This series is a commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
Main reading:
Jeffrey Hopkins: Emptiness in the Middle Way School of Buddhism: Mutual Reinforcement of Understanding Dependent-Arising and Emptiness, volume IV, Section on the Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising.
Class #1 of Jeffrey Hopkins' commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
Class #2 of Jeffrey Hopkins' commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
Class #3 of Jeffrey Hopkins' commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
Class #4 of Jeffrey Hopkins' commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
Class #5 of Jeffrey Hopkins' commentary on the section of Tsong-kha-pa's The Essence of Eloquence which analyses the topic of 'Emptiness as the Meaning of Dependent-arising'.
The class discusses chapter 6: Jam-yang-shay-pa’s Overview of Dependent-arising
Class discusses Chapter 6: Jam-yang-shay-pa’s Overview of Dependent-arising.
Class discusses chapter 7: Gyal-tshab’s Notes on Tsong-kha-pa’s Teaching
Class discusses Chapter 7: Gyal-tshab’s Notes on Tsong-kha-pa’s
Teaching, issues 30 - 33.
Class discusses chapter 8: Jam-yang-shay-pa on Explicit and Implicit Realization
Class discusses chapter 8: Jam-yang-shay-pa on Explicit and Implicit Realization
Class discusses chapter 8: Jam-yang-shay-pa on Explicit and Implicit Realization
Class discusses chapter 8: Jam-yang-shay-pa on Explicit and Implicit Realization.
Class discusses chapter 8: Jam-yang-shay-pa on Explicit and Implicit Realization.
Class discusses chapter 9. Pur-bu-jog and Ngag-wang-tra-shi on
Positive and Negative Phenomena
Chapter 9. Pur-bu-jog and Ngag-wang-tra-shi on Positive and Negative Phenomena
The class looks at Buddhapālita’s Refutation of Production from Self, Bhāvaviveka’s Criticism, and Avalokitavrata’s Commentary, p39 onwards
Refutation_and_Attack.pdf
Short jump to Buddhapālita’s Refutation of Production from Self, Bhāvaviveka’s Criticism, and Avalokitavrata’s Commentary, page 155 onwards
Refutation_and_Attack.pdf
Short jump to Buddhapālita’s Refutation of Production from Self, Bhāvaviveka’s Criticism, and Avalokitavrata’s Commentary, page 159 onwards
Refutation_and_Attack.pdf
Class discusses chapter 9. Pur-bu-jog and Ngag-wang-tra-shi on
Positive and Negative Phenomena, section Four types of affirming negatives and five types of negatives. Page 245 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 9. Pur-bu-jog and Ngag-wang-tra-shi on
Positive and Negative Phenomena, section Four types of affirming negatives and five types of negatives. Page 258 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 10. Tsong-kha-pa’s Own Explanation of
How the Meaning of Emptiness is the Meaning of Dependent-arising. Page 261 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 10. Tsong-kha-pa’s Own Explanation of
How the Meaning of Emptiness is the Meaning of Dependent-arising. Page 261 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 10. Tsong-kha-pa’s Own Explanation of
How the Meaning of Emptiness is the Meaning of Dependent-arising. Page 262 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 10. Tsong-kha-pa’s Own Explanation of
How the Meaning of Emptiness is the Meaning of Dependent-arising. Page 263 onwards.
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p269
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p273
Overview of various topics.
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p278
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p279
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p286
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p289
Class discusses chapter 11. Jang-kya Röl-pay-dor-jay on the Three Meanings of Dependent-arising, p291
Class makes an overview about what so called labeling means, why that term can be misleading and what are common misconceptions related to this topic. It also compares the views of Mind Only and Consequence schools on this subject.
Class starts with several questions about explicit and implicit realization, and about direct perception in Consequence school. Then it turns to the beginning of chapter 13: Tsong-kha-pa on Mutual Reinforcement (page 315).
Class starts with the discussion on the meaning of establishment by way of its own character in Mind Only school, Autonomy school, and Consequence school. Then it starts with the Tan-Dar-Lha-Ram-Pa’s Expansive Commentary on the first two verses of Tsong-kha-pa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path (page 316).
Class continues with the reading of Tan-Dar-Lha-Ram-Pa’s Expansive Commentary on Tsong-kha-pa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path. It starts with the third verse which explains how the profound dependent-arising is not realized. Then it opens the fourth verse clarifying what is the measure of having realized the profound dependent-arising (page 317).
Class continues with the reading of Tan-Dar-Lha-Ram-Pa’s Expansive Commentary on Tsong-kha-pa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path. It starts with the third verse which explains how the profound dependent-arising is not realized. Then it opens the fourth verse clarifying what is the measure of having realized the profound dependent-arising (page 319).
Class first investigates the meaning of inherent establishment first by looking at Tsong-kha-pa’s explanation and then by analyzing Tan-dar-lha-ram-pa's description using an example of a yurt-house. Continuing with the same example, comparison between the Autonomists and the Consequentialists are shown. Page 321 and 322.
