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The Buddha from Dolpo: a Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan

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The Buddha from Dolpo: a Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism phenomenal domain that pertains to alaya­ controversial doctrine, that he phrased in vijnana. The Yogacara also accepts the terminology that was unacceptable in his Sarvastivada notion of sahabhu-hetu or day, and to some extent, up to the present simultaneous causality (which the tim�. Dolpo attempts, by means of this Sautrantikas had rejected), explaining doctrine, to bridge the gap be-tween alaya-vijnana as simultaneous with bija, Madhyamika and Cittamatra in Tibet, by even giving some of the same examples redefining the relative and ultimate reality, that the Vaibhasikas gave. through a reformulation of the definition of , those two levels of reality. In conclusion, Sarvastivada Abhidharma is a book intended for everyone interested in Dolpo is known chiefly among modern any Buddhist philosophy. It is equally Tibetan teachers as the founder of the accessible for Theravada and Mahayana school of thought known as, Zhentong scholars, and its content may help fill a (gzhan stong) or Jonang. Even many philosophical and historical void modern Tibetan teachers speak of Dolpo, separating the two traditions. Jonang and Zhentong with disdain. For them, his name evokes an "image of an * Ven. Yin Shun. "History of the aberrant and heretical doctrine, which Sautrantikas." Translated by Bhiksuni thankfully was purged from the Tibetan Chun Yi. Journal of Buddhist Studies. Buddhist scene centuries ago." The Centre for Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka, primary goal of Dr. Stearns is to sweep May 2003 Dolpopa's life and thought from under the - Nisala Rodrigo rug of time, and give it a fresh contemporary airing. The main reason for the rejection of Dolpo's writings by many mainline The Buddha from Dolpo: Tibetan teachers, is that he used "terminology that was new and shocking A Study of the Life and for many of his contemporaries," as was Thought of the Tibetan the idea that he expressed in the phrase he coined, "empty of other." He used the Master Dolpopa Sherab latter phrase to describe ultimate reality as Gyaltsen empty (sunya), only when viewed in relationship to other, relative phenomena Translated by Cyrus Stearns but not "empty" in and of itself. Published by Motilal Banarsidass Delhi, India: 2002 The issue in 14th century Tibet which ISBN: 81-208-1833-5 Dolpopa addressed was this: the descriptions of emptiness (sunyata, stong This publication brings into view once pa nyid), found in scriptures and again, two of the major writings of one of commentaries led to two confusing notions the "towering figures" in 14th century that came to be identified with two Tibetan Buddhism by the name of Dolpopa different schools in the tradition-namely, Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361).This seminal Madhyamika and Yogacara or Cittamatra. work, originally published in 1999 by the State University of New York Press, has Specifically, the Mahayana idea of an been little known, even among enlightened, eternal essence, or Buddha­ Buddhologists (and to those few scholars, nature (tathagatagarbha, bde bzhin gshegs known primarily through a familiarity with pa' snying po), embedded in every living the writings of his detractors). He is being, is to be distinguished from the regarded, even to this day among Tibetan earlier Nikaya or Theravadin Buddhist Buddhists, as the originator of a emphasis on the absence of substantive and enduring essence in sentient beings. It was 516 Book Reviews of crucial importance to adherents to as eternal in nature and not empty of self­ Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddh-ism in nature, but only empty of other. Tibet, to find a way to reconcile these two apparently oppos-ing doctrinal views of The body of this book is composed of a reality. richly detailed account of the life of Dolpo gathered both from traditional Tibetan Drawing upon the teachings and practices writings and from the works of modern of Kalacakra tantra, Dolpo met the scholars, followed by a historical survey of challenge head-on by declaring that the the development of the Zhentong view in absolute and the relative are both empty, Doi po 's writings. The author, then, but empty in different senses. All provides a most informative and insightful phenomena at the relative and conditioned exam-ination of Dolpo's understanding of level (samvrti, kun rdzob) are devoid of the emptiness of self-nature and emptiness own-being (nir-sambhava, or of other, on the basis of which he redefines svabhavasunya, rang stong), and stand on a Cittamatra and Madhyamika as two par with the horn of a hare or the off­ different but interlinked approaches to spring of a barren woman. In other words, en! ightenment. they are absolutely unreal. The reality of Absolute Truth (paramartha, don dam), on In the second section of the book, Stearns the other hand, is "empty only of other," provides