Amazing and at once a strange relief.

[icarus]

My Eastern Religions teacher has made some strange statements about Tibetan Buddhism that seemed a little... off. But I've trusted her scholarship over my own, of course.

Today she made the incredible statement that the Indian texts on "Buddhanature" were written in India, in Sanskrit, and transported from there to China, but then -- get this -- Buddhanature teachings developed in China.

Uh. My hand started waving immediately.

"Wait. Didn't you say these originated in India?"

"Yes. But there is no evidence of a practice tradition in India."

You know, that would be a convincing answer if I didn't know that almost all historical evidence from this period was destroyed. Sometimes Islam is blamed, sometimes internecine war, sometimes natural disasters, but the bottom line is there's not much historical evidence for anything in that time period. We don't assume, however, that India ceased just because much of the evidence is destroyed. It is highly illogical to assume that texts written in India were left unread, unpracticed, until such time as they appeared in China.

But I let that go. Instead my hand went up again.

"What about the Uttaratantra?"

This is a sanskrit text dated roughly from the fourth century on Buddhanature. It's studied and practiced in Tibet and serves as evidence that Buddhanature practices didn't start in China.

She rambled about "tantric practices" not really being relevant to a discussion of Buddhanature. It became quickly clear that she had never even heard of the Uttaratantra because, uh, it's not about tantric practices.

Whoa. Wait. I'd been assuming that her somewhat anti-Tibetan Buddhist standpoint had some basis in knowledge. She's a Buddhist scholar after all. But if she's never even heard of this seminal Tibetan Buddhist text....

She went on to say that Tibetan Buddhism didn't teach anything on Buddhanature.

Huh, wha--?

She then said that Tibetan Buddhism more or less had to make it up on its own, and it's a mixture of some Buddhist ideas and the local Bonpo Shamanistic religion.

After class I approached her and let her know that the Uttaratantra, despite its name, is not a tantric text. "It's an exegesis on Buddhanature taught in Tibet."

She asked for evidence that it was an important Tibetan Buddhist text. I told her that I was aware it was important to my own schools of Nyingma and Kagyud, but I was not sure about Sakya and Gelugpa.

Important? Hell yeah.

Library of Tibetan Classics lists:

17. Treatises on the Buddha Nature Theorum
Translated by John Whitney Pettit

This composite volume contains several of the key texts presenting theprincipal Tibetan understandings of the Mahayana Buddhist concept of the Buddha nature.

- The central text of this volume is the great classic on the subject by Butön Rinchen Drup
(1290-1364)entitled An Ornament Beautifying the Nucleus of Buddhahood. This is aseminal work that established a standard interpretation of the Buddhanature theorum and the development of hermeneutics of reading thescriptures associated with this
important Mahayana Buddhist concept.

- The Shentong (note: a Kagyud view) perspective, which represents an
alternative standpoint, on the Buddha nature theorum is provided in detail in Dölpopa's Sherap Gyaltsen (1292–1361)
Ocean of Definitive Meaning, vol. 7 of THE LIBRARY OF TIBETAN CLASSICS.

-The volume also contains a succinct commentary on one of the most important root Indian Buddhist works on the subject, Maitreya's (fourth century) classic The Sublime Continuum by the noted Sakya author Rongtön Shakya Gyaltsen (1367-1449).

- This is followed by Shakya Chokden (1428-1507) (Sakya school) lucid commentary on the seminal text on the Buddha nature theorum attributed to Nagarjuna (second century) entitled Hyms to the Ultimate Expanse.

- The final section of the volume consists of two important texts.One is the general exposition of the Buddha nature theorum by the Geluk author Jetsün Chökyi Gyaltsen (1469-1544), which is based upon the reading of two Indian sources – Maitreya's Sub-
lime Continuum and his Ornament of Mahayana Scriptures.

