Buddhist Epistemology in the Geluk School

“From a Buddhist perspective, primal confusion about the nature of reality is the deepest root of suffering. For this reason—especially in the Indo-Tibetan tradition—epistemology has always been central to the Buddhist philosophical enterprise. The Geluk lineage has produced some of the most profound and comprehensive investigations into the structure of knowledge and of its place in Madhyamaka philosophy. Dr. Jonathan Samuels (Geshe Sherab Gyatso) presents precise and accurate translations of three especially important and influential texts from this tradition, exploring the structure of knowledge, the nature of inference and conceptual engagement, and the distinctive approach to knowledge in the Madhyamaka tradition. These carefully annotated translations bring these texts to the attention of Western scholars for the first time, and will be of great value to epistemologists and to scholars of Buddhist philosophy.”—Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy and Buddhist Studies, emeritus, Smith College

“The three texts in this volume illustrate the value of pramāṇa epistemology as a precursor to gaining insights in meditation. They show that reasoning, for Buddhists, is not just an intellectual pastime or a polemical battle but a crucial condition for meditative experience. Jonathan Samuels’s long involvement in the study and practice of this curriculum has served him well in translating these works and in composing an introduction, all delivered with the great erudition and pleasing manner that the works deserve. Samuels cleverly brings out the flamboyance and pugnacity that is Khedrup’s signature style, while preserving his fine intellect that weaves its way through the forests of contrasting views with the sharp machete of reason.” —Gavin Kilty, translator of Light of Samantabhadra: An Explanation of Dharmakīrti’s Commentary on Valid Cognition

“The academic study of the Tibetan tradition of Buddhist epistemology and logic (tshad ma, pramāṇa) first came into being in the first half of twentieth century Europe. True, some important developments of this enormously rich tradition have occurred in the meantime, but till now there has been nothing like the present study by J. Samuels who himself successfully gained the monastic degree of Gèshe. His study of three texts is not only the first to take seriously the very inception of the Geluk contribution to this field of study, but it also marks the first time that a major work now fully appears in a fine annotated translation. This is Khedrup Jé’s (1385-1438) Banisher of Ignorance, which occupies the bulk of this hefty tome. The other two pieces consist of equally annotated translations of Gyaltsab Jé’s (1364-1542) On Preclusion and Relationship and Jamyang Shepa’s (1648-1721) Mighty Pramāṇa Sun. There is no doubt that with these excellent translations, J. Samuels has set new standards for the translation of Tibetan tshad ma literature and that he has offered us with this thick volume a new point of departure for the study of Geluk tshad ma, in particular. The ‘pleasure of the text’ is here in full force!” —Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp, Harvard University

BUDDHIST EPISTEMOLOGY IN THE GELUK SCHOOL

Three Key Texts

Khedrup Jé Gyaltsab Jé Jamyang Shepa Jonathan Samuels

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Faced with Buddhism’s radical interdependence, one might ask, “If everything is relative, how can I be certain of anything?” Here, the descendents of Tsongkhapa plumb the nature of knowing and the tools of reasoning to come up with an answer.

This volume includes translations of three separate Tibetan works by iconic figures in the Geluk school of Buddhism. The first work, Banisher of Ignorance, is by Khedrup Gelek Palsang (1385–1438), and the second, On Preclusion and Relationship, is by Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen (1364–1432). The authors—popularly known as Khedrup Jé and Gyaltsab Jé—were the foremost disciples of the Geluk-school founder, Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357–1419). The third text, Mighty Pramāṇa Sun, is a commentary on Candrakīrti’s Clear Words (Prasannapadā) by the First Jamyang Shepa (1648–1721).

These works concern themselves primarily with the Buddhist theory of knowledge—the means by which we are able to know things and how we can be certain of that knowledge. Encapsulating this theory is the notion of pramāṇa, a concept derived from India, the Buddhist understanding of which was shaped most significantly by the masters Dignāga (fifth to sixth century) and Dharmakīrti (seventh century). Based on their explanation, pramāṇa is often translated as “valid cognition,” a literal reference to the kind of cognition that they proposed could be relied upon to supply indisputable knowledge. In recognition of the crucial role that reasoning is held to play in gaining certain knowledge, the Buddhist Pramāṇa tradition is described as a logico-epistemological system.

The works in this volume demonstrate how important scholastic rigor has been to Tibetan religion. They illustrate how those who follow the tradition have viewed the systematic approach as necessary not only for textual analysis—for those seeking to unravel the complexities of the Indian Buddhist scriptures and treatises—but also for practitioners aiming to progress along the spiritual path and achieve the higher Buddhist goals.

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book information

Hardcover
904 pages, 6 x 9 inches
$108
ISBN 9780861714605

about the author

Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, better known as Khedrup Je, was one of the main disciples of Lama Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Before becoming Tsongkhapa’s foremost disciple, Khedrup Je had been a learned Sakyapa scholar. He is considered to be a reincarnation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He wrote an important text on Kalachakra initiation which is still used by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, as the basis of his public initiations into the Kalachakra. Altogether, there are nine volumes of his collected works, containing fifty-eight treatises.

Other books by Khedrup Jé:
Freedom through Correct Knowing

Gyaltsab Jé, Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen, (1364–1432) was born in the Tsang province of central Tibet. He was a student of Je Tsongkhapa and became the first Ganden Tripa of the Gelug tradition after Je Tsongkhapa’s death. He also studied with Rendawa Zhonnu Lodro (red mda’ ba gzhon nu blo gros, 1349–1412). He was a prolific writer and one of his most famous texts is a commentary of Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way Of Life. Lodrö Tenpa, the seventh Ganden Tripa, was his student

The first Jamyang Shepa, Ngawang Tsöndrü (1648–1721), was a native of Amdo. After studying at Drepung Monastery near Lhasa he was invited by the local Mongol king to return and teach Buddhism there and he later founded Labrang, one of the two great monasteries of Amdo. He was a great scholar and he wrote Roar of the Five-Faced [Lion], a series of verses on tenets, along with a massive commentary to the root text (around 530 folios) called Great Exposition on Tenets. He also wrote various textbooks which are used today in numerous Geluk colleges.

Jonathan Samuels (Sherab Gyatso) received his Geluk education as a monk at monasteries in India, beginning at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, and gained the title of geshe at Drepung Loseling Monastery. He also holds a DPhil in Oriental studies from Oxford University. He was the principal teacher for the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program in Dharamsala, served as interpreter for his teacher Gen Lobsang Gyatso, translated several of his books, including Bodhicitta: Cultivating the Compassionate Mind of Enlightenment, and wrote the Tibetan language guide Colloquial Tibetan: The Complete Course for Beginners. He currently works as an academic and has held posts at Oxford University and Heidelberg University. He presently works for the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.