The great perfection (rDzogs chen) : a philosophical and meditative teaching of Tibetan Buddhism / by Samten Gyaltsen Karmay.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Karmay, Samten Gyaltsen.

Series:

Brill's Tibetan studies library ; v. 11.

Brill's Tibetan studies library ; v. 11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rdzogs-chen.

Rdzogs-chen--Bon (Tibetan religion).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 256 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Great Perfection (rDzogs chen in Tibetan) is a philosophical and meditative teaching. Its inception is attributed to Vairocana, one of the first seven Tibetan Buddhist monks ordained at Samye in the eight century A.D. The doctrine is regarded among Buddhists as the core of the teachings adhered to by the Nyingmapa school whilst similarly it is held to be the fundamental teaching among the Bonpos, the non-Buddhist school in Tibet. After a historical introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and the Bon, the author deals with the legends of Vairocana (Part I), analysing early documents containing essential elements of the doctrine and comparing them with the Ch'an tradition. He goes on to explore in detail the development of the doctrine in the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D. (Part II). The Tantric doctrines that play an important role are dealt with, as are the rDzogs chen theories in relation to the other major Buddhist doctrines. Different trends in the rDzogs chen tradition are described in Part III. The author has drawn his sources mainly from early unpublished documents which throw light on the origins and development, at the same time also using a variety of sources which enabled him to explicate the crucial position which the doctrine occupies in Tibetan religions.

Contents:

Preliminary Material / S.G. Karmay

Introduction / S.G. Karmay

Chapter I. The Legend Of Vairocana / S.G. Karmay

Chapter II. The Ancient Documents Of Rdzogs Chen From Tun-Huang / S.G. Karmay

Chapter III. The Cig Car Ba Tradition In Tibet / S.G. Karmay

Chapter IV. The Development Of The Rdzogs Chen Doctrine And Its Literature In The Tenth Century / S.G. Karmay

Chapter V. Rdzogs Chen Thought And Its Critics In The Eleventh Century / S.G. Karmay

Chapter VI. The Provenance Of The Fusion Of Tantric And Pure Meditational Teachings (The Role Of Mtph) / S.G. Karmay

Chapter VII. Rdzogs Chen Theories And Their Origins / S.G. Karmay

Chapter VIII. Rdzogs Chen In The Bonpo Tradition / S.G. Karmay

Chapter IX. The Three Trends Of The Rdzogs Chen Tradition / S.G. Karmay

Chapter X. The Rdzogs Chen Tradition As A Link Between The Rnying Ma Pa And The Bonpo / S.G. Karmay

Bibliography / S.G. Karmay

Chronological Table / S.G. Karmay

Glossary / S.G. Karmay

Indices / S.G. Karmay

Facsimiles Of Texts Iol 594 And Iol / S.G. Karmay

Plates / S.G. Karmay.

Notes:

Previously published: 1988.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [224]-237) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-92602-7

9786611926021

90-474-1978-2

OCLC:

646789011

Publisher Number:

10.1163/ej.9789004151420.i-278 DOI