Book of Dzyan blog

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Nicholas Weeks
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Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
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Book of Dzyan blog

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Too deep for me are these Tibetan & Sanskrit permutations of Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Je Tsongkhapa et al, dealing with svabhava, dharmadhatu etc. Maybe some more sagely ones here can comment on the accuracy of the points raised.

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May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Book of Dzyan blog

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

This latest post 12 Apr 2012, is very intriguing; here is part of it:
In the Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha, a pervasive layer of Vedānta ideas has been added to the advaita or non-dual teachings of the Mokṣopāya. Perhaps the most significant difference between the two is the well-known fact that Advaita Vedānta takes the authority of scripture as the only truly valid means of higher knowledge, thereby discounting the role of reasoning in reaching higher knowledge. The Mokṣopāya does just the opposite, taking reasoning as the valid means of higher knowledge, and entirely discounting the authority of scripture. Another difference is that terminology now found primarily in Buddhist texts has been systematically replaced. In this, and in its emphasis on pure advaita or non-dualism, the Mokṣopāya is very reminiscent of Gauḍapāda’s Māṇḍūkya-kārikā. Slaje describes some of the “willful changes” that were made in the Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha in the above-mentioned article, p. 212, including:

“an attempt to ‘vedānticize’ the text, which—though it does teach monism (advaita)—has nothing in common with the particularities of Śaṅkara’s Vedānta, but indeed very much with Gauḍapāda’s Kārikās and the Laṅkāvatārasūtra of the Mahāyāna.”
There is a Mokṣopāya Project centered in Germany and now three volumes of major sections of the work are out in critical editions. Unfortunately for those whose only language is English, these volumes are in German. When an English version will appear - who knows.

A critical edition of the entire Sanskrit text of 30,000 verses may be finished by 2018.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Book of Dzyan blog

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

In part three (23 April 2012) of "Dharmatā in the Questions of Maitreya" chapter of the Large PP sutra, Reigle gives his translation of a passage that Conze & Lamotte had trouble with.

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May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
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