Buddhist Psychology and Phenomenology

Selected Works in the Tradition of Asanga's Compendium of Abhidharma

Description

Eight compelling Tibetan texts uncover the depth of Buddhist phenomenology and psychology in the footsteps of the revered fourth-century Indian philosopher Asanga.

This newest volume in the Library of Tibetan Classics series is a collection of Tibetan commentaries on Buddhist phenomenology and psychology in the tradition set forth by the pathbreaking Indian philosopher Asanga in his seminal work, Compendium of Abhidharma (Abhidharmasamuccaya). With works ranging from the fourteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries, the first was composed by the Sakya scholar Rendawa, and the remainder were composed by Geluk scholars, including three works by the lineage founder Je Tsongkhapa and others by Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen and Balmang Konchok Gyaltsen.

The first two works here focus on Buddhist phenomenology, explaining Asanga’s Compendium of Abhidharma and summarizing its essential points; a lucid translation of Asanga’s groundbreaking text is interspersed with the commentary. The third and fourth works are centered on the Yogacara theory of the eight consciousnesses: foundation consciousness, the afflicted mental faculty, and the six engaged consciousnesses. The fifth work explains the phenomenology of the form and formless realms. The final three texts concern Buddhist psychology and focus on the structure and function of the mind and mental factors.

This is a landmark translation for the study of how we perceive phenomena and how to understand the mind and mental factors in our pursuit of awakening.

General Editor’s Preface

Translator’s Introduction

Technical Note

1. Jewel Garland of Excellent Explanation

Rendawa Shonu Lodro (1349–1412)

2. Commentary that Captivates the Minds of Scholars

Panchen Sonam Drakpa (1478–1544)

3. Root Verses on the Mental Faculty and Foundation Consciousness

Je Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357–1419)

4. Extensive Commentary on the Difficult Points of the Mental Faculty and Foundation Consciousness

Je Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357-1419)

5. Notes on the Absorption and Formless States

Je Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357-1419)

6. Jewel Garland of Concise Verses Explaining the System of Minds and Mental Factors

Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen (1713–93)

7. Necklace of Clear Awareness that Clearly Demonstrates the System of Minds and Mental Factors

Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen (1713–93)

8. Mirror Clarifying One’s Mindstream Explaining Some Principles of Minds and Mental Factors

Balmang Konchok Gyaltsen (1764–1853)

Table of Tibetan Transliteration

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

About the Contributors

About the author(s)

Ian James Coghlan (Jampa Yignyen) trained as a monk at Sera Jé Monastic University, completing his studies in 1995, and holds a PhD in Asian Studies from La Trobe University. Currently he is a research associate at SOPHIS, Monash University, and translator for the Institute of Tibetan Classics, AIBS, Wisdom Publications, the KAF Foundation, and the Juniper Foundation.

Thupten Jinpa Langri was educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal English-language translator to the Dalai Lama. He has translated and edited many books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and Ethics for the New Millennium. Jinpa has published scholarly articles on various aspects of Tibetan culture, Buddhism, and philosophy, and books such as Songs of Spiritual Experience (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Thought. He serves on the advisory board of numerous educational and cultural organizations in North America, Europe, and India. He is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. He also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute.

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