• Dominic Goodall, Alexis Sanderson, and Francesco Sferra contributed to a volume of proceedings from an international workshop on Tantrism, held on October 3–4, 2005 at the Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, edited by Prof. Shingo Einoo: Genesis and Development of Tantrism.
• Orna Almogi’s doctoral dissertation was published by the International Institute for Buddhist Studies, Tokyo: Rong-zom-pa’s Discourses on Buddhology.

A Direct Path to the Buddha Within: Gö Lotsawa’s Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga. Studies In Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 28 December 2007. 608 pp. ISBN 0-86171-528-4. ISBN-13 9780861715282.

[ Wisdom Publications / amazon.com ]

Maitreya’s Ratnagotravibhāga, also known as the Uttaratantra, is the main Indian treatise on buddha nature, a concept that is heavily debated in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. In A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, Klaus-Dieter Mathes looks at a pivotal Tibetan commentary on this text by Gö Lotsawa Zhönu Pal, best known as the author of the Blue Annals. Gö Lotsawa, whose teachers spanned the spectrum of Tibetan schools, developed a highly nuanced understanding of buddha nature, tying it in with mainstream Mahāyana thought while avoiding contested aspects of the so-called empty-of-other (zhentong) approach. In addition to translating key portions of Gö Lotsawa’s commentary, Mathes provides an in-depth historical context, evaluating Gö’s position against those of Kagyü, Nyingma, and Jonang masters, and examining how Gö Lotsawa’s view affects his understanding of a buddha’s qualities, the concept of emptiness, and the practice of mahāmudrā.

Title Page … iii
Copyright … iv
Table of Contents … v

Introduction … 1

General Remarks … 1
Delimitation of the Subject and Methods Employed … 3
The Ratnagotravibhāga and its Vyākhyā … 7
The Reaction of Mainstream Mahāyāna to the Theory of Buddha Nature … 17

Part I: The Tibetan Historical Context

1. The Development of Various Traditions of Interpreting Buddha Nature … 25

Ngog Loden Sherab’s Analytical Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga … 25
Ratnagotravibhāga Commentaries in the Meditation Tradition … 32
The Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga … 34
The Zhentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga .. 45

2. Various Positions Related to Zhönu Pal’s Interpretation … 49

The Position of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorjé … 51
The Position of Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen … 75
The Position of Sabzang Mati Panchen … 84
The Position of Lodrö Tsungmé … 91
The Position of Longchen Rabjampa … 98
The Position of Barawa Gyaltsen Palzang … 113
A Comparison of the Positions … 125

3. A Short Account of the Most Important Events in Zhönu Pal’s Life … 131

Part II: Translation

4. Zhönu Pal’s Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā Commentary … 151

Translator’s Introduction … 151
Technical Notes … 154

The Commentary on the Treatise “Mahāyana-Uttaratantra”: The Mirror Showing Reality Very Clearly (Introduction and Initial Commentaries) … 157

Introduction … 157
The Commentary for Those with Sharp Faculties … 169
The Commentary for Those with Average Faculties … 180
The Explanation of RGV I.1 … 181
The Explanation of RGV I.2 … 204
The Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha … 205
Buddha Nature and Its Purification through the Three Dharmackras … 214
Enlightenment, Buddha Qualities, and Activity … 309
A Short Explanation of RGV I.3 … 312

Part III: Zhönu Pal’s Views on Buddha Qualities, Emptiness, and Mahāmudrā

5. Buddha Qualities … 317

General Remarks … 317
Different Views on Buddha Qualities … 318
The Blossoming of Subtle Qualities … 320
The Examples Used to Illustrate the Growth of the Qualities … 342
The Ontological Status of the Buddha Qualities … 344

6. Two Types of Emptiness … 351

7. Zhönu Pal’s Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga … 367

The Ratnagotravibhāga as a Basis for Mahāmudrā Instructions … 367
The Three Dharmacakras: Mahāmudrā Hermeneutics … 368
The Mahāmudrā Approach of Yogic Direct Valid Cognitions … 373
Sutra-Based Mahāmudrā Meditation … 377
The First Mahāmudrā Yoga of One-Pointedness … 381
The Second Mahāmudrā Yoga of Freedom from Mental Fabrications … 382
The Third Mahāmudrā Yoga of One Taste … 384
The Fourth Mahāmudrā Yoga of Nonmeditation … 385
The Four Mahāmudrā Yogas and the Ratnagotravibhāga … 386
Zhönu Pal’s Justification of a Sudden Mahāmudrā Path … 397
Pairs of Paradoxes … 406

8. Conclusion … 411

Notes … 423
Table of Tibetan Transliteration … 555
Bibliography … 565
Subject Index … 589
Indian Text Index … 607

