Klaus-Dieter Mathes – Tsadra Conferences

Welcome Speech of the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

Gwen Witt Dorring — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 06:38:41 +0000

Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes, the Head of the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna, introduces the Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia Symposium by reviewing his initial encounters with and research on the five treatises of Maitreya and his longstanding interest, in particular, the Ratnagotravibhāga, also known as the Uttaratantra Śāstra. He notes that “Buddha-Nature is an ideal touchstone for systematically comparing the philosophical positions and hermeneutical systems of various masters of central and east Asia.” The topic thus becomes a particularly interesting lens with which to look at Buddhist thinkers and schools throughout history. Thanks go to Tsadra Foundation staff and the University of Vienna staff who worked to make the event happen. Dr. Mathes also mentions previous meetings and scholarly work on the topic and in that way contextualizes this meeting in relation to the recent history of research and writing on buddha-nature and Tathāgatagarbha theory.

Zhang ston Bsod nams grags pa’s Defense of Dol po pa’s Clear-Cut Distinction between Buddha Nature and the Ground Consciousness

Gwen Witt Dorring — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 06:36:33 +0000

Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan’s (1292-1361) doctrinal position is well known for its clear-cut distinction between an ultimate, unconditioned buddha-nature, which is identical with the ultimate and buddhahood, and the conditioned ground consciousness (ālayavijñāna), including all saṃsāric states of mind emerging from it. This strict distinction excludes from the ultimate anything dependently arisen. Dol po pa’s disciple Zhang ston Bsod nams grags pa (1292-1370) defends his master’s view by addressing opposing statements in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra and the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra that equate buddha-nature with the ground consciousness. Zhang ston’s discussion constitutes the major part of the introduction to his commentary on the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, and is in large part also contained in his Ratnagotravibhāga commentary.

In the present paper it will be shown how Zhang ston elaborates, on the basis of numerous passages from the Maitreya Works, the Avikalpapraveśadhāraṇī, the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśa, and even other parts of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra itself, that one faces eight undesired consequences if one does not strictly differentiate buddha-nature from the ground consciousness. Zhang ston not only argues against a position that I could identify in ‘Gos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal’s (1392-1481) Ratnagotravibhāga commentary, i.e., an exegetical system that regards buddha-nature and adventitious stains as not ontologically different, any more than ocean water and its waves are, but also the Third Karma pa Rang byung rdo rje’s (1284-1339) Yogācāra-based distinction between the ground consciousness and the pure mind (i.e., the equivalent of buddha-nature) that accepts within the basis of negation a dependently arising perfect nature.

Accuracy and Inspiration: Translating Mahamudra Texts

Marcus Perman — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 06:00:10 +0000

The craft of translation often involves the tension between the need for accuracy and the need to express inspirational text in appropriately inspirational language. In this session, Elizabeth Callahan shares her experience wrestling with these issues on her work with Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā (Phyag chen zla ba’i ‘od zer) and the Ninth Karmapa’s Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance (Ma rig mun sel). Professor Mathes discusses difficulties arising from translating quotations of Indian texts found in Tibetan works, such as Phyag rgya chen po gsal sgron and the Zla ba’i ‘od zer.

Translating Philosophical Materials B

Marcus Perman — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 17:58:01 +0000

This session offers advice for translators working with philosophical materials. John Dunne presents a specific problem of finding that your good translation has gone bad. Douglas Duckworth speaks about collaborative translation and its rewards while offering advice about the process as it relates specifically to philosophical texts, and Klaus-Dieter Mathes discusses specific phrases and their meaning as they support one’s comprehension of philosophical concepts.