The Philosophical Foundations of Classical rDzogs chen in Tibet

by David Higgins

Although the past three decades have witnessed a surge of interest, both popular and academic, in the syncretistic Tibetan tradition known as rDzogs chen (“Great Perfection”), there has been little to date in the way of critical study of its philosophical foundations or key doctrinal developments. A noteworthy case in point is the absence of any systematic appraisal of rNying ma (“Ancient Ones”) views on the nature of mind that traces their evolution and complex relationships with Indian Cittamātra, Madhyamaka, Pramānavāda, and Vajrayāna views. rNying ma contributions to the understanding of human consciousness merit attention not only because of their intrinsic interest and relevance to contemporary philosophies of mind but also because they provide an indispensable key to understanding this tradition’s complex Systems of thought and practice. As a tentative Step toward at least defining the parameters of this crucial but neglected field of inquiry, the following work investigates the nature and significance of the distinction between dualistic mind (sems) and primordial knowing (ye shes), and the related distinction between the all-ground (kun gzhi) and dharmakäya (chos sku), as these two are presented and defended within Tibetan rDzogs chen traditions between the 8th and 14th centuries. In taking a synoptic view of these philosophical developments, my aim has been to trace the conceptual genealogies of the distinctions and examine how they were shaped by, and reciprocally shaped, the scholastic and contemplative milieux in which they emerged. From their origins as spiritual instructions (man ngag) transmitted by early, mostly Indian masters of the Royal Dynastic Period (610-910), through their defence and articulation within wider contexts of Buddhist doctrine and soteriology by scholar-adepts of the Period of Monastic Hegemony (1249–1705), the distinctions emerge as formative elements of rDzogs chen theory and praxis.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy

369 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Higgins received his doctorate from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in 2012. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Tsadra Foundation with a project to translate the Eighth Karmapa's commentary on the Madhyamakāvatāra into English. Prior to this, he was a Post-doc Research Fellow in the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna where he was exploring the relationship between Mahāmudrā and Madhyamaka philosophies in Bka’ brgyud scholasticism during the post-classical period (15th to 16th centuries). His research interests include Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and epistemology with a particular focus on Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā and Rnying ma Rdzogs chen doctrinal systems. His doctoral thesis was published under the title Philosophical Foundations of Classical Rdzogs chen in Tibet: Investigating the Distinction Between Dualistic Mind (sems) and Primordial knowing (ye shes) (Vienna, WSTB no. 78, 2013).

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I previously wrote a detailed review of this book, but it was unfortunately inadvertently deleted, owing to an interface issue.

To restate the gist, I can briefly say that this is a very great work of analysis into the history and evolution of Dzogchen in Tibet based on an investigation of three core topics: 1) the distinction between ordinary mind (sems) and primordial wisdom (ye shes); 2) the distinction between the afflicted base consciousness or mind-basis-of-all and the base (gzhi), and how one either transforms or discovers the base underlying and/or beyond the afflicted base consciousness; and 3) Dzogchen strategies for dealing with the intrinsic tension between sudden and gradual approaches to practice.

The analytical clarity and erudition of the author are astonishing, I know of no western academic author with greater command of Tibetan Buddhist literature. It is well worth reading for the introduction alone. In my opinion, this is probably the most important and useful academic treatment of Dzogchen since Samten Karmay's thesis appeared in the 80s. It is incredibly useful in getting a good sense of the historical development of central ideas and gaining intellectual clarity with respect to the manner of thought with respect to the view, and I would recommend it enthusiastically to any serious student of this material.