The First Anniversary of Geshe Jampa Gyatso’s Passing

Geshe Jampa Gyatso and me 1998. In the photo, I am offering Geshe-la a mandala as a traditional thank you given at the end of a weekend lamrim teaching. As it turned out this was near to the last teaching I received from him, something that at the time never entered my mind!

Today is the first anniversary of Geshe-la passing. I still remember the sinking feeling moments after hearing the terrible news. Immediately, the thought arose in me: I am never going to see you again! and tears fell from my eyes like I didn’t think possible.

This photo, one of four from that day, is something I hold dearly.

Dalai Lama in Hobart Australia 2009

As some of you know His Holiness the Dalia Lama will return to Australia in 2009. As part of his tour he he will be receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Tasmania, my university! Am I excited by this news? You bet. No doubt, Sonam my supervisor had a lot to do with making this happen, and in my opinion will only serve to strengthen the relationship between western educational institutions and Buddhist educational institutions. via the http://www.dalailamainaustralia.org/home.aspx

His Holiness was with us in June of this year and delivered the inspiring teachings, Stages of Meditation! Reports back from many are that the Teachings have had a profound effect on people and changed their lives forever. We are of course very fortunate here in Australia as His Holiness has confirmed his return to Australia in early December 2009. Three years running – it is truly wonderful.

Hopefully I will see you there.

Who was Tsong khapa and Why is He an Important Philosopher?

As you may know, I believe that Tsong khapa is an important philosopher, not only to the Buddhist tradition. This is because both as Mark Siderits puts it:

“Western analytic philosophy and Buddhist philosophy share a fundamental commitment to trying to attain complete clarity about the matters they investigate:”. Prof. Mark Siderits - Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy.

As part of the ongoing research note taking method (see here for details) I will be employing here I thought it prudent that I share with you a little about Je Tsong khapa. The following is lifted from an unused section of my PhD entry paper which you can read here Tsong khapa’s theory of persons.

I believe the critical study of Tsong khapa has much to offer western philosophy and western university faculties, and if you would like to ride along as I detail my investigation, please subscribe to the RSS feed or the newsletter to the right of screen.

A Little Bit About Je Tsong khapa

Tsong khapa founder of the Gelugpa (dGe lugs) school of Tibetan Buddhism was born in 1357 in the Tsongkha valley of Amdo province in northeast Tibet. Tsong khapa is arguably Tibet’s greatest philosopher, with his writing extending into eighteen volumes. He was also a poet, monastic reformer and a great meditator, spending many years meditating in caves throughout Tibet.

His early life was filled with study and meditation practice. He received the ordination of a novice monk at the age of eight and was given the name Losang Drakpa (blo bzang grags pa). At sixteen, Tsong khapa left Amdo to pursue his studies in central and southern Tibet. Initially concentrating on the Perfection of Wisdom sutras and the five treatises of Maitreya, he gained rigorous intellectual training and a wide knowledge of both sutra and tantra during this period. From his twenty-second year he began to study the works on valid cognition (pramana, tshad ma) by Dignaga (5th CE)  and Dharmakirti (7th CE). He was deeply impressed by the efficacy of Dharmakirti’s system of epistemology and logic. During Tsong khapa’s later years he devoted much of his time and energy giving extensive teachings before passing away in 1419.

Tsong khapa’s impact on the development of Buddhist thought cannot be underestimated. His teachings spread throughout Tibet and extended into Mongolia, China and now to the west. He wrote prolifically on both sutra and tantra and his writing style is known for its clarity and elegance. Many of his best known works have been translated into English and remain illuminating, relevant and accessible to this day.

Tsong khapa’s legacy is profound. He established the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa in 1409, a tradition that continues today. The revitalization of the monastic tradition in Tibet is largely due to his efforts, and he was instrumental in establishing many of Tibet’s greatest monastic universities including, the three great monasteries of Ganden, Drepung and Sera. But perhaps his largest legacy and one that is most relevant for us here, culminated during a retreat in the late spring of 1398.

Late one night, Tsong khapa dreamt he was present at a gathering of famous Indian masters who were discussing the subtleties of the Madhyamika view. Present included Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka and Candrakirti. At one point in the dream, Buddhapalita rose and holding his commentary of Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika in his hands, approached Tsong khapa blessing him by touching his head with the text. The following morning Tsong khapa woke at dawn. Immediately remembering the dream he proceeded to open his own Tibetan translation of Buddhapalita’s commentary at the page he had been reading the previous day. When Tsong khapa re-read the same passage from the previous day he experienced a deep insight into the nature of reality. He saw for the first time, the nature of the two truths and how persons and phenomena although lacking intrinsic essence, nonetheless exist conventionally.

However, Tsong khapa’s overall enterprise and in particular his insight into the illusory-like nature of persons and phenomena is about solving the problem of existential suffering. The solution to this problem is found in the extirpation of ignorance - the ignorance that reifies essence in things and functions as the root cause of suffering. It is the root of suffering, as it pervades the cognitive process for ordinary unenlightened beings propelling them into dysfunctional actions. His insight into the two-fold nature of persons and phenomena is soteriologically efficacious, both within the domain of the conventional and the domain of the ultimate nature of persons and phenomena, because it is this very authoritative cognitive process apprehending their illusory-like nature, which is the mechanism for the extirpation of ignorance.

