Notes from the Cave: ‘Jigs med gling pa on buddha-nature
‘Jigs med gling pa (1730-1798) was a key figure in the development of late-period Great Perfection thought in Tibet. His major philosophical work, the Treasury of Precious Qualities (Yon tan rin po che’i mdzod), was much-studied in the years after its composition in 1789. The Treasury’s presentation of Great Perfection ontology is grounded (if you will) in buddha-nature. Perhaps more interestingly, much of ‘Jigs med gling pa’s debate with interlocutors about Great Perfection revolves around buddha-nature rather than Great Perfection per se. ‘Jigs med gling pa was also deeply skeptical about the possibility of expressing anything of value about buddha-nature, as opposed to the value of experiencing buddha-nature for oneself in meditation. “The best commentary on buddha-nature I’ve ever seen is the one I made in my cave!” he quips. This paper portrays ‘Jigs med gling pa’s antinomian approach to buddha-nature in the context of Great Perfection thought, as well as his more ephemeral bits of commentary, conversation, and opinion about buddha-nature that can be found scattered throughout his life writings and occasional pieces
Event: Vienna Symposium 2019 – Paper Presentation
Date: July 19, 2019 – 9:45 am
Speaker: Kurtis Schaeffer
Topics: Buddha Nature, Great Perfection, Jigme Lingpa
Kurtis Schaeffer
University of Virginia
Kurtis R. Schaeffer is the Frances Myers Ball Professor of Religion and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He is a student of Buddhist history and culture, with a special interest in the spiritual literature of Tibet and the Himalayas. He is the author or editor of nine books, including the largest anthology of Tibetan literature in English and, most recently, a translation of a life of the Buddha from Bhutan. Schaeffer co-directs the half-century old Tibetan Buddhist studies graduate program at the University of Virginia, and co-directs the Religion, Race, and Democracy Lab at UVA. He is the president of the Board of Directors of the Buddhist Digital Resource Center.
