Dzigar Kongtrul Madhyamikavatara 2013

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Nilasarasvati
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Dzigar Kongtrul Madhyamikavatara 2013

Post by Nilasarasvati »

In just beginning to scratch the surface, I'm ovewhelmed as I'm sure many people get...and yet I'm going to the last of a several-year program of Shedras to hear Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche teach about the final three chapters of Madhyamikavatara. So I've been doing my best to have at least a cursory understanding of (especially) the 6th Chapter.

I am currently reading the Padmakara translation with Mipham Rinpoche's commentary, and listening to many many hours of recorded teachings from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Amazingly enough I still feel like I could use more help.

I wanted to start this thread to ask the Sangha for any words of advice, experience, clarifications that helped you understand the distinctions between Cittamatra, Madhyamika, whatever!

:anjali:




**P.S. Is anybody going to be at the Lotus Gardens Shedra this year?? Has anybody attended the preceeding ones to this series?
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Astus
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Re: Dzigar Kongtrul Madhyamikavatara 2013

Post by Astus »

Nilasarasvati wrote:distinctions between Cittamatra, Madhyamika, whatever!
It depends on which Madhyamaka or Yogacara you mean. There are quite a few versions of both of them, including unified theories found in later Mahayana.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
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Nilasarasvati
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Re: Dzigar Kongtrul Madhyamikavatara 2013

Post by Nilasarasvati »

yeah Astus, I guess I mean the Cittamatra school as (strawmanned?) in Madhyamikavatara. And the Prasangika Madhyamika as expressed by Chandrakirti.

I've also heard that the Yogacharya school refers to itself as the Madhyamika in most East Asian countries because, of course, all Mahayana Buddhist philosophies would consider themselves the accurate view of the Middle Way.

I realize Shantaraksita later syncretized much of all this together, which I guess I am interested in because I am a Nyingma (and a genuinely see all of these schools as profound indispensable approaches to the ultimate truth). However that interpretation has fallen out of favor even among Nyingmas because, as I understand it, the Gelug hegemony and attempts to draw closer/respond to to Je Tsonkapha's emphasis on Prasangika Madhyamika.
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