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Mipam on Buddha-Nature

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INTRODUCTION MIPAM ON BUDDHA-NATURE The Ground ofthe Nyingma Tradition This book addresses the relationship between presence and absence (empti­ ness) in Buddhist thought. It focuses on the Nyingma (rnying ma) tradition of Tibet as articulated in the works of Mipam (Ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846-1912), a great synthesizer of Buddhist doctrine and Nyingma philoso­ phy. Mipam incorporates an extraordinarily wide range of discourses into his grand, systematic interpretation of Buddhist doctrine. I draw widely from his writings on the Middle Way (dbu ma, madhyamaka), epistemology (tshad Douglas S. Duckworth ma, pramd7Ja), and tantra to discuss the significance of an ontological "ground" (gzhi), or Buddha-nature, as the central theme in his overall inter­ pretative scheme. I present Mipam's view across a range of topics to under­ score Buddha-nature and a dialectic of presence and absence as a central thread that runs through his interpretative system. The presence of Buddha-nature as intrinsic within the ground of exis­ tence is a predominant feature of the discourses of tantra in the Nyingma tradition of Tibet, and in particular, the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen). The Great Perfection is a textual and meditative tradition that affirms the nature of mind as the Buddha, and offers a radically direct approach to actualizing this reality. The view of the Great Perfection consistently evades systematic analysis and in a fundamental way is antithetical to abstract conceptual determination. While Mipam did not write extensively on the Great Perfection as an isolated topic, he elucidates the view of the Great Perfection in his exoteric writings by creatively formulating the esoteric discourses that have defined the Nyingma tradition-namely, the Great Perfection-in terms of central exoteric discourses of monastic Buddhism: Buddha-nature, the Middle Way, and Buddhist epistemological systems. STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS xi xii MIPAM ON BUDDHA-NATURE Introduction xiii He skillfully incorporates esoteric discourses of Mantra (sngags) character­ emptiness and divine presence involves a fundamental tension in Buddhist istic of his Nyingma predecessors into his commentaries on Indian sastras. exegetical discourse. For Mipam, a key to the resolution of this tension is the Buddhist epistemology, a system that delineates the authentic means of unity of emptiness and divine presence. The ground, or Buddha-nature, is a knowing reality, plays an important role in Mipam's exegesis across both focal point around which he articulates this unity. domains of esoteric and exoteric doctrines. Mipam integrates aspects of the The topic of Buddha-nature spans the domains of metaphysics, theol­ Buddhist epistemological tradition with a view of Mantra, and associates the ogy, and philosophical anthropology. An etymology of the term "Buddha­ view of the Great Perfection with Prasaiigika-Madhyamaka. The Great Per­ nature" (tathagatagarbha) 1 reflects the variable status and complexity of the fection is the Nyingma tradition's highest esoteric teaching and Pr:isaiigika­ subject matter. The Sanskrit compound tatha + gata, meaning "the thus Madhyamaka is the philosophy commonly accepted in Tibet as the highest gone one" (i.e., Buddha), is the same spelling as the compound tatha + exoteric view. By integrating the esoteric teachings of Nyingma tantra with agata, meaning "the thus come one"; the term reveals the dual quality of a Buddhist epistemology and Pr:isatigika-Madhyamaka, Mipam affirms the transcendent Buddha thus gone and an immanent Buddha thus come. Also, Nyingma as not only a tradition of tantric exegesis and ritual practice, but garbha can mean "embryo," "womb," and "essence." On the one hand, as an also as grounded within the rigorous intellectual traditions of Buddhist exo­ embryonic seed it denotes a latent potentiality to be developed and the sub­ teric philosophy. sequent consummation in the attainment of Buddhahood. As a womb, it While discussing Mipam's treatment of Buddha-nature, or the ground, connotes a comprehensive matrix or an all-embracing divine presence in the across a number of issues in his works, we will address in detail his represen­ world to be discovered. tation of affirmation and negation. The English terms "affirmation'' and Academic scholars have described Buddha-nature in a number of ways. "negation'' refer to the realm of linguistic representation. To depict the issues David Ruegg addresses a dual function of Buddha-nature in a dialectic at stake in a more meaningful way, I use the words "presence" and "absence," between a soteriological point of view, in which the absolute is immanent in which have more of an ontological connotation-what is rather than simply all beings, and a gn.oseological point of view, in which it is altogether transcen­ its linguistic representation. Presence as such can be understood in two ways: dent. 2 We can see that Buddha-nature is at once transcendent, a future potential, and at the same time immanently present. As such, Buddha-nature 1. as a reified presence-the realm of conceptual or linguistic functions as a mediating principle spanning both the absolute and phenome­ knowledge. nal worlds. 