Robert A.F. Thurman - The Central Philosophy of Tibet: A Study and Translation of Jey Tsong Khapas Essence of True Eloquence

The Central Philosophy of Tibet

Princeton Library of Asian Translations

Advisory Committee (South Asia)

Edward Dimock

Barbara Stoler Miller

A. K. Ramanujan

Ralph Russell

The Central Philosophy of Tibet

A Study and Translation of Jey Tsong Khapas

Essence of True Eloquence

TRANSLATED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

Robert A. F. Thurman

Princeton University Press

Princeton, New Jersey

Copyright 1984 by Princeton University Press

Published by Princeton University Press,

41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press,

Chichester, West Sussex

This book was originally published in hardback

edition under the title Tsong Khapas Speech of

Gold in the Essence of True Eloquence.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Publication of this book has been aided by a grant

from The Whitney Darrow Publication Reserve

fund of Princeton University Press

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tso-kha-pa Blo-bza-grags-pa, 1357-1419.

The Central philosophy of Tibet: A Study and

translation of Jey Tsong Khapas Essence of true

eloquence.

(Princeton library of Asian translations)

Translation of: Legs bad si po.

Bibliography: p. Includes index.

1. Dge-lugs-pa (Sect)DoctrinesEarly works to

1800. 2. BuddhismChinaTibetDoctrines

Early works to 1800.I. Thurman, Robert A. F.

II. Title. III. Title: Speech of gold in the Essence of

true eloquence. IV. Title: Essence of true eloquence.

V. Series.

BQ7950.T754L4313 1984 294.3'42

ISBN 691-07285-x

ISBN 691-02067-1 (paperback)

eISBN: 978-0-691-24019-0

R0

This book is dedicated to

the late Geshe Ngawang Wangyal (1901-1983),

founder of the Lamaist Buddhist Monastery of America,

teacher of unerring wisdom and inconceivable kindness.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

(following p. 22)

.

(following p. 190)

THE DALAI LAMA

THEKCHEN CHOLING

MACLEOD GANJ 176216

KANGRA DISTRICT

HIMACHAL PRADESH

FOREWORD

I am very happy that Tsong Khapas masterpiece of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, the Legs bShad sNying po , has been translated into English, and can now be studied of Buddhism. by Western It has philosophers long been one and of practitioners my favorite works, and I hope that others will appreciate its deep in Tibet. thought It and has lucid always insights been considered as we have by for our centuries most learned scholars an extremely profound and difficult work, and I know Dr. Thurman has struggled with it for more number than of ten Tibetan years, scholars as well about as questioning the many difficult me and a points. Beyond the difficulty of understanding, there is the problem of getting the right terminology in English It may perhaps for our take complicated decades Tibetan for the technical full transmission terms. of circles, the Central just as Way we philosophy Tibetans labored into modern for many philosophical centuries to master the deep thought of the Ornaments of Indians such Dr. Thurman as Nagarjuna has made and a Asanga. good beginning I am confident with this that translation, and that the clear light of Tsong Khapas philosophical to kindle a spark genius of will recognition shine forth in the from minds these of pages free thinkers in the west. The spirit of open,criticalinquiry that descends from Shakyamuni Buddha throughspiritual teachers such as Tsong Khapa to us is one ofthe most precious parts of mankinds common heritage. But to benefit human beings, it must be used by individualthinkers who are concerned with understanding the true nature of the self and of the world. The deepest insights are not recommended to us just because they spring fromone particular tradition or another, eastern or western. As Shakyamuni himself said, "Just as the goldsmith gets his gold, first testing by melting, cutting, and rubbing, the wise accept my teachings after full examination, and not just out of devotion to me." So I urge you neither to accept nor reject these teachings of the Central Way tradition just because they are Buddhist, but to work with them, melting them in your deepthoughts, cutting them with critical analysis, andrubbing them against the touchstone of your own experience. I have found them to be true gold, andshall be pleased if others discover their benefit aswell.

June 4, 1981

PREFACE

I offer this work on the Speech of Gold of the great Tsong Khapa in the hope that the always imperfect filter of translation will not discolor it beyond the recognition of those who seek the complete clarity that is the goal of live philosophy, the complete clarity of perfect enlightenment. The great Essence of True Eloquence itself, the translation of which is the ground and heart of this book, has been called Tsong Khapas iron bow. Extremely hard to understand in Tibetan, how much harder to translate it and expound it. Yet here I find I have done just that; may Manjushri protect me!

Shakyamuni Buddha was averse to teaching his most profound message, lest it be seriously misunderstood. Nagarjuna warned that a misunderstood absolute emptiness is like a wrongly held snake, highly dangerous when its medicine of relativism is taken as the poison of nihilism. Yet Tsong Khapa and his successors became more and more open about teaching absolute emptiness over the last five centuries. Today it seems dangerous not to teach it widely. Perhaps the evolution of civilizations has brought us to a brink where confrontation with the absolute is no longer a responsibility or privilege of an elite, but a vital necessity for all. Our power over matter has become rather godlike, indeed. If our understanding of reality and ourselves does not correspond, we will surely make this world a hell. It is too cowardly to blame it on God, Buddha, Brahma, the Tao, the Random Universe, or whatever else. And it is a poor gamble to bank on nothingnesswhat does it matter?in hope of automatic anaesthesia beyond individual or planetary death. However difficult it may seem, we must each take responsibility for our own absolute, examine what we think it is, how we came to that perspective, if it withstands critical analysis, and how it affects our actions. So we are vitally concerned to undertake the struggle for this Everest peak of Tibetan thought on the absolute, this Essence of True Eloquence,

I have spent some effort in its introduction, setting up a base camp for your expedition, describing the terrain of the tradition within which Tsong Khapa taught, giving an inventory of the best modern equipment from contemporary thought, demonstrating training exercises, showing various routes of ascent, and warning of dangerous chasms. The actual assault is up to each person. Each must release the intellect, to experience the triumph for himself or herself.