an introduction to and translation (parabhava-sunya, gzhan stong) of two of Dolpo's most influential writings, conditioned entities, but is not empty in A General Commentary on the Doctrine, and of its own nature. and The Fourth Council or The Great Calculation of the Doctrine which has the The author/translator points out that Dolpo Significance of a Fourth Council. "was not simply setting up the viewpoints of an emptiness of self-nature (rang stong) The first text is composed entirely of a and an emptiness of other (gzhan stong) as series of "homages" to the "Dharma opposed theories located on the same Lords," or "excellent masters" of the past, level." Rather, he saw the pair as for their role in correctly teaching the three complementary polarities. He established turnings of the Wheel of the Dharma. In this polarity by making a careful this hymnic offering to the masters who distinction between the view of an came before him, Dolpo expounds, in brief "emptiness of other" applied only to the order, his doctrine concerning the Absolute, and an "emptiness of self­ emptiness of conditioned entities and nature," applied only to the relative. "emptiness of other," with regard to Dolpo contended that both views were Absolute Reality. crucial to a proper under-standing of the relationship between samsara and nirvana. In the second work, he presents in greater "Dolpopa's quarrel was with those who detail his view of the relationship between viewed both the absolute and the relative relative and absolute reality, combined as empty of self-nature (rang stong), and with an autocommentary in which he who refused to recognize the existence of elaborates on the doctrinal implications of anything which was not empty of self­ this viewpoint. A brief sampling of this nature. From this point of view, the notion work will provide a sense of the of an emptiness of other relative philosophical richness and density of his phenomena (gzhan stong) did not fit the writing: definition of emptiness /current in his day/." It is impossible for the two truths /relative and absolute/ to have a single essence, but In like manner, Dolpo identified the they are also not different in essence, nor Absolute with the Buddha-nature are they without any difference, for there is (tathagatagarbha), which was, thus, viewed the difference of the exclusion of a single essence. In regard to precisely this, it is 517 Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism stated that the essence is inexpressible as Dana (giving) is one of the basic virtues in precisely one or another. Precisely this Buddhism and it is the first step of procedure also /applies/ to phenomena and Buddhist path. In his preaching to non­ true nature, and for samsara and nirvana, renunciants Buddha usually started from limit and center, incidental and primordial, talking about the importance of giving fabricated and natural, and husk and ( dana katha), as the attachment is a very essence, the procedure is also precisely this. strong hindrance to spiritual development. (p. 129) This important virtue was then developed to a perfection (Danaparamita) which was The translator also provides a richly subdivided into three in Thervada documented set of citations and quotations Buddhism depending on the nature of what from Sanskrit and Tibetan texts and from was given, i.e. Paramf, Upaparamf and the writings of modem Buddhologists by Paramattha Paramf. It became very much way of enriching his translations and associated with the Bodhisatva path in interpretations of these most important Theravada Buddhism. The practice of texts. Dana (giving) became extremely important for the survival of,Sangha as well as the This is a most informative and engaging spiritual development of the lay work regarding the life and writings of a community too. controversial and provocative 14th century Tibetan thinker, a man, who with The book has nine chapters which is the considerable courage and insight, attempt­ main research. In addition there is a ed to produce an acceptable reconciliation preface as well as an introduction. In the between the Madhya-mika and Cittamatra Preface the author has emphasized the aspects of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. importance of giving (dana) and its In achieving this goal, he has greatly function of bridging two communities the enriched our understanding of both the renunciants (Sangha) and lay followers Tibetan Buddhist tradition and of (the donors). Further the author has Buddhism as a whole. mentioned that this elementary teaching of - J. Bruce Long giving has the power to make lay people and renunciants to understand their interdependence. A further elaboration of this point is found in the introduction. This is a kind of reciprocal relationship between renunciants and householders. The Sangha Dana - Giving and Getting has to depend on lay community for basic in Pali Buddhism requisites: food, clothing, shelter and medicine, and in return the lay community depends on the Sangha for their spiritual By Ellison Banks Findly development.
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