................................................................................... 130 i . The kl& and the cuit ivat ion of awareness................................................. 136 .. - - 11. &tipmmita ............................................................................................................................... 138 ... iii. The workings of the mind .................................................................................................. 141 Chapter six: The aspect of conversion .............................................................................................................. 148 - i . vrryaparamita .................. .. .......................................................................................................... 136 Chapter seven: The aspect of contemplation ............................................................................................. 168 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................................... 182 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................... 186 Acknow ledgments 1 am gratefui to my supervisor, Professor Richard Hayes from the facu ty of Religious studies of McGill University. for his guidance in the present thesis. Professor Hayes, by suggesting seven years ago to investigate the concept of upaya lskillfui means). prompted an intellectual punuit whose partial accomplishment has been the writing of this thesis. 1 am also grateful to Professor Lambert Schmithausen from the I nstitüt für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets of Hamburg University who introduced me to the philosophy of Santideva and helped me in rny reading of the Sanskrit version of the Bodhicarygva tara. 1 thank the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Deutscher akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) for providing f inanaal assistance during my Ph.D. studies. Finally, special thanks to Benoit Bernard for having helped me to use my computer more efficient ly and last, but not least. to rny wife Rina and my parents who never failed to provide support and encouragement. Abstract This thesis is a contribution to the study of the interpretation of the concept of bodhicitta. This concept is a technical