Establishing Appearances as Divine: Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo on Reasoning, Madhyamaka, and Purity

Establishing Appearances as Divine: Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo on Reasoning, Madhyamaka, and Purity

Establishing Appearances as Divine: Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo on Reasoning, Madhyamaka, and Purity

Establishing Appearances as Divine: Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo on Reasoning, Madhyamaka, and Purity

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Overview

A highly esteemed Buddhist treatise on realizing your divine nature.

This concise treatise by the eleventh-century Tibetan Buddhist philosopher Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo sets out to prove the provocative point that everything that appears is actually deity manifest. Many books on Tibetan Buddhism address the important themes of mind training, compassion, and proper conduct, but this book goes beyond that in its aim to bring the reader face to face with his or her divine and pure nature.

Transformation not only of one's identity but also of one's environment is an important principle in Tantric Buddhist philosophy. In Tantric scriptures one is instructed to visualize oneself as a deity, a divine identity who resides in a perfect sphere. By repeatedly training in this visualization, one perfects the transformation and ultimately becomes the deity itself. Establishing Appearances as Divine seeks to unravel the interplay between rationality, truth, and divinity, bringing to light the view that underlies Tantric Buddhist practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781559394192
Publisher: Shambhala
Publication date: 09/10/2013
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 160
Sales rank: 227,343
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

RONGZOM CHÖKYI ZANGPO (eleventh century) is among the most celebrated scholars of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Particularly known for his lucid and innovative explanations of Tantra and Dzogchen, his influence on later scholars such as Ju Mipham has been profound.

HEIDI I. KÖPPL has worked as a translator at the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Nepal for more than a decade and has been a faculty member at the Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies since the Centre's inception. She is currently doing research for a doctorate degree in Buddhist Studies at the University of Lausanne.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments     7
Introduction     9
Rongzom's Environment, Life, and Works     15
Introduction to Mantra from a Nyingma Perspective     23
A Comparison of Esoteric Systems     24
The Relationship between Sutra and Mantra in the Nyingma School     29
Use of Sutric Terms in Esoteric Writings     29
The Superiority of Mantra According to the Nyingma School     30
Rongzom's View on Madhyamaka in Relation to Mantra     37
Rongzom's Madhyamaka     38
Rongzom's Reservations Regarding a Relative Truth Held to Be Distinct from the Ultimate     42
Rongzom's Influence on Mipham's Madhyamaka     51
Concluding Reflections     57
Rongzom's Four Principles of Reasoning as Means for Establishing Purity     61
The Reasoning of Intrinsic Nature (chos nyid kyi rigs pa, dharmatayukti)     66
The Reasoning of Efficacy (bya ba 'byed pa'i rigs pa, karyakaranayukti)     76
The Reasoning of Dependency (ltos pa'i rigs pa, apeksayukti)     78
The Reasoning of Valid Proof ('thad pa sgrub pa'i rigs pa, upapattisadhanayukti)     80
Rongzom's Influence on Mipham's Epistemological Account of Purity     82
Conclusion     89
Translation and Comparative Edition ofEstablishing Appearances as Divine
Translation     95
Comparative Edition of Establishing Appearances as Divine     109
Bibliography     129
Notes     135

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Rongzom Chozang, one of the most important scholars of the 11th century, believed in the divinity of the world. Even more interesting, he set out to prove it! Köppl's book, a translation of Rongzom's most important text on the subject, is an important contribution to Buddhist doctrinal studies. The long introduction provides us with one of the most detailed comparative treatments of the Nyingma view (tawa) that I know of, elucidating Rongzom's position in relation to other Nyingma thinkers. The notes to the translation clarify even the most difficult portions of the text. . . . A truly masterful work."—José Ignacio Cabezón, XIVth Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara 

"Heidi Köppl makes the seminal work of Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo newly accessible to the modern reader. Rongzom, in deep conversation with Buddhist philosophy, argued for the most immediate visionary experience of enlightenment—every part of our world as already divine. Rongzom, assisted by Köppl's sparkling exegisis, leads readers to a direct encounter with their own primordial goodness."—John Makransky, Associate Professor of Buddhism and Comparative Theology, Boston College

"Ms. Köppl's organization of the translation and commentary is superb, enabling the reader to see the arguments clearly. . . . An important contribution to Tantric Buddhist philosophy."—New Age Retailer "Köppl's concise volume is an interesting read and a refreshing view into the nature of purity."—Nanci Rose-Ritter

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