Thus, much of Tsong khapa’s philosophical pondering was spent asking questions about the nature of the Two Truths. However, western philosophical questions on personal identity such as; what does it mean to be a person? Or in what sense can we say that today’s “I” is the same as the “I” of yesterday are just as relevant. For Tsong Khapa, persons and phenomena are illusory-like because the conventional cognitive process and that which it apprehends, are co-created and mutually supporting, within the scope of that which accords with the conventions of the world. Although persons and phenomena appear to possess intrinsic essence, when analyzed to find this essence which so vividly appears to us, it cannot be found. Therefore, Tsong Khapa’s philosophical exegesis interests me because I think he, more than any other philosopher, understood Candrakirti’s analysis of Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika, took the soteriological significance of conventional truth seriously, and paid particular attention to its articulation.

Note Taking and Critical Analysis Method

Over the next while as I read through various texts and books for my PhD, I am thinking about writing/blogging in a kind of paraphrase as both a means of deepening my understanding of the text, and also as a method of documenting/note taking for the PhD.

I’m not sure if this will slow me down to the point that it makes it impossible to continue, however, as it stands today, I think it is a good idea.

The plan is, for example, I have just finished reading the first 5 chapters of Candrakirti’s text of Madhyamaka called Supplement to the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamakavatara, dbu ma ma la ‘jug pa) hereafter “the supplement” and along with his auto-commentary. I now plan on reading Je Tsong khapa’s commentary to both the Supplement and the Auto-Commentary, and as I read through Tsong khapa’s text called Illumination of the Thought, An Extensive Explanation of Candrakirti’s ‘Supplement to the Middle way’ (dbu ma la ‘jug pa’i rgya cher bshad pa dgongs pa rab gsal), I will publish it here.

However, it will be philosophical in nature and so I add this to encourage you to continue the journey with me and as a possible method to engage the material.

“It will be difficult for you to make sense of some of the articles we’ll be reading. This is partly because they discuss abstract ideas that you’re not accustomed to thinking about. They may also use technical vocabulary which is new to you. Sometimes it won’t be obvious what the overall argument of the paper is supposed to be. The prose may be complicated, and you may need to pick the article apart sentence by sentence. Here are some tips to make the process easier and more effective” - http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html

This advice is well worth listening to however be clear that my essays here are not drafted nor carefully crafted. Please be patient with me and if you find an logic issues and/or typos please point them out.

What is Mindfulness?

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a technique usually spoken of in terms of meditation. But it can be defined as: becoming intentionally aware of your thoughts and actions in the present moment without placing values, labels or categories on these mental phenomena. It is a process of observing your thoughts, feelings, everything around you, and staying right here in the present moment.

Mindfulness meditation has been practiced by many different wisdom traditions for centuries. Its ability to shed insights into perception beyond the senses is well known in these traditions. Only recently has the Western world, and science in particular, picked up on the role that mind plays in how we view ourselves, and the world around us. Because most people are extremely busy these days, being aware of your thoughts and emotions in every moment is not simple. We can get caught up in our daily activities easily, sometimes going on autopilot for hours. Our mind carries us from one idea to the next, without being truly aware of this process or even the individual thoughts themselves. We can get carried away with memories of the past and projections into the future. Have you ever experienced a train of thought that goes something like this: Remember that pizza from my New York holiday…oh but the seats were very uncomfortable …seats…I need a new chair…chairs…pool chairs…oh my god when I am going to get the pool cleaned…I never have enough time to myself. Does that seem familiar? You can go from having a memory of a lovely holiday to getting stressed by some unfinished work within a split second, and without even noticing each individual thought.

This mental chatter is a result of a lack of mindfulness. Being mindful, therefore, requires practice in order to master. One of the easiest ways to practice mindfulness is to meditate. It gives you the mental space required to focus on the process. You don’t need to find a mountain retreat to meditate, you can practice mindfulness meditation at work, in a park or garden on your lunch break, on the train to work or even while walking. You don’t need to adopt a certain lifestyle or belief system. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced by anyone at anytime.

Recently, there has been a lot of research published on meditation. This science has shown the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain, detailing just how the simple process of watching the breath or your thoughts can have remarkable positive effects on your health, blood pressure, improve your sleep, decrease stress levels and even improve your immune system.

We focus on emotion-related brain activity because meditation has been found in numerous studies to reduce anxiety and increase positive affect. In an extensive corpus of work on the functional neuroanatomical substrates of emotion and affective style, we have established that the frontal regions of the brain exhibit a specialization for certain forms of positive and negative emotion. Left-sided activation in several anterior regions is observed during certain forms of positive emotion and in subjects with more dispositional positive affect. - Richard J. Davidson, PhD.

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is simply observing your thoughts through introspection. Bringing your awareness inside to the inner world of the mind, you let go of memories of the past or thoughts of the future. Simply watch your thoughts emerge and dissolve within the space of your mind without judgment. This starts with watching the breath. Watching the breath calms the mind. A meditator will then turn his or her attention to the mind itself. Watching thoughts, analyzing to determine the real nature of those thoughts and their functions. You can do this at any time by closing your eyes and turning your attention to the inner world of the mind. Not only does meditation support your present life in terms of health, you will also become more productive and even more creative. Through mindfulness
you will get to know who you are and why you do things.

Therefore, mindfulness is a key component to a happy and productive life. Some may object at this point saying, “how can I find time to meditate? I’ve got too much to do to stop and idly watch my thoughts!” However, many studies have shown that mindfulness meditation reduces stress and anxiety. Which in turn, allows you to be more productive with greater efficacy, and with a higher level of satisfaction. So instead of meditation taking up time that could be better served working or “doing something”, meditation helps you get these things done more easily thus leaving you with more spare time not less.

For those who would like to learn about meditation go here…Learn how to meditate and signup for the free 4 Day Meditation Course delivered to you via email. The course is devidied into 4 parts and has guided meditation on MP3 for you to download. I hope you enjoy them.

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