Moved to Tasmania to be Apart of the Philosophy Community Here at UTAS

Hi All,

Well, as most of you know, I am back in Australia after my wonderful trip to India. What some of you will not know is that I have moved from the Tibetan Buddhist Society in Melbourne to Hobart to be apart of the philosophy community here at the University of Tasmania. The move went well, and most (although not all) people were happy.

I have been here a week and have settled in well. I am sharing a house with two others only 3 minutes from the Philosophy department. So I can go home at lunch to cook, or nick back to my office if I have left something behind. Its ideal really. the environment here is simply spectacular, and am I told it snowed last night (I will try and get photos of a snow-covered Mt. Wellington at some point).

I also wish to say a BIG thank you to those who made the move possible. You know who you are   THANK YOU

Here are a couple of photos from around the university.

Popularity: 1%

Back in Australia

Well I’m back. For some of you this will be news, for others not. The change of plans is due to university processes. That is, in order to secure funding at the end of the year, I had to return home to do the required work.

I’m sorry for not blogging much while I was away but things were just too busy for doing anymore than uploading photos onto Facebook. However, I have good news by way of a youtube video of the trip. It is short and ends in what will be a day I will never forget.

I had a wonderful trip, made many new friends and got a lot of research done. Although not much writing. The Tibetan culture is a wonderful thing to experience first hand. Seeing ordinary people interacting within the context of compassion and Bodhichitta was fantastic. Even ordinary people, the man in the street so to speak, regard compassion as something to respect and cultivate. Of course this is a generalization but, in general it was true. We could learn a lot of this aspect of Tibetan culture.

I must apologize for the poor quality of the video. It looks great on my computer but not so great on YouTube for some reason.

If you can’t see the video in your email program or on this webpage go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERuSrATggk8

Anyway, its good to be home.

Popularity: 1%

Thesis Topic Change

I’ve changed the topic of my thesis because (1) I believe it is a more contemporary field of research, (2) Tsong Khapa had a lot to say about this topic, and (3) I am very interested in this field. Below is my preliminary research plan.

Thesis Title:
Domain of the Illusory: Non-Egological Approach to Phenomenal Personhood.

Literature Review:
This study of the non-egological approach to personhood focuses on the five main philosophical works by the 14th CE Tibetan philosopher Tsong Khapa. The primary source material for this study is the following (Tibetan versions): (1) Special Insight section of “Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment”, (2) An Ocean of Reasoning: A Thorough Exposition of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, (3) Essence of Eloquence: A Treatise Distinguishing Between the Provisional and the Definitive Meanings, (4) Special Insight section of “Middle Exposition of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” and (5) Elucidation of the Intention: A Thorough Exposition of Madhyamakāvatarā.

In this study, I will claim that an implicit thread of a two-tiered non-egological exegesis of persons begins with Tsong Khapa, and ends in the Indian Madhyamaka philosophical tradition founded by Nāgārjuna in the 2nd CE. In his canonical Madhyamaka treatise Mūlamadhyamakakārikā Nāgārjuna lays out a formulation for the nature of reality that consists of all phenomena having two natures. This doctrine of the Two Truths (satyadvaya, bden gnyis) – a Conventional Truth (saṃvṛtisatya, kun rdzob bden pa) and an Ultimate Truth (paramārthasatya, don dam bden pa) – which are two natures of the same entity, is the conceptual framework for which Tsong Khapa lays out his approach to metaphysics. I too shall adopt this two-tiered approach in order to resolve the on-going tension between the egological and non-egological approaches to personal identity and first-person experience, by placing the discussion within the framework of a conventional discourse and an ultimate discourse, thereby making sense of the theory of anātman or non-self and obvious worldly first person experiences.

Tsong Khapa interests me as a philosopher because I think he understood Candrakīrti analysis of Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā correctly, took the soteriological significance of first-person experience seriously, and paid particular attention to its articulation. While Tsong Khapa himself would say he put forward no new thesis of persons, his reading of Candrakīrti’s gloss of Nāgārjuna’s Two Truths doctrine is unique. I therefore hope to show the cogency of Tsong Khapa’s exegesis of persons by tracing his enterprise back into the Indian Madhyamaka tradition of Nāgārjuna via Candrakīrti. I will do this by investigating Candrakīrti’s Supplement to the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamakāvatāra) along with his Auto-Commentary on the Supplement to the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamakāvatārabhāṣya).