- The second is a short work by the Nyingma author Ju Mipham (1846-1912) entitled Lion's Roar on the Nucleus of
Buddhahood which succinctly presents a critical analysis of the interpretation ofthe Buddha nature theorum in Tibet. (Note: Mipham is the most important scholar of the Nyingma school. Nyingma monasteries shutdown and celebrate Mipham's birthday with 24 hours of rituals and debate. I saw less effort expended on the Buddha's birthday.)

Translations and a copy of commentaries on these are available for you to peruse online. Source: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/x/nav/n.html_1949421541.html

Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism – Level 6: Major Indian Mahayana Texts

Suhrllekha (Letter to a Friend) - Nagarjuna

Chatuhshataka (Four Hundred Verses) - Aryadeva

Abhisamayalamkara (Filigree of Realizations) - Maitreya

Uttaratantra (The Furthest Everlasting Continuum) - Maitreya

Bodhicharyavatara (Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior) - Shantideva

The order of these is according to the Dalai Lama's Gelugtradition, but the last three in particular are standard to Nyingma,Kagyud, Gelugpa (and presumably Sakya which I have not studied).

I don't mind her questioning the validity of Tibetan Buddhism. But not from a basis of ignorance.

Not knowing the existence of this text is almost like not teaching about Christianity without having ever cracked open the bible.

Not quite that bad. Imagine the bible multiplying into quadrillions of texts and commentaries, a different handful for every sect. Then imagine discussing a sect without even learning the names of the dozen or so main texts (not even the names) and -- yeah. Like that.

Comments

[inkscribe.livejournal.com]

Ack. Ack ack ack.

(No, I'm not quoting Martian at you, just going "ack" as I bang my head on the desk.) I remember manyyyyyyy years back a prof who was quite the showman and apparent Knower of All Things Religious one day tossing off a couple of comments on stuff that were just outright wrong about a particular faith tradition and its culture. At that point, I started paying a lot closer attention to his quips and bon mots and realised that he had a strong penchant for over-generalisation to the point of falsehood more often than not. Yet people hung on his words as though he were dripping rubies and diamonds from his mouth.

More recently, I sat through a lecture where a prof from a nation-that-shall-remain-nameless spent the better part of the hour explaining Canadian history to us. Now, I'm not saying that foreign people can't know or understand Canadian history -- far from it. However, I am quite willing to go on record as saying that foreign people should probably fact-check their history if they picked it all up from watching American films about the wild west ... since this is neither America nor was it ever outright blatant war outside of the Riel Rebellion. I couldn't keep the hand down by the end of this, and did challenge him with a very brief summary of how our western territories were settled (mostly friendly trade relations for the fur trade; later, recruitment to farming communities in Eastern Europe). His response was to raise his eyebrows and say, "Oh, I've never heard of that." My wry response that it was "fairly well documented" didn't go over very well.

I can feel your pain all the way up here! OUCH! And ack ack ack.

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

I'm with the ack ack ack school of thought here too... although it's been absolutely years since I had to listen to instructors who expected to be listened to and not questioned...

Re: Tibetan Buddhism, our local university has some excellent programs... dunno if you're the least bit interested but I thought I'd include them :)

http://www.artibet.com/

http://studyabroad.uark.edu/1942.htm

http://www.nwabuddhist.info/

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You see, my university used to have one of the best Tibetan programs in the country. Then, two years after I moved across country to attend, they eliminated the entire program.

I can go to several Tibetan Buddhist temples for direct teachings on Tibetan Buddhism, but what I want is historical context. I'm afraid your school doesn't seem to offer that. I've already lived in a monastery in Southern India (I was a Buddhist nun for a decade) and I can easily get involved in a dozen different efforts to aid Tibet. But what I want is history, historical cultural context, and then a critical examination of Tibetan Buddhism which I'll never get from a Buddhist temple.

Sigh.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You know the worst part?

Some of her ideas about Tibetan Buddhism being steeped in Bonpo were gleaned from me, two years ago. I assumed she knew a lot more than, well, this. I rattled on about the interactions between Bonpo Shamanism and Buddhism thinking she knew about the philosophical underpinings of Tibetan Buddhism....