Dorji Wangchuk. ‘The Resolve to Become a Buddha. A Study of the Bodhicitta Concept in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism.’ Studia Philologica Buddhica Mongraph Series XXIII. Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 2007. ISBN 978-4-906267-59-0, 453 pp. [ official site ]

Preface … 13

Technical Note … 19

Chapter One: A General Introduction: On Becoming a Buddha
1. Introductory Remarks … 21
2. Buddhology … 22
3. Buddhist Soteriology … 39
(a) Emic and Etic Perceptions of Buddhism
(b) The Fundamental features of Buddhist Soteriology … 33
(c) The Mahāyāna Perception of the Quintessence of Buddhist Teachings
(d) Buddhist Soteriological Models and Goals
(e) Two Mahāyāna Soteriological Models of Becoming a Buddha … 38
4. Ontology … 41
5. Buddhist Epistemology and Gnoseology
6. Buddhist Axiology
a) The Three-Vow Sceme … 45
b) Comparing and Contrastic the Three Vows … 47
7. Concluding Remarks … 56

Chapter Two: Previous Studies on Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 57
2. The Early Western Knowledge of Bodhicitta … 58
3. Monographs on the Study of Bodhicitta … 59
a) Taishuu Tagami (1990) … 59
b) Francis Brassard (2000) … 60
4. Articles on Bodhicitta … 61
a) Kumataro Kawada (1965) … 61
b) Lal Mani Joshi (1971)
c) S. K. Nanayakkara (1971) … 62
d) Lobsang Dargay (1981) … 63
e) Gareth Sparham (1987) … 63
d) Gareth Sparham (1992) … 64
5. Studies on Bodhicitta in Specific Canonical Works … 65
6. On Translating the Term Bodhicitta … 69
7. A Study of Bodhicitta: Still a Desideratum … 70
8. Concluding Remarks … 71

Chapter Three: The Historical and Doctrinal Background of the Bodhicitta Concept
1. Introductory Remarks … 73
2. Bodhicitta as a Means of Compensating for the Loss of the Historical Buddha … 74
3. The Doctrinal Foundations of Bodhicitta in Early Buddhism … 77
(a) A Buddha as a Discoverer and Proclaimer of the True Reality … 77
(b) The Plurality of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Early Buddhism … 77
(c) The Concept of the Resolve Made by Previous Buddhas … 80
(d) The Altruism of the Historical Buddha … 82
(e) Altruism in Early Buddhism … 84
(f) Prerequisites for Becoming a Buddha in Early Buddhism … 86
(g) The ‘Golden Rule’ in Early Buddhism … 87
4. Concluding Remarks … 89

Chapter Four: The Buddha’s First Resolve to Become a Buddha
1. Introductory Remarks … 91
2. The Historical Buddha as One of Many and Yet One of a Kind … 92
3. Three Events Marking the Career of the Buddha … 92
(a) The First Event: The Initial Resolve to Become a Buddha … 94
(i) Attempts to Resolve the Illogicality of Several ‘First Times’ … 98
(ii) Was the Historical Bodhisattva ‘King-Like’ or ‘Herdsman-Like’? … 99
(b) The Second Event: Striving to Become a Buddha … 100
(c) The Third Event: The Time and Place of the Buddha’s Awakening … 102
4. A Historical Sketch of the Buddha’s Initial Resolve to Become a Buddha … 104
5. Concluding Remarks … 105

Chapter Five: Mahāyāna, Bodhisattva, and Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 107
2. The Concepts of Yāna in Buddhism … 109
(a) The Various Models of Yāna .. 110

(i) The One-Vehicle Model … 111
(ii) The Two-Vehicle Model … 112
(iii) The Three-Vehicle Model … 113
(iv) The Four-Vehicle Model … 115
(v) The Five-Vehicle Model … 116
(vi) The Nine-Vehicle Model … 117
(vii) The n-Vehicle Model … 118
(viii) The No-Vehicle Model … 119

(b) Which Vehicles Are Buddhist? … 120
(c) Mahāyāna … 121

(i) Dissent on the Origin of Mahāyāna … 121
(ii) The Content of Mahāyāna … 122
(iii) Is Mahāyāna Indispensable? Is Vajrayāna Indispensable? … 125

3. The Concepts of Sattva and Bodhisattva … 126
(a) No Bodhisattvas without Sattvas …. 127
(b) Faith-oriented and Reason-oriented Sentient Beings … 128
(c) The Term Bodhisattva … 129
(d) Synonyms of Bodhisattva … 133
(e) Types of Bodhisattvas … 134

(i) Historical, Celestial and Earthly Bodhisattvas … 135
(ii) Human and Non-human Bodhisattvas … 136
(iii) Male and Female Bodhisattvas … 137
(iv) Ordained and Lay Bodhisattvas … 139

