Shentong
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Shentong (also, zhentong; Tibetan: གཞེན་སྟོང་; Wylie: gzhen-stong), also sometimes called “Yogacara Madhyamaka,” is a philosophical sub-school found in Tibetan Buddhism whose followers hold that the nature of mind is "empty of other" (i.e., empty of all qualities other than an inherent, ineffable nature), in contrast to the “Rangtong” view of the followers of Prasangika Madhyamaka, who hold that all phenomena are unequivocally empty of self-nature, without positing anything beyond that. According to Shentongpas, the emptiness of ultimate reality should not be characterized in the same way as the emptiness of apparent phenomena.
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[edit] History
The earliest Shentong views are usually asserted to have been presented initially in a group of treatises variously attributed to Asanga or Maitreya, especially in the treatise known as the Uttara Tantra Shastra ("Unsurpassed Continuum"), and in a body of Madhyamaka treatises attributed to Nagarjuna.
The first exposition of a Shentong view is sometimes attributed to Shantarakshita, but most scholars argue that his presentation of Madhyamaka thought is more accurately labeled “Yogachara-Svatantrika-Madhyamaka.” It is generally agreed that a true Shentong view was first systematized and articulated under that name by Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen, an originally Sakya-trained lama who joined the Jonang school with which Shentong is strongly associated. However, the 11th century Tibetan master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, student of Kashmiri scholar Somanatha was possibly the first Tibetan master who articulated a Shentong view after his experiences during a Kalachakra retreat.
After the suppression of the Jonang school by the Tibetan government in the 1600s, various Shentong views were propagated mainly by Kagyu and Nyingma lamas. They have experienced a revival in modern times with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, a 19th century Rime (ecumenical) scholar and forceful exponent of Shentong, and were also advanced by the eminent Kagyu Lamas Kalu Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.
[edit] View
Shentongpas (those who hold a Shentong view) consider a Shentong position to be the highest expression of Madhyamaka. They claim that gaining a Shentong view is only truly possible through meditative experience and not through conceptual understanding. In light of that, they argue that Rangtong is most useful for individuals who approach dharma practice primarily through philosophical studies, while Shentong is more useful for the meditation-oriented practitioner. Shentongpas often present themselves as “Rantongpas” as well, asserting they see the two approaches as complementary.
H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, one of the most celebrated Nyingma Lamas of the 20th century, asserts:
- The Madhyamaka of the Prasangika and the Svatantrika is the coarse, outer Madhyamaka. It should indeed be expressed by those who profess well-informed intelligence during debates with extremist outsiders, during the composition of great treatises, and while establishing texts which concern supreme reasoning. However, when the subtle, inner Madhyamaka is experientially cultivated, one should meditate on the nature of Yogacara-Madhyamaka.
When speaking of the emptiness of mind's ultimate nature, Shentongpas often use terms such as "luminous clarity," "luminous awareness," "the clear light nature of mind," and so forth to characterize their experiences. Such language is often employed in Dzogchen expositions as well.
[edit] Criticisms and controversies
Arguments concerning fine points of Madhyamaka tend to be complex and are often found difficult to understand, let alone summarize pithily. Its terms are understood differently by different schools, adding to the confusion. It is therefore beyond the scope of any general overview to present the technical dimension of the argument in detail. However, a historical context for the argument may be helpful.
Shentong views have often come under criticism by followers of all four of the main Tibetan Buddhist schools, but particularly by the Gelug. The “Shentong-Rangtong distinction” is a dichotomy that Gelugpas and Sakyapas generally do not utilize. “Exclusive Rangtongpas,” as the contemporary western Kagyu scholar S.K. Hookham would call them, have claimed that Shentong views are inconsistent with the basic mahayana teaching of emptiness (shunyata) because Shentongpas hypostasize an absolute. They sometimes label Shentong Madhyamaka "Eternalistic Madhyamaka." Gyaltsab Je and Khedrub Je, two of Gelug founder Je Tsongkhapa’s primary disciples, were particularly critical of the Shentong views of their time. The great fourteenth century Sakya master Buton Rinchen (1290-1364) was also very critical of Shentong views.
Among Kagyupas and Nyingmapas, the noted 19th century Nyingma lama Ju Mipham wrote works both supportive and critical of Shentong positions, as did the 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje. The contemporary western Kagyu scholar Karl Brunnhölzl argues that there is no such thing as “Yogacara Madhyamaka,” but rather that orthodox Yogacara philosophy (when understood properly) is entirely compatible with Madhyamaka, and therefore no synthesis is needed. He argues that Yogacara has often been mischaracterized and unfairly marginalized in Tibetan Buddhist curriculums.
[edit] External links
- Great Madhyamaka by Taranatha
- The Lion's Roar Proclaiming Extrinsic Emptiness by Mipham Rinpoche
- Great Madhyamaka by H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche
- Scholarly disquisition on The Buddha Within
- An exposition of the two truths by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rimpoche
- Jonang Foundation
[edit] References
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This article or section may use words or ideas of other works in its text without citing sources. Using citations to support claims outside the realm of elementary knowledge helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. Please improve the article or discuss this issue on the talk page. Help on using footnotes is available. This article has been tagged since January 2007. |
- S. K. Hookham, The Buddha Within, SUNY Press, ISBN 0-7914-0358-0
- Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rimpoche, Progressive Stages Of Meditation On Emptiness, ISBN 0-9511477-0-6
- Karl Brunnhölzl, The Center of the Sunlit Sky: Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition, ISBN 1-55939-218-5