However, Tsong Khapa was not without his critics. Foremost on this list from a rival school of Tibetan Buddhism was another philosopher by the name of Gorampa bSod nams Seng ge (1429-1489). Gorampa had sharply apposed views to Tsong Khapa and I will therefore analyse his critique of Tsong Khapa’s hermeneutics by investigating his polemical philosophical work entitled Distinguishing between Views (lta ba’I shan ‘byed). I will also investigate another contemporary of Tsong Khapa from the same school of Tibetan Buddhism as Gorampa, namely Shakya Chokden shakya mchog ldan(1428-1507). Shakya Chokden‘s Madhyamaka texts included in this study will be: Drop of Nectar of Definitive Meaning: Entering the Gate to the Essential points of the Two Truths (bden pa gnyis kyi gnas la ‘jug pa nges don bdud rtsi things pa) and Great Ship of Discrimination that Sails into the Ocean of Definitive Meaning: A Treatise Differentiating the Systems of Prasañgika and Svātantrika Madhyamaka (dbu ma thal rang gi grub mtha’I rnam par dbye ba’I bstan bcos nges don gyi rgya mtshor ‘jug pa’i rnam dpyod kyi gru chen).

Moreover, this study will include analysis of the contemporary views both from Buddhologists and analytic philosophers. In particular I will look at the work of: Professor Mark Siderits: Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy. Dr. Miri Albahri’s Analytical Buddhism: The Two-Tiered Illusion of Self. As well as the work of the contemporary phenomenologists Dan Zahari and Evan Thompson.

Research Questions:

The objective of this study is to research the cogency of a non-egological approach to self and phenomenal personhood.

My claim is that “self” or “persons” do not possess any kind of absolute ontological status, that is, the appearance of an objective referent of a self, person or “I” are non-existent imaginaries. Moreover, any notion that an invariant property of any kind is that which binds diachronic and synchronic first-person experience is an incoherent thesis, and like-wise a non-existent imaginary.

However, I will claim that despite this it is still possible to posit self, persons and I, existing, in a sense truly, as mere contingent phenomena within the framework of a kind of dynamic system. I will do this by arguing that what is being rejected here is not the existence of self or persons, but rather the existence of (1) a non-fabricated objective agent of experience, (2) any notion of an invariant or variant property of any kind, at any level of discourse which is the “self” or is acting as a “self” and (3) intrinsic identity at any level. I will thereby show that from within the framework of conventional discourse, phenomena such as persons are merely contingent, and that this schema leaves intact functional first-person experience.

Thus the non-egological exegesis of personhood when couched in a Two Truths discourse as first laid out by Nāgārjuna 2nd CE, further clarified by Candrakīrti 7th CE and developed by Tsong Khapa 14th CE is cogent.

Popularity: 12%

Dinner and a Walk

Just got back from dinner (Tibetan Tupa and chai for those interested) and a walk with the Tibetans. Seems there is a nightly circumambulation around the Library. I guess because it houses over 1000 holy objects from Tibet.

The walk is good for me as its flat but, more enjoyable than finding a flat area to walk, is the mix of the old and young people walking together. Old ladies in traditional garb, kids with sunglasses chasing each other. It is a wonderful sight, everyone was happy and relaxed.

The ray’s of the setting sun hit the snow-mountain above us, giving for the first time, a clear view of its size and beauty. The photos I took don’t do it justice.  I’m starting to see why people come here.

Tomorrow His Holiness is teaching in the main temple in MacLeod Guand. I believe he is teaching on the former lifes of the Buddha or the Jataka Tales. So, if I end up going, I will report back then. You can see more photo via facebook.

Popularity: 21%

Dharamsala here we are

After a 14 hour bus trip I have finally arrived in Dharamsala. It has taken 3 days and I have had only a smidgen of sleep. It really is a task getting here, but that I am settled in it is starting to feel like my new home.

The room is good. I have my own bathroom, although there is no water today. I have a kettle for coffee, so the important stuff is done. India has very cheap cell phone rates, so I bought a sim card for calling home.

Just behind us is a large snow mountain. They are quite majestic and beautiful to look at, particularly for people for countries that are basically flat, like Australia. I hope to have photos once it clears up.

Popularity: 22%

Next Page »