Table Of Content

THREE TEXTS ON MADHYAMAKA by Shakya Chokden Tran slated by Komarovski laroslav LIBRARY OF TIBETAN WORKS & ARCHIVES © 2000 Library of TibetanW orks andA rchives, Dharamsala (H.P.) India First Edition2 000 Reprint 2004 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ort ransmitted in any form orb y any means without the prior permission of the copyright owner. All enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. ISBN: 81-864-70-26-3 Publishedb yth e Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala, H.P. (India), andp rinted at IndraprasthaP ress (CBT), Nehru House, 4, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 Toc ommemorate the6 0thE nthronemAennnti versary andt heS OtAhn niversoafr y HisH olinetshse1 4tDha laLia maa ssuming StatRee sponsibilities Contents Publisher's Note vii Translator's Note ix Part One: Wish Fulfilling Meru INTRODUCTOPRRYE SENTAOTFIM OAND HYAMAKA 2 I. Definition of the Middle Path 2 II. Explanation of the Defined Term 2 A. Identification of Extremes 2 1. Identification in General 3 2. Identification in this Case 3 3. Refutation of Objections 5 B. Identification of the Path 5 C. Establishment of the Path as "The Middle" 6 DISCUSSOIFOV NA RIOUTSY PEOSF M ADHYAMAKA 7 III. Divisions of the Basis of Definition 7 A. Brief Presentation of Divisions 7 1. The Nature of Divisions 7 2. The Sources of Divisions 7 3. Showing Others' Assertions as Narrow 8 THEO RIGINATIOOFNM ADHYAMAKIANI NDIA 9 B. Extensive Explanation 9 1. How Madhyamaka Treatises were Composed 9 THES PREADIONFMG A DHYAMAKIANT IBET 21 2. How Madhyamaka Treatises Came to Tibet 21 CONCLUDIDNIGS CUSSION 31 3. Concluding [the Text] with a Little Refutation and Establishment 31 Part Two: Drop of Nectar of Definitive Meaning I. The Way of Entering the Great Mansion of Defifnitive Meaning through Acceptance of the False Truth 38 Content vi II. The Way of Entering the Great Mansiono f Definitive Meaning through Acceptance of the Ultimate Truth 40 A. How to Practice at the Time of Severing Conceptual Elaborations by the View 40 B. How to Proceed at the Time of Applying Conventions by Knowledge-Expressions of Aryas 40 Part Three: Great Ship of Discrimination that Sails into the Ocean of Definitive Meaning I. Brief Presentation 44 II. Extensive Explanation 44 A. How the Prasangika andS vatantrika Branches Diverged 45 B. The Explanation of the Differences of their Tenets 46 1. The Presentation of My Own Tradition 46 2. Refutationo f Traditions of Others 49 Appendices: An Outline 54 Notes 57 Glossary 86 Bibliography 99 Publisher's Note The Library of Tibetan Works &Archives is pleased to publish "Works on Madhyamaka Philosophy of gSer-mdogp an-chen sha-kya mchog ldan (1428-1507)" translated by Komarovski Iaroslav. The anthology includes three major treatises on Madhyamaka philosophy by the famous writer Sha-kya mchog-ldan: i. The Wish-fulfillingM eru: A Discourse Explaining the Origination of Madhyamaka (dBu-ma'i byung-tshul mam-par bshad-pa'i gtam yid-bzhin lhun-po), ii. Drop of Nectar of Definitive Meaning : Entering the Gate to the Essential points of the Two Truth (bDen-pa gnyis-kyi gnas-la 'jug-pa nges don bdud-rtsi thigs-pa), and iii. Great Ship of Discrimination that sails into the Ocean of definitive meaning :AT reatise Differentiating the Tenets of Prasa:figika and Svatantrika Madhyamaka ( dBu-ma thal rang gi grub-mtha'i mam-par dbye-ba'i bstan-bcos nges-don gyi rgya-mtshor 'jug-pa'i mam-dpyod kyi gru-chen). The Wish-fulfillingM eru attempts in presentingi n a lucid and concise way the Madhyamaka view including the Tantrik madhyamaka, and its spread in India and Tibet. Drop of Definitive Meaning, through its brief yet succinct explanation guides us in entering the spheres of definitive meaning by means of understandingt he two truth-the conventional trutha nd the ultimate truth. Great Ship of Discrimination that sails into the Ocean of definitive meaning extensively e xplains the divergence of Madhyamaka into Svatantrika and Prasafigika Madhyamaka, their philosophical views, and their interpretation of various concepts. In all, this anthology gives a general presentation of Madhyamaka schools and their views accordingt o the great Sakyapa master. Despite the meticulous and painstakingt ranslation rendered by the translator, readers are requested to refer to the Tibetan originals for minute details and research information. We hope our readers will enjoy readingt his classical work on Madhyamaka philosophy. Publications Department Library of Tibetan Works & Archives Dharamsala (H.P.) India November, 2000 Translator's Note Over time Tibetan Buddhism has produced many outstanding scholars whose views have been studied and followed until the present time. Within the Sakya tradition, Gorampa Sonam Senge (go ram pa bsod nams seng ge -1429 -1489) is considered to be the most influential philosopher of the past five centuries by far. Yet during his lifetime Gorampa's influence was closely rivaled by that of Shakya Chokden (gser mdog pai:ichen shakya mchog ldan - 1428 -1507), whose works until recently received little to no attention among modem scholars. Although the views of Shakya Chokden and Gorampa often differ greatly on many points of Madhyamaka, their contribution was similar in that they both greatly clarified the views of their own tradition through numerous commentaries on Indian and Tibetan treatises, and also through their original treatises and critical texts aimed at the views of Tsongkhapa (tsong kha ba -1357 -1419) and his followers, known as Gelukpa. The lineage of most of Gorampa' s works, which are traditionally transmitted orally through reading and explanation, has survived unbroken until the present day. However, the lineage of transmission of Shakya Chokden's works was broken. Shakya Chokden's works commanded a lesser following because many Sakyapas facing the problem of whether to follow Gorampa or Shakya Chokden had chosen to follow the former, since, according to many Sakya scholars, his approach more correctly expresses the views held by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (sa skya Pai:i<;I.ita kun dga' rgyal mtshan - 1182 -1251), supreme authority of Sakya tradition, and other Sakya masters of the past. "Wish Fulfilling Meru" - a discourse explaining origination of Madhyamaka ( dbu ma' i byung tshul rnam par bshad pa' i gtam yid bzhin lhun po) is one of the last texts Shakya Chokden composed during his lifetime. He wrote this text at the age of 74, in 1501, at the request of the Seventh Karmapa Chodrak Gyamtso (ka rma pa chos grags rgya mtsho - 1454 -1506). At the same time, Shakya Chokden composed "The Appearance of the Sun Which Pleases All Discriminative Ones" -a discourse on origination of traditions of the chariots of the Siitra of Valid Cognition with [its] commentaries (tshad ma'i mdo dang bstan bcos kyi shing rta' i srol rnams ji ltar byung ba' i tshul gta m du bya ba nyin