Opening the Wisdom Door of the Rangtong and Shentong Views

142 Pages·2007·3.837 MB·English

by  Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche

Pa d m a S a m y e L i n g S h e d r a S e r i e s
O pen in g th e W isdom D oor of the
Rangtong and
Shentong Views
A Brief Explanation of th e O ne Taste
of th e Second and Third Turnings
of th e W heel o f D harm a
By Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche
& Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche

O p e n in g th e W is d o m D oor of th e
Rangtong & Shentong Views
A Brief Explanation of the O ne Taste of
the Second and Third Turnings of
the W heel of D harma
by
Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche
and
Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche

O p e n in g t h e W is d o m D oor of t h e
Rangtong & Shentong Views
A Brief Explanation of the O ne Taste of
the Second and Third Turnings of
the W heel of D harma
by
Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche
and
Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
Edited by Andrew Cook
Opening the Wisdom Door of the Rangtong and Shentong Views:
A Brief Explanation of the One Taste of the Second and Third
Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma
Copyright © 2007 Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo
Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
All rights reserved. No part of material may be reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the authors.
Published by Dharma Samudra.
Padma Samye Ling
618 Buddha Highway
Sidney Center, NY 13839
[phone]
www.padmasambhava.org
ISBN: 0-9659339-7-0
C o n t e n t s
Acknowledgements.................................................................................9
Introduction...........................................................................................13
Beginning of the Main Text.............................................................15
Buddha-nature and the Two Truths...............................................16
Definitions of Rangtong and Shentong...........................................19
Rangtongpas Explain Tathagatagarbha.....................................20
Shentongpas Respond to Rangtong Criticisms.........................22
Provisional Versus Definitive................................................... 25
Valid Cognition, Prasangika and Svatantrika Madhyamaka 26
Questions and Answers.....................................................................31
Further Provisional and Definitive Teachings...............................35
The Four Intentions of Provisional Meaning.................................37
1. Thinking of Equanimity........................................................37
2. Thinking of Other Times........................................................38
3. Thinking of Some Other Meaning........................................38
4. Thinking of the Individual’s Intentions................................39
The Four Junctions...........................................................................39
L The Swinging-Meaning Teaching of Ushering.......................40
2. The Swinging-Meaning Teaching of Characteristics 40
3. The Swinging-Meaning Teaching of Antidotes.....................41
4. The Swinging-Meaning Teaching of Change.........................41
The Four Reliances...........................................................................42
Three Reasonings That Establish Buddha-nature...............................45
Other Schools and the Three Points...............................................45
Mipham Rinpoche Refutes the Other Schools...............................47
Establishing the Nyingma View.......................................................49
What is Buddha-nature?.......................................................................53
Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma.......................................56
First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.......................................57
Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.................................58
Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.....................................58
Summary...........................................................................................62
Nine Metaphors That Describe Buddha-nature.............................63
Questions and Answers.....................................................................67
Mipham Establishes the Three Points of Buddha-nature.................73
1. Mipham Explains the First Point.................................................75
2. Mipham Explains the Second Point...........................................79
3. Mipham’s Explanation of the Third Point.................................79
Summary of the Three Points.........................................................80
Nagarjuna and Buddha-nature.............................................................85
Two Kinds of Buddha-nature...........................................................87
The Nyingma School and Buddha-nature.....................................88
The Hidden Nature of Mind...........................................................89
Buddha-nature and Madhyamaka...................................................90
Three Points That Establish Buddha-nature...................................92
The Four Qualities of Tathagatagarbha...........................................93
Three Mistakes Regarding Buddha-nature.........................................97
1. Tathagatagarbha as Substantially Existent.................................98
2. Tathagatagarbha as Blank Emptiness........................................100
3. Tathagatagarbha as Compounded..............................................101
The Four Baskets.............................................................................105
1.TheVinay a...............................................................................106
2. Sutra Mahayana.....................................................................106
3. The Abhidharma.....................................................................107
Purifying the Obscurations...........................................................108
The Three Turnings as Provisional vs. Definitive..........................109
The Outer and Inner Tantras.............................................................113
1. The Outer Tantras.......................................................................113
2. Mahayoga (The First Inner Tantra)...........................................113
2. Anuyoga (The Second Inner Tantra).........................................114
3. Atiyoga (The Third Inner Tantra).............................................114
Questions and Answers...................................................................116
Rangtong and Shentong Masters.......................................................118
Conclusion...........................................................................................121
Dedication...........................................................................................123
About the Authors......................... 125
Other Publications by the Authors...............................................131
Endnotes...............................................................................................133