Mipam on Buddha-Nature : The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition

A comprehensive overview of Tibetan Buddhist thinker Mipam's work on emptiness and Buddha-nature. MIPAM ON BUDDHA-NATURE......Page 4 CONTENTS......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 10 INTRODUCTION......Page 12 PRESENCE AND ABSENCE......Page 13 HISTORICAL SURVEY......Page 18 MONASTIC EDUCATION AND THE NONSECTARIAN MOVEMENT......Page 21 LIFE AND WORKS OF MIPAM......Page 24 SUMMARY OF CONTENTS......Page 29 THE END OF THE BEGINNING......Page 33 INTRODUCTION......Page 36 MIPAM’S SYNTHESIS......Page 39 TWO TRUTHS......Page 41 BUDDHA-NATURE AS THE UNITY OF APPEARANCE AND EMPTINESS......Page 48 BUDDHA-NATURE AS THE DEFINITIVE MEANING......Page 55 CONCLUSION......Page 61 INTRODUCTION......Page 62 SVATANTRIKA-PRASANGIKA......Page 63 DIALECTICAL ASCENT......Page 74 FOUNDATIONS OF YOGACARA......Page 80 PRASANGIKA VERSUS YOGACARA......Page 86 CONCLUSION......Page 88 INTRODUCTION......Page 90 OTHER-EMPTINESS IN THE JONANG......Page 92 OTHER-EMPTINESS AND THE NYINGMA: LOCHEN DHARMAŚRĪ......Page 101 ANOTHER EMPTINESS? EMPTINESS OF SELF/OTHER......Page 106 PHENOMENA AND SUCHNESS......Page 108 DE/LIMITING EMPTINESS......Page 116 EMPTINESS AS THE UNITY OF APPEARANCE AND EMPTINESS......Page 120 CONCLUSION......Page 126 INTRODUCTION......Page 128 DISTINGUISHING THE VIEWS ON BUDDHA-NATURE......Page 129 BUDDHA-NATURE AS HERITAGE, BUDDHA-NATURE AS THE GROUND......Page 134 APPEARANCE AND REALITY......Page 142 CONCLUSION......Page 149 INTRODUCTION......Page 152 ESTABLISHING BUDDHA-NATURE: THE IMMANENT BUDDHA......Page 153 ESTABLISHING APPEARANCES AS DIVINE......Page 159 BUDDHA-NATURE AND A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SŪTRA AND MANTRA......Page 166 CONCLUSION......Page 174 CONCLUSION......Page 176 TRANSLATIONS OF PRIMARY TEXTS......Page 180 APPENDIX ONE: Lion’s Roar: Exposition of Buddha-Nature......Page 182 STATING OTHER TRADITIONS......Page 184 The Meaning of the First Verse “Because the body of the perfect Buddhais radiant”......Page 188 The Meaning of the Second Verse “Because thusness is indivisible”......Page 194 The Meaning of the Third Verse “Because of possessing heritage”......Page 197 REFUTING THE VIEW THAT [THE BASIC ELEMENT] IS TRULY ESTABLISHED AND NOT EMPTY......Page 202 REFUTING THE VIEW THAT [THE BASIC ELEMENT] IS A VOID EMPTINESS......Page 203 REFUTING THE APPREHENSION OF [THE BASIC ELEMENT] AS IMPERMANENT AND CONDITIONED......Page 205 APPENDIX TWO: Notes on the Essential Points of [Mipam’s] Exposition [of Buddha-Nature]......Page 216 NOTES......Page 226 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 300 B......Page 316 C......Page 317 E......Page 318 G......Page 319 K......Page 320 M......Page 321 N......Page 322 P......Page 323 S......Page 324 T......Page 325 V......Page 326 Z......Page 327 Mipam ('ju Mi Pham Rgya Mtsho, 1846-1912) Is One Of The Most Prolific Thinkers In The History Of Tibet And Is A Key Figure In The Nyingma Tradition Of Buddhism. His Works Continue To Be Widely Studied In The Tibetan Cultural Region And Beyond. This Book Provides An Account Of Mipam's View, Drawing On A Wide Range Of His Works And Offering Several New Translations. Douglas S. Duckworth Shows How A Dialectic Of Presence And Absence Permeates Mipam's Writings On The Middle Way And Buddha-nature. Arguably The Most Important Doctrine In Buddhism, Buddha-nature Is, For Mipam, Equivalent To The True Meaning Of Emptiness; It Is The Ground Of All And The Common Ground Shared By Sentient Beings And Buddhas. This Ground Is The Foundation Of The Path And Inseparable From The Goal Of Buddhahood. Duckworth Probes Deeply Into Mipam's Writings On Buddha-nature To Illuminate Its Central Place In A Dynamic Buddhist Philosophy.--jacket. Presence And Absence -- Historical Survey -- Monastic Education And The Non-sectarian Movement -- Life And Works Of Mipam -- Summary Of Contents -- The End Of The Beginning -- Buddha-nature And The Unity Of The Two Truths -- Mipam's Synthesis -- Two Truths -- Buddha-nature As The Unity Of Appearance And Emptiness -- Buddha-nature As The Definitive Meaning -- Middle Way Of Prāsaṅgika And Yogācāra -- Svātantrika-prāsaṅgika -- Dialectical Ascent -- Foundations Of Yogācāra -- Prāsaṅgika Vs. Yogācāra -- The Present Absence -- Other-emptiness In The Jonang -- Other-emptiness And The Ningma: Lochen Dharmaśri -- Another Emptiness? Emptiness Of Self/other -- Phenomena And Suchness -- De/limiting Emptiness -- Emptiness As The Unity Of Appearance And Emptiness -- Buddha-nature And The Ground Of The Great Perfection -- Distinguishing The Views On Buddha-nature -- Buddha-nature As Heritage, Buddha-nature As The Ground -- Appearance And Reality -- The Indivisible Ground And Fruition -- Establishing Buddha-nature: The Immanent Buddha -- Establishing Appearances As Divine -- Buddha-nature And A Difference Between Sutra And Mantra. Douglas S. Duckworth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 265-279) And Index. Mipam ( 'ju mi pham rgya mtsho , 18461912) is one of the most prolific thinkers in the history of Tibet and is a key figure in the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism. His works continue to be widely studied in the Tibetan cultural region and beyond. This book provides an in-depth account of Mipam's view, drawing on a wide range of his works and offering several new translations. Douglas S. Duckworth shows how a dialectic of presence and absence permeates Mipam's writings on the Middle Way and Buddha-nature. Arguably the most important doctrine in Buddhism, Buddha-nature is, for Mipam, equivalent to the true meaning of emptiness; it is the ground of all and the common ground shared by sentient beings and Buddhas. This ground is the foundation of the path and inseparable from the goal of Buddhahood. Duckworth probes deeply into Mipam's writings on Buddha-nature to illuminate its central place in a dynamic Buddhist philosophy.