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Buddhist Contributions To The Question Of (Un)Mediated Mystical Experience, Yaroslav Komarovski
Buddhist Contributions To The Question Of (Un)Mediated Mystical Experience, Yaroslav Komarovski
Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications
In this article, I address divergent Buddhist positions on conceptual and non-conceptual understanding of reality and the process of transition from the former to the latter. My discussion is anchored in the context of a well-known problematic issue in the field of religious studies, namely, the question of (un)mediated mystical experience. Connecting uniquely Buddhist philosophical and contemplative perspectives with the questions debated in contemporary studies of mysticism, I argue that Buddhism can make significant contributions to that field. Not only does it provide refined models of mind, contemplative processes, and other elements that help us understand certain mystical experiences, but …
Shakya Chokden’S Interpretation Of The Ratnagotravibhāga: “Contemplative” Or “Dialectical”?, Yaroslav Komarovski
Shakya Chokden’S Interpretation Of The Ratnagotravibhāga: “Contemplative” Or “Dialectical”?, Yaroslav Komarovski
Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications
This reconciliation of the dialectical and contemplative approaches to the buddha-essence is related to and closely resembles Shakchok’s reconciliation of the two approaches to ultimate reality advocated respectively by Nihsvabhāvavāda (ngo bo nyid med par smra ba, “Proponents of Entitylessness”) system of Madhyamaka and Alīkākāravāda (rnam rdzun pa, “False Aspectarians”) system of Yogācāra. These approaches in turn are connected respectively to the explicit teachings (dngos bstan) of the second dharmacakra (chos ’khor, “Wheel of Dharma”) and the definitive teachings (nges don, nītārtha) of the third dharmacakra that he also presents in a reconciliatory …
Reburying The Treasure—Maintaining The Continuity: Two Texts By Śākya Mchog Ldan On The Buddha-Essence, Yaroslav Komarovski
Reburying The Treasure—Maintaining The Continuity: Two Texts By Śākya Mchog Ldan On The Buddha-Essence, Yaroslav Komarovski
Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications
The rich and interconnected universe of Śākya Mchog Ldan’s views, including those on the buddha-essence, cannot be limited to or summarized in a few neat categories. Nevertheless, the following two interrelated ideas are crucial for understanding Śākya Mchog Ldan’s interpretation of the buddha-essence: 1) only Mahāyāna āryas (’phags pa) have the buddha-essence characterized by the purity from adventitious stains (glo bur rnam dag); 2) the buddha-essence is inseparable from the positive qualities (yon tan, guṇa) of a buddha; In his writings, Śākya Mchog Ldan argues against identifying the buddha- essence as a mere natural …