2. as an indeterminate presence-the realm of the mystical or divine Another term for the Buddha-nature is "heritage" (gotra). Ruegg cites ground of being. three main meanings of the term gotra in Buddhist usage: (1) germ, seed; (2) family, clan, lineage; (3) mine, matrix. He also mentions that the term gotra We will see how the former presence is rejected, and discuss implications of is designated extensionally as a soteriological or gnoseological category, and the latter presence in Mipam's interpretation of Buddhist doctrine. In partic­ intensionally as the spiritual factor or capacity that determines the classifica­ ular, we will look into the tension, or resonance, between the problem intrin­ tion into that category.3 The topic of Buddha-nature also is a basis for pro­ sic to formulating such presence conceptually (or linguistically) as well as its moting "one vehicle" (ekaydna) of the Buddha, an inclusivist system of the fundamental place within the Buddhist tradition. A central concern here is Mahayana that incorporates all Buddhist traditions. The role of Buddha­ the nature of philosophical reasoning and intellectual inquiry into Buddhist nature as the single heritage of all beings distinguishes the Buddha-nature scriptural traditions. from Vijfianavada (Mind-Only) traditions that accept five distinct heritages within three final vehicles (fravaka, praryekabuddha, bodhisattva). PRESENCE AND ABSENCE Another scholar, Florin Sutton, delineates three other roles of Buddha­ nature: from a theoretical point of view, Buddha-nature is an extension of the In the course of this book, we will see how a dialectic of presence and Self/no-self debate, "providing the Yogaciras with a new, positive platform of absence is a central theme in Mipam's works. The relationship between defense against both the Hindu Eternalists and the Buddhist Nihilists"; from xiv MIPAM ON BUDDHA-NATURE Introduction xv a didactic (or practical) point of view, it functions as an intermediate step A lively dialectical tension between Buddha-nature and emptiness has between a narrowly defined notion of Self (dtman) and a more thorough continued in Tibet in terms of the competing doctrines of "other-emptiness" understanding of no-self (andtman); and from an ethical point of view, it (gzhan stong) and "self-emptiness" (rang stong). The language of other-empti­ provides a philosophical basis for altruism in the Mahayana. Sutton also ness-which portrays the ultimate truth in affirming language-explicitly explains Buddha-nature to function in three ways: (1) as an essence, an conflicts with the orthodox Geluk (dge lugs) formulation of the ultimate as a "underlying ontological Reality, or essential nature behind phenomena''; (2) mere absence of inherent existence. A central issue concerning the status of as an "embryo" or "seed"-a dynamic, evolving potential; and (3) as a other-emptiness is a recurring tension between presence and absence, which "matrix" or "womb," an "intermediate" meaning (between the first two in Buddhist terms gets expressed in various ways such as appearance and meanings), equated with the universal ground consciousness (alayavijftdna).4 emptiness, conventional and ultimate truth, Buddha-nature and emptiness, The discourse of Buddha-nature, as a pure essence abiding in temporarily and other-emptiness and self-emptiness. This issue can be seen to have a his­ obscured living beings, is a considerable diversion from the negative language tory extending back to India in the competing depictions of the absolute as found in many other Buddhist texts. The unchanging, permanent status attrib­ qualified (sagur;a) or unqualified (nirgur;a). A major tension in Tibetan uted to Buddha-nature is a radical departure from the language emphasizing thought is found between the positions that the ultimate truth must be a impermanence within the discourses of early Buddhism. Indeed, the language simple emptiness-a negation-in contrast to the positively framed depic­ of Buddha-nature is strikingly similar to the very positions that Buddhists tions of ultimate reality as a divine presence existing at the ground of all. often argue against, demonstrating a decisive break from the early Buddhist Across this spectrum we find a wide array of positions. triad of impermanence (an#ya), suffering (duf;kha), and selflessness (andtman). The most famous proponents of other-emptiness are found within the The Uttaratantra (ca. fourth century), the first known commentarial treatise to Jonang (jo nang) tradition, and Dolpopa (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, deal explicitly with this topic, states: "The qualities of purity (fubha), self 1292-1361) in particular.10 A view of other-emptiness in general involves (dtman), bliss (sukha), and permanence (nitya) are the transcendent results."5 affirming an ultimate ground of reality as a metaphysical presence that is Such affirmations are conspicuously absent in many other Buddhist texts. empty of all phenomena that are extrinsic to it.
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