Table Of ContentT T T
h e w o r u t h s
DEBATE
Tsongkhapa and Gorampa on the Middle Way
Sonam Thakchoe
Foreword by Jay L. Garfield
Wisdom Publications • Boston
Wisdom Publications, Inc.
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Somerville MA 02144 USA
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© 2007 Sonam Thakchoe
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, elec
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Library of Congress Catalog ng-i n -Publicatio n Data
Thakchoe, Sonam.
The two truths debate : Tsongkhapa and Gorampa on the middle way /
Sonam Thakchoe ; foreword by Jay L. Garfield,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-86171-501-2 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Truth—Religious aspects—Buddhism. 2. Tson-kha-pa Blo-bzan-grags-
pa, 1357-1419. 3. Go-rams-pa Bsod-nams-sen-ge, 1429-1489. 4. Madhyamika
(Buddhism) 5. Buddhism—China—Tibet—Doctrines. I. Title.
BQ4255.T47 2007
294.3’ 420423—dc22
2007035443
ISBN 0-86171-501-2
11 10 09 08 07
5 4 3 2 1
Cover design by Gina Phelan and Dan Tesser
Cover images of Tsongkhapa and Gorampa come from the collection of the
Rubin Museum of Art. Our many thanks to them.
Interior design by Gopa &Ted2, Inc. Set in Diacritical Garamond 10.5/13 pt.
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guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee for Production
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Printed in the United States of America.
This book was produced with Environmental Mindfulness. We have
elected to print this title on 50% PCW recycled paper. As a result, we
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Contents
Foreword by Jay L. Garfield ix
Acknowledgments xi
Technical Notes xv
Introduction i
The Objectives and Scope of this Book i
Why Compare Tsongkhapa and Gorampa? 3
1. The Relationship Between the Two Truths 7
Introduction 7
What Is Divided into the Two Truths? 9
The Objects of Knowledge as the Basis oft he Division 9
Mere Mind as the Basis of the Division 12
How Are the Two Truths Related? 17
The Two Truths Are Ontologically Identical
but Conceptually Distinct ly
The Two Truths Are Distinct and Incompatible 21
Two Truths or One Truth? 28
How Is Conventional Truth “Truth” at All? 29
Why Is Conventional Truth False and Deceptive? 34
Applying the Worldly Convention 36
The One and Only Truth 40
Conclusion 43
VI THE TWO TRUTHS DEBATE
2. M eanings and D efinitions of the Two Truths 45
Introduction 45
The Meanings of Samvrti 46
Samvrti as Ignorant Consciousness 48
Samvrti as Mutually Interdependent 53
Samvrti as Worldly Conventions 55
Concealers: The Soteriological Objects of Negation 58
The Meanings of Paramarthasatya 62
Definitions of the Two Truths 65
Candrakirti’s Definition of the Two Truths 65
Nagarjuna’s Definition of the Two Truths 72
Conclusion 77
3. Language, C oncepts, and Ultimate Truth 79
Introduction 79
The Limits of Language and the Conceptual Mind:
The Cataract Analogy and Its Applications 79
Ineffability and Inconceivability of Ultimate Truth 87
The Validity of the Conceptual Right View 91
Final Implications 98
Conclusion 100
4. Realizing U ltimate Truth ioi
Introduction 101
Seeing Ultimate Truth by Way of Not Seeing It 102
Transcendence 107
Proliferation of Conceptual Elaboration 107
Transcending Conceptual Elaboration 110
CONTENTS Vll
Nondual Epistemology 115
Seeing Phenomena as Nothing 119
Seeing Phenomena as Empty 123
Conclusion 129
5. Enlightenment 133
Introduction 133
The Universality of Ultimate Truth 134
How an Arya Knows the Two Truths 139
A Buddhas Exceptional Mode of Knowing the Two Truths 144
Knowing the Two Truths from the Two Conflicting Perspectives 144
Knowing the Two Truths Simultaneously 150
Conclusion 156
6
. C onclusion 159
Soteriology and Psychology 159
Ontology 160
Epistemology 161
Ethical Implications 162
Abbreviations 165
Notes 171
Glossary 227
Bibliography 233
Publisher’s Acknowledgement
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous help of the Hershey
Family Foundation in sponsoring the printing of this book.
Foreword
The tendency of many students and even scholars of Buddhist phi
losophy to fasten onto a single philosopher or school of thought
when approaching Tibetan philosophy leads to the misapprehen
sion that Tibetan philosophy is uniform, that there is a single Tibetan view
about, or approach to, every problem in Buddhist philosophy. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The Tibetan scholastic adage, “where you
find agreement, there you find fools,” reflects the diversity of this tradition
and its commitment to the prosecution of philosophical debates and the
juxtaposition of alternative viewpoints. There is no more dramatic instance
of this diversity than the debate presented in this volume.
Among Tibetan philosophers there is near unanimity that Madhyamaka,
the Middle Way philosophy that originates in the work of Nagarjuna, rep
resents the apex of Indian Buddhist philosophical thought. Two of Tibet’s
greatest Madhyamaka exegetes are Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), founder of the
Gelug order, and Gorampa (1429-89), a major figure in the Sakya order.
While Tsongkhapa and Gorampa agree that Nagarjunas philosophical out
look is the highest expression of Buddhist insight, and that Candrakarti is
his definitive Indian commentator, their agreement ends there.
Central to Nagarjunas philosophical system is his distinction between
the two truths—conventional and ultimate—and his complex account of
their relationship. Dr. Sonam Thakchoe is correct to focus on this disagree
ment as an entree into the divergent outlooks of these two enormously
influential and subtle philosophers. The heart of Madhyamaka philosophy
is the doctrine of the two truths, and to disagree about this doctrine is to
disagree about the very nature of the philosophical theory.
Dr. Thakchoe is also correct to focus on the views of Gorampa and
Tsongkhapa for his entree into the complex Tibetan debates about the
interpretation of Madhyamaka. Tsongkhapa develops the most radical
defense of the importance and robust reality of the conventional as one can
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