Class continues with the comparison between the Autonomists and the Consequentialists. Then it briefly looks at the three criteria which must be satisfied for something to exist conventionally. And finally it analyzes what does it mean to be damaged by a rational consciousness. Page 322-324.
Class starts with the reflection on what it means to analyze the ultimate. For easier understanding some examples are provided, which show that ultimate analysis is in one way surprisingly simple. Then the class connects this analysis with the reason why some Tibetan sects say that things don't exist and how Gelug provides an elaborate framework to avoid saying this. At the end the class turns to Tsong-kha-pa’s why the Middle view is very difficult to find.
Class continues with the investigation in the often repeated formula "Emptiness is the meaning of dependent-arising, and dependent-arising is the meaning of emptiness." By quoting Tsong-kha-pa, Tan-dar-lha-ram-pa presents how both realizations occur, which one comes first and which one comes second, and for what type of practitioner these realizations occur. Pages 329-330.
Class analyses Tan-dar-lha-ram-pa's comparison of how inferential realization of emptiness is produced according to the Autonomists and how an inferential realization of emptiness is produced according to the Consequentialists. Page 330.
Class proceeds with the explanation how to generate inferential realization. First it gives an explanation of how to break down the pointedness, or vibrancy, of the opponent’s adherence to a wrong view. Then it talks about why the reason of syllogism should be obvious and based on common experience. Pages 331-332.
The class makes a comparison between Dignāga-Dharmakīrti and Consequentialists system of proof statements. Dignāga-Dharmakīrti system emphasizes that the prescribed mode of debate through many steps is required to lead an opponent to a proper understanding of the thesis. Consequentialists on the other hand claim that for sharp opponents a simpler procedure is suitable. Pages 331-334.
Class starts with providing a few details about Chapa Chokyi Senge and his method of debate. Then it discusses what inferential realization is like, explaining what appears and what is ascertained during the meditation. It further explores how some scholars assert that the appearance factor is the object itself, and how others assert that just immaculate vacuity appears. Pages 333-336.
The class analyses two important questions:
- Issue #41: Could this be a realization of an affirming negative?
- and Issue #42: Do the two ascertainments occur simultaneously?
Class continues with the analysis of Issue #42: Do the two ascertainments occur simultaneously? This time the class examines Ngag-wang-pal-dan's explanation of how the widely renowned position that "extreme of existence is avoided through appearance and the extreme of nonexistence is avoided through emptiness" is supported by sūtras and Indian commentaries. Pages 340-341.
The class starts with Issue #43 in which Tan-dar-lha-ram-pa presents a potential qualm that Tsong-kha-pa holds that an inference realizes an affirming negative in place of the negated inherent existence. The class analyses Tsong-kha-pa's passage which can be misunderstood in this way and then moves on to Issue #44. Pages 342-344
Class starts with a discussion on issue #44, where a question is raised if similar complications as before arise also in other, more mundane inferences. Then it proceeds to issue #45, in which Tan-dar lha-ram-pa explains how one of the standard logical reasoning also similarly induces realization and thus this is not unusual. The classes also goes into some interesting aspects of the procedure of debate. Pages 344-346.
Class reviews the reasoning in Issue #45 which can be difficult to understand. Then it moves to the Issue #46: Could dependent-arising itself avoid the two extremes? With this, chapter 13. is finished and the class introduces the next topic, a famous song by Jang-kya Röl-pay dor-je’s called "Song of the View, Identifying Mother". In this fascinating song Jang-kya uses analogies of aged mother, father, crazy child and elder brother to illustrate the meaning and relationship between emptiness and dependent-arising.
What does name-only mean? Does it mean that phenomena are only names? The class looks into this question by analyzing the qualm and an answer given by Gung-thang Kön-chog-tanpay-drön-me.
The class continues with Khay-drub’s commentary on how the yogis upon rising from their meditative equipoise on emptiness, ascertain that mere names remain and how those names are mere nominalities, baselessly associated by conceptuality. At the same time they establish through experience that for example the merely nominal “I” has the capacity to perform various actions.
Looking again at Khay-drub’s commentary on how the yogis induce ascertainment that mere names such as “I” and so forth are exhausted
as conceptual imputations. However, for the sake of planting predispositions, it’s important to train in this way also for beginners even if just in imaginative thought.
The class continues and finishes with the first debate. Having lost the first debate, now the opponent open a new debate in which he wrongly states that a pot’s emptiness of true establishment is not the meaning of a pot’s dependent-arising. To support his statement he provides same three (correct) reasons as in the first debate, however, there is no entailment so his statement is not proven.
The class introduces a new debate in where the opponent presents a seemingly position: those who have completed analysis of the view also ascertain — with an awareness ascertaining external and internal things as dependent-arisings — that those are empty of true existence. However, as Ngag-wang-tra-shi shows during the debate, this position is not correct. The text then proceeds to the final debate, where Zha-mar Gen-dün-tan-dzin-gya-tsho raises objections.