(v) Bodhisattvas with Different Backgrounds … 139
(f) The Śrāvaka-Bodhisattva Distinction … 140
(g) The Concept of Vajrasattva … 142
4. The Term Bodhicitta and Its Definition … 144
(a) The Term Bodhicitta in the Astasāhasrikā … 144
(b) The Term Bodhicitta in the Drumakinnararājapariprcchāsutra … 145
(c) The Term Bodhicitta in the Bodhisattvabhumi … 148
(d) The Relative Chronology of the Astasahasrika and the Bodhisattvabhumi … 149
(e) The Terms Cittotpada, Bodhicitta and Bodhicittotpāda … 149
(f) Some Definitions of a Bodhicitta or Cittotpāda … 151
(g) How Indispensable Is Bodhicitta for a Bodhisattva? … 154
(h) Benefits and Functions of Bodhicitta … 160
5. Concluding Remarks

Chapter Six: The Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions
1. Introductory Remarks … 169
2. The Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions … 170
3. Tibetan Assessments of the Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions … 172
4. The Names of the Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions … 173
5. The Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions: The Basis of the Distinctions … 175
6. The Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions: Personal Authorities .. 175
7. The Two Bodhicittotpāda Traditions: Scriptural Authorities … 176
8. The Historical Background of the Bodhicittapāda Ritual … 177
9. What Is Actually Generated by the Ritual? … 180
10. The Optionality of an Officiant in the Two Traditions … 181
11. Qualifications for Officiants in the Two Traditions … 182
12. The Eligibility of Candidates in the Two Traditions … 183
13. The Preparatory Procedures of the Bodhicittotpāda Ritual … 186
14. The Main Procedures of the Bodhicittotpāda Ritual … 187
15. The Concluding Procedures of the Bodhicittotpāda Ritual … 188
16. Observances and Offences in the Two Traditions … 188
(a) The Cardinal Transgressions in the Manjusri-Nāgārjuna Tradition … 189
(b) The Cardinal Transgressions in the Maitreya-Asanga Tradition … 191
(c) The Minor Offences in the Two Traditions … 192
17. Reestablishing a Broken Vow in the Two Traditions … 193
18. Concluding Remarks … 194

Chapter Seven: A Typology of Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 195
2. An Overview of the Five Types of Bodhicitta … 196
3. Ethico-Spiritual Bodhicitta … 197
4. Gnoseological Bodhicitta … 198
(a) What Gnoseological Bodhicitta Is … 198
(b) Some Synonyms of Gnoseological Bodhicitta … 198
(c) Some Salient Features of Gnoseological Bodhicitta … 199
(d) Who Possesses Gnoseological Bodhicitta? … 201
(e) Gnosis as Abiding in the Body … 202
(f) The Three Modes of Emergence Open to Gnosis … 204

5. Ontological Bodhicitta … 205
(a) The Conception of Ontological Bodhicitta … 206
(b) An Outcome of a Philosophical Quest? … 211
(c) Synonyms and Near Synonyms of Ontological Bodhicitta … 214
(d) Two Distinct Perceptions of Ontological Bodhicitta … 216
(e) Some Salient Features of Ontological Bodhicitta … 217

6. Psycho-Physiological Bodhictta … 217
(a) What is Psycho-Physiological Bodhicitta? … 218
(b) Some Salient Features of Psycho-Physiological Bodhicitta … 220
(c) Probably Motives for the Conception of Psycho-Physiological Bodhicitta … 220
(d) The Problems of Physicality and Sexuality in Buddhism … 221
(e) Psycho-Physiological Bodhicitta in Yogic Practices … 223

7. Semiological Bodhicitta … 225
(a) General Features of Bodhicitta Symbolism … 225
(b) Putting Symbolism in a Buddhist Philosophical Context … 226
(c) Three Kinds of Semiological Bodhicitta; Visual, Verbal and Visional … 227
(d) Vajrayāna Symbolism and Literalism … 231

