The Buddha Within Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga

Abstract

For the initial and sustaining inspiration for this work I thank first my Guru, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso and then Michael Hookham, my husband. Both of them, over the years, have contributed to my understanding of Buddhadharma at such a profound level that anything I write reflects their influence. The original work was accepted in 1986 for a D. Phil degree at Oxford University. In this present work, the original has been substantially reorganized and rewritten in order to make it more accessible to the informed general reader on religious philosophy and the serious Buddhist practitioner. This work concerns how the Ratnagotravibhaga and the Ratnagotravibhagavyakhya can be interpreted from the Shentong point of view. For this I am indebted initially to Tenpa Gyaltsen Negi for his help in translating the root text and the introduction to Kongtrul’s commentary, and second to Shentong informants, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, Thrangu Rimpoche, Tenga Rimpoche, Lama Thubden, Khenpo Palden Sherab, and Khenpo Katar. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Karma Thinley Rimpoche, Kalu Rimpoche, Gendun Rimpoche, and above all Bokar Rimpoche for their instruction and empowerments over the years, which have established me in the “ view” of the Kagyu lineage. For their explanations and comments on the Rangtong point of view, I thank Geshe Wangchen and Geshe Tekchok. I am grateful to the members of the Sanskrit department of Oxford Oriental Institute for their support and interest. My years in Oxford have greatly deepened my knowledge of, and respect for, the Western academic tradition. In this connection, I would also like to mention my supervisor Dr. Paul Williams, my examiner Professor D. Seyfort Ruegg, Dr. M. Broido, and Simon Baugh for their stimulating and encouraging discussions and comments. For financial support while completing this work, I thank the Northern Ireland Education Authority, the Boden Fund, and the Spalding Trust. I am grateful to Wolfson College for use of its facilities and financial assistance for expenses incurred in visiting my Lama informants and supervisor. I thank all my friends who have helped me in various ways with proofreading and so on, especially Angela Skrimshire for her tireless and invaluable help in preparing this thesis on the word processor, seemingly endless proofreading, and her advice and suggestions on layout. Also I thank Tenpa Gyaltsen and Chryssoula Zerbini for checking my translation of and footnotes on Kongtrul’s rgv commentary, and Roger Keyes and Katie Goguen for final proof-reading and indexing. Finally, I thank my mother for her encouragement towards the production of this book from the thesis. As an informed general reader on religious philosophy, she tackled the daunting task of rereading the original more than once, making copious notes in order to assist me in the rewrite.