*head-thump, head-thump, head-thump*

[sobelle.livejournal.com]

Re: historical cultural context and critical examination... you mentioned your university had a program that covered those specific issues?

do you need the classes or would the information/enlightenment be enough if you were in communication with teaching monks or nuns?

I ask because even with the experiences you've already had... you continue to look for more specific and/or further teachings... and I am curious as to where those would be for you now.

I'm sorry if I'm not making myself clear, I feel some sense of sadness? that you aren't finding what you seek... and the UoA links were my offer of potential sources not necessarily limited to classes but to the teaching monks themselves...

[elf]

almost like not teaching about Christianity without having ever cracked open the bible.

Maybe like teaching the history of Christianity without knowing the existence of the Apocrypha? Sure, ignored by many very very large groups... but used by some very large other groups, and integral to the history of the religion as a whole.

You have my sympathies. Always annoying to be facing someone who's deeply studied a religion... and assumes that means she knows everything about it, and anything she doesn't already know is irrelevant tangents.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Maybe like teaching the history of Christianity without knowing the existence of the Apocrypha? Sure, ignored by many very very large groups... but used by some very large other groups, and integral to the history of the religion as a whole.

Great -- and much better -- example.

I wouldn't say that she thinks she knows everything about it. She readily admits that she doesn't know a great deal about Tibetan Buddhism. But it's the kind of non-knowledge that has a few broad inaccurate sweeping assumptions.

This sort of non-knowledge is perfectly acceptable from a practitioner of say, Pure Land Buddhism, which does not accept esoteric Buddhism at all. Fair enough, many Tibetan Buddhists have their own low opinion of Zen.

But in a scholarly context, no, no, it's not acceptable at all.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You're right on, and pretty attuned as well. I appreciate it. It's just something that I would need to give you more information than I'm willing to drop on the internet for you to come up with any reasonable suggestions -- and given that info, I think you'd come up completely empty.

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

oops.

disconcerting and disappointing to find that yes, you know more than the teacher. sigh.

[aras-fixation.livejournal.com]

She then said that Tibetan Buddhism more or less had to make it up on its own, and it's a mixture of some Buddhist ideas and the local Bonpo Shamanistic religion.

LOL!

[nicocoer.livejournal.com]

. . . That just. :( :( :(

YOur Proff makes my heart cry big tears at her. just. WHY.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I sent her this email with all this Buddhanature info and she thanked me for it, and we seem to be cool. She never said that she knew much about Tibetan Buddhism. The trouble is, her parents are Pure Land Buddhists and, well, Japanese Buddhism considers Tibetan Buddhism to be a degenerate form. :)

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

I've had teachers like that. [eyeroll] They have their own little specialty, and act like they'd die of unutterable torture if they were ever to admit that there are things outside their specialty (even if within the general field) that they don't know. And god help you if you're a lowly student who knows a few things the teacher doesn't. :P

Angie

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

She's Japanese and while she might be more open-minded than most Japanese Buddhists about Tibetan Buddhism, the official word in Japan is that Tibetan Buddhism is a corrupt form. It's just more of the usual "my Buddhism is better than your Buddhism" that happens because of the huge variety of Buddhist beliefs and practices. Buddhists tolerate the various sects, but usually with a wince.

In all fairness, I had a Tibetan Buddhist teacher tell me that Cha'an/Zen Buddhism was the result of the Chinese going off on their own tangent, throwing out essential teachings without a realized spiritual guide. So most Buddhists do that. Of course they do. Why would they prctice their own sect if they didn't think it was better?

Still, I didn't know she was that specialized.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Uh, yeah. I know. lol

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Very disconcerting.

[aras-fixation.livejournal.com]

*pats Icarus*

I think, I owe you some explanation: I joined the Karma-Kagü Line the last fall and know that this way is the right one for me. So I preffer to laugh at this woman's comment instead of feeling offended. :)