KHEDRUP JÉ : BUDDHIST EPISTEMOLOGY IN THE GELUK SCHOOL

Faced with Buddhism’s radical interdependence, one might ask, “If everything is relative, how can I be certain of anything?” Here, the descendents of Tsongkhapa plumb the nature of knowing and the tools of reasoning to come up with an answer.

This volume includes translations of three separate Tibetan works by iconic figures in the Geluk school of Buddhism. The first work, Banisher of Ignorance, is by Khedrup Gelek Palsang (1385–1438), and the second, On Preclusion and Relationship, is by Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen (1364–1432). The authors—popularly known as Khedrup Jé and Gyaltsab Jé—were the foremost disciples of the Geluk-school founder, Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357–1419). The third text, Mighty Pramāṇa Sun, is a commentary on Candrakīrti’s Clear Words (Prasannapadā) by the First Jamyang Shepa (1648–1721).

These works concern themselves primarily with the Buddhist theory of knowledge—the means by which we are able to know things and how we can be certain of that knowledge. Encapsulating this theory is the notion of pramāṇa, a concept derived from India, the Buddhist understanding of which was shaped most significantly by the masters Dignāga (fifth to sixth century) and Dharmakīrti (seventh century). Based on their explanation, pramāṇa is often translated as “valid cognition,” a literal reference to the kind of cognition that they proposed could be relied upon to supply indisputable knowledge. In recognition of the crucial role that reasoning is held to play in gaining certain knowledge, the Buddhist Pramāṇa tradition is described as a logico-epistemological system.

The works in this volume demonstrate how important scholastic rigor has been to Tibetan religion. They illustrate how those who follow the tradition have viewed the systematic approach as necessary not only for textual analysis—for those seeking to unravel the complexities of the Indian Buddhist scriptures and treatises—but also for practitioners aiming to progress along the spiritual path and achieve the higher Buddhist goals.

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• Hardcover
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Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, better known as Khedrup Je, was one of the main disciples of Lama Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Before becoming Tsongkhapa’s foremost disciple, Khedrup Je had been a learned Sakyapa scholar. He is considered to be a reincarnation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He wrote an important text on Kalachakra initiation which is still used by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, as the basis of his public initiations into the Kalachakra. Altogether, there are nine volumes of his collected works, containing fifty-eight treatises.

Other books by Khedrup Jé:
Freedom through Correct Knowing

Gyaltsab Jé, Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen, (1364–1432) was born in the Tsang province of central Tibet. He was a student of Je Tsongkhapa and became the first Ganden Tripa of the Gelug tradition after Je Tsongkhapa’s death. He also studied with Rendawa Zhonnu Lodro (red mda’ ba gzhon nu blo gros, 1349–1412). He was a prolific writer and one of his most famous texts is a commentary of Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way Of Life. Lodrö Tenpa, the seventh Ganden Tripa, was his student

The first Jamyang Shepa, Ngawang Tsöndrü (1648–1721), was a native of Amdo. After studying at Drepung Monastery near Lhasa he was invited by the local Mongol king to return and teach Buddhism there and he later founded Labrang, one of the two great monasteries of Amdo. He was a great scholar and he wrote Roar of the Five-Faced [Lion], a series of verses on tenets, along with a massive commentary to the root text (around 530 folios) called Great Exposition on Tenets. He also wrote various textbooks which are used today in numerous Geluk colleges.

Jonathan Samuels (Sherab Gyatso) received his Geluk education as a monk at monasteries in India, beginning at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, and gained the title of geshe at Drepung Loseling Monastery. He also holds a DPhil in Oriental studies from Oxford University. He was the principal teacher for the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program in Dharamsala, served as interpreter for his teacher Gen Lobsang Gyatso, translated several of his books, including Bodhicitta: Cultivating the Compassionate Mind of Enlightenment, and wrote the Tibetan language guide Colloquial Tibetan: The Complete Course for Beginners. He currently works as an academic and has held posts at Oxford University and Heidelberg University. He presently works for the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.