8. A Concluding Assessment of the Five Types of Bodhicitta … 232

Chapter Eight: Traditional Classifications of Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 235
2. Bodhicitta as a Fusion of Śūnyatā/Prajñā and Karuṇā/Upāya … 235
(a) The Term Śūnyatakaruṇāgarbha … 236
(b) The Term Śūnyatakaruṇābhinna … 238
(c) The Importance of Upāya and Prajñā … 239
(d) Tension between Two Poles of Emptiness and Compassion … 243
(e) Union of Emptiness and Compassion: A Tibetan Controversy … 245
(f) Three Positions on the Fusion of Śūnyatā/Prajñā and Karuṇā/Upāya … 245
3. Subclassifying Bodhicitta into Pranidhanacitta and Prasthānacitta … 246
(a) The Locus Classicus of the Classification … 246
(b) The Possible Historical Development of the Subclassification … 248
(c) The Pervasiveness of the Classification … 248
(d) Distinctions, Interpretations, and Controversies … 249
4. Subclassifying Bodhicitta into Conventional and Absolute … 251
(a) Two Strands of the Conventional-Absolute Classification … 252
(b) Textual Sources of the Conventional-Absolute Classification … 253
(c) The Relative Chronology of the Conventional-Absolute Classification … 255
(d) Two Different Perceptions of Conventional and Absolute Bodhicitta … 256
(e) Can Absolute Bodhicitta be Generated Ritually? A Tibetan Controversy … 258
5. Leading to the Goal and Not Leading to the Goal … 261
6. A Stable One and Unstable One … 262
7. Twofold Classifications of Cittotpāda in the Viniścayasaṃgrahaṇī … 263
(a) Samādānasāmketika and Dharmatāpratilambhika … 263
(b) The One That Is Uncertain and the One That Is Certain … 264
(c) The One That Is Impure and the One That Is Pure … 264
(d) The One That Is Weak and the One That Is Strong … 265
(e) The One That Has Yielded the Ultimate Result and the One That Has Not Yet … 265
8. Undistinguished and Distinguished Cittotpāda … 266
9. The One Characterised by Karuṇā and the One Characterised by Prajñā … 266
10. Ongoing and Non-Ongoing Cittotpāda … 267
11. A Threefold Classification: King-like, Boatman-like, and Herdsman-like … 267
(a) Some Indian Precursors of the Classification … 268
(b) Assessments by Some Tibetan Scholars … 269
12. A Fourfold Classification … 271
13. Subclassifying Bodhicitta into Ten Types … 273
14. Twenty-Two Kinds of Cittotpāda .. 273
(a) Sources of the Twenty-Two Kinds of Cittotpāda … 273
(b) A Historical Sketch … 274
15. Concluding Remarks … 275

Chapter Nine: Causes and Conditions pertaining to Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 277
2. Causes and Conditions pertaining to Bodhicitta in the Sūtra Sources … 277
3. Causes and Conditions pertaining to Bodhicitta in the Bodhisattvabhūmi … 279
4. Causes and Conditions pertaining to Bodhicitta in the Mahāyānasutrālaṃkāra … 283
5. Causes and Conditions pertaining to Bodhicitta as Discussed Elsewhere … 284
6. Compassion as the Root Cause of Bodhicitta … 285
7. Concluding Remarks … 289

Chapter Ten: The Mahāyāna Observances and the Maintenance of Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 291
2. The Model of the Four Cardinal Transgressions (mūlāpatti) … 292
3. Pledges and the Maintenance of Bodhicitta in the Kriyātantras … 295
(a) The Vairocanābhisambodhitantra … 296
(b) The Guhyatantra … 298
(c) The Susiddhikaratantra … 300
(d) The Subāhuparipṛcchātantra … 3034. Pledges and Maintenance of Bodhicitta in the Yogatantras … 305
(a) The Durgatipariśodhanatantra … 305
(b) The Vajraśikharatantra … 307
(c) The Śrīparamādyatantra … 310
(d) The Tattvasaṃgrahasutra … 312
5. Pledges and the Maintenance of Bodhicitta in the Mahāyoga System … 313
(a) The Buddhasamāyogatantra .. 319
(b) The Kṛṣṇayamāritantra and Guhyasamājābhisekavidhi … 320
(c) The Guhyendutilakatantra … 328
(d) The *Guhyagarbhatantra … 329
(e) Padmasambhava’s Categories of Pledges … 329
6. All Mahāyāna Precepts Relating to the Maintenance of Bodhicitta … 330
7. Concluding Remarks … 331

Chapter Eleven: The Relapse and Restoration of Bodhicitta
1. Introductory Remarks … 333
2. Impairment to or Loss of Bodhicitta … 334
3. Causes of the Partial or Total Breach of Vows … 337
4. Causes of Impairment to or Loss of Bodhicitta … 338
5. The Abandonment of Bodhicitta as the Severest Transgression … 346
6. The Types of Setbacks … 348
7. The Restorability of Bodhicitta … 351
8. Retaking and Restoring Bodhicitta … 352
9. The Four Strengths … 355
10. Concluding Remarks … 356

Appendix A: A Critical Edition of the Sanskrit Text of Bodhisattvabhūmi 1.2
1. Introduction …Appendix B: A Critical Edition of the Tibetan Text of Bodhisattvabhūmi 1.2
1. Introduction … 379
2. The Text … 382

Abbreviations and Bibliography
1. Journals, Collections, Reference Books, Series, and Other Abbreviations … 391
2. Indian Sources … 393
3. Tibetan Sources … 404
4. Secondary Sources … 411
Index … 431

The editors, Prof. Harunaga Isaacson and Prof. Francesco Sferra, plan to publish critical editions of the Sanskrit text and of the Tibetan translation, and an annotated English translation. They are currently teaching the text in a class at the University of Hamburg (pictured).