The “Five Early” (sNga lnga) Texts of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition rDzogs chen Sems sde: A Historical, Literary and Textual Study with Critical Edition and Translation of the Tibetan Texts
Date
2019-08-28
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Abstract
The objective of this dissertation is to critically examine the formative period (8th to 9th century CE) of the rDzogs chen Sems sde tradition. Primarily associated with the rNying ma school, the rDzogs chen teachings are considered by many Tibetans, such as the present-day Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and Namkhai Norbu, to be among the most advanced forms of Buddhist teachings. rDzogs chen posits pristine awareness, the unconditioned and “ever-present” state, as the direct path to the realization of perfection. This study is based on a historico-critical analysis and text-critical examination of five classical rDzogs chen Sems sde texts—Rig pa’i khu byug (The Cuckoo’s Song of Awareness); rTsal chen sprug pa (The Great Potentiality); Khyung chen lding ba (The Great Garuda in Flight); rDo la gser zhun (The Refining of Gold from Ore); and Mi nub pa’i rgyal mtshan (The Un-waning Victory Banner)—and a relatively obscure historical source, the tenth century bSam gtan mig sgron (Torch of the Eye of Meditation). I utilize a two-fold approach for this project that incorporates diachronic (historical) as well as synchronic (textual) examinations. The critical analysis of the historical development will examine the formative phases of the rDzogs chen Sems sde tradition, including evidence of lineage history and textual transmission. I also establish critical editions and translate the five early Sems sde texts.
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Tibetan Buddhism, rDzogs chen Sems sde, critical edition, translation, phylogenetic analysis
Citation
Derbac, M. (2019). The “Five Early” (sNga lnga) Texts of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition