PhD Application Success
Woo-hoo! Good news!
I have been offered a place at the University of Tasmania. My research project has been also been approved and I have been assigned a supervisor. So, the first hurdle has been leapt.
You can read and or download a pdf version of the final paper from http://lodenjinpa.com/essay-papers/
What is the Research Project?
The topic of the PhD is the effectiveness of Tsong khapa’s Madhyamaka or Middle Way teachings. The working title for the dissertation is currently: The Soteriological Efficacy of Tsong Khapa’s Madhyamaka Dialectic: How does a non-affirming negation accrete Buddhist salvation? The project will research how a non-affirming negation can remove dysfunctional states of mind, thus producing the experience of an enlightened being. Given Je Tsong khapa’s unique reading of Candrakirti, Nagarjuna and the controversy surrounding his presentation of the two truths, there is still an unanswered question of whether the Gelugpa praxis does in fact lead a spiritual aspirant to enlightenment. While Gelugpa’s believe that his dialectical approach gives us a constructive exegesis of Nagarjuna’s thought, as set out in his seminal text Mulamadhyamakakarika. Because Tsong khapa strove to articulate the vision of emptiness and dependent arising as mutually dependent, and two natures of one and the same phenomena, this has led to a great deal of criticism of this view. Some of his opponents believe that Tsong khapa reifies conventional phenomena while others believe his view of emptiness is nihilistic. They believe, therefore, it falls out of scope of Nagarjuna’s “Middle Way”.
The topic of the PhD is the effectiveness of Tsong khapa’s Madhyamaka or Middle Way teachings. The working title for the dissertation is currently: The Soteriological Efficacy of Tsong Khapa’s Madhyamaka Dialectic: How does a non-affirming negation accrete Buddhist salvation? The project will research how a non-affirming negation can remove dysfunctional states of mind, thus producing the experience of an enlightened being. Given Je Tsong khapa’s unique reading of Candrakirti, Nagarjuna and the controversy surrounding his presentation of the two truths, there is still an unanswered question of whether the Gelugpa praxis does in fact lead a spiritual aspirant to enlightenment. While Gelugpa’s believe that his dialectical approach gives us a constructive exegesis of Nagarjuna’s thought, as set out in his seminal text Mulamadhyamakakarika. Because Tsong khapa strove to articulate the vision of emptiness and dependent arising as mutually dependent, and two natures of one and the same phenomena, this has led to a great deal of criticism of this view. Some of his opponents believe that Tsong khapa reifies conventional phenomena while others believe his view of emptiness is nihilistic. They believe, therefore, it falls out of scope of Nagarjuna’s “Middle Way”.
I believe, not only is Tsong khapa’s hermeneutical strategy coherent, his articulation of the two truths soteriologically efficacious, that is, it is effective in leading a spiritual aspirant to Buddhist salvation but, that his articulation of conventionalities, particularly his description of the person, sheds light on the age old Buddhist question of who is it that becomes enlightened, and also current issues in western philosophical thought on the nature of personal identity. This project will try to present this view, albeit in an objective way.
Why is this project important?
This project is important because I believe there is a need to articulate how emptiness can produce the experience of an enlightened being for a western audience and in a Western educational setting, that is, Western universities. In that regard, the University of Tasmania in Australia has accepted the project proposal I submitted and my PhD supervisor is Sonam Thakchoe. You may know of Sonam Thakchoe as he has recently published a book called The Two Truths Debate through Wisdom Publications and is a fine Buddhist scholar. Geshe Thubten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s translator, has agreed to help with different resources and also to give advice where possible. He has already made some suggestions on secondary literature that I will need to investigate for the project, as well as some advice on what is expected by western universities when doing research on spiritual topics.
This project is important because I believe there is a need to articulate how emptiness can produce the experience of an enlightened being for a western audience and in a Western educational setting, that is, Western universities. In that regard, the University of Tasmania in Australia has accepted the project proposal I submitted and my PhD supervisor is Sonam Thakchoe. You may know of Sonam Thakchoe as he has recently published a book called The Two Truths Debate through Wisdom Publications and is a fine Buddhist scholar. Geshe Thubten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s translator, has agreed to help with different resources and also to give advice where possible. He has already made some suggestions on secondary literature that I will need to investigate for the project, as well as some advice on what is expected by western universities when doing research on spiritual topics.
Future Plans
My future plan is to complete the PhD while remaining in Melbourne with Geshe Loden. Then get a job in a university somewhere lecturing on Buddhist philosophy. I would also like to publish an adapted version of the dissertation for the general Buddhist reader in plain English [ unlike parts of this email
] and to help Buddhist philosophy become more accessible to university students, as well as lead retreats and lecture on traditional texts like lo-rik, drub-ta and of course the heart of Tsong khapa’s tradition Lam rim at Buddhist centers.
My future plan is to complete the PhD while remaining in Melbourne with Geshe Loden. Then get a job in a university somewhere lecturing on Buddhist philosophy. I would also like to publish an adapted version of the dissertation for the general Buddhist reader in plain English [ unlike parts of this email
] and to help Buddhist philosophy become more accessible to university students, as well as lead retreats and lecture on traditional texts like lo-rik, drub-ta and of course the heart of Tsong khapa’s tradition Lam rim at Buddhist centers.Project Costs
The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $25,000.00 Australian per year. This converts to about $17,000 USD. As I said above, I am in no way profiting from this project. Any financial assistance will go towards rent, food, project resources such as books and travel to and from the university.
The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $25,000.00 Australian per year. This converts to about $17,000 USD. As I said above, I am in no way profiting from this project. Any financial assistance will go towards rent, food, project resources such as books and travel to and from the university.
Project Timeline
The project is likely to take 3 to 4 years.
Unfortunately due to Australian government PhD scholarship regulations and my circumstances although I could apply for a scholarship I will not be successful. This is because scholarships awarded based on result from students undergraduate and honors thesis results. The student with the highest results get the funding. I therefore need to find private funding. Currently I’m looking at making contact with foundations like the Gere Foundation. As you probably know, Richard Gere is a Buddhist, so I’m hoping that someone, somewhere will be in a position to help financially. If you happen to know if a foundation please let me know. I am not looking to profit in anyway from this project. I simply need to cover the costs of living during the time of the PhD research.
Someone at this point may ask: why don’t you find a part time job to fund your PhD? Well, generally speaking, the university professors do not advise working part time in order to fund a PhD and as I want to do the best possible job I can to further the tradition of Je Tsong khapa, I will try and follow this advice. I believe the more Tsong khapa is studied in western universities the better. This is my basic motivation for the project. It will also give me a good chance to deepen my own understanding of emptiness, as well as allow me to support myself in the future, by getting a job at a university while remaining focused on Buddhist thought. The reality of doing a PhD in Australia is that it can be 50 or 60 hours of work per week. It is a full time commitment and not for the faint hearted, or so I have been told. In fact, during a recent retreat I had a retired Professor try and dissuade me from doing it. No chance professor, sorry!
How can you help?
If you know of someone at a Buddhist foundation that helps monks fund projects can you please send me their contact details or website address. If you know of a generosity practitioner willing to help directly, please forward them this website address.
So, finding funding is the next hurdle.
October 19, 2008 · by Clarke Scott · News comments(0)
Join The Free Newsletter
I hate spam as much as you. I will not sell, rent or give your email away to anyone!
Comments
Got something to say?
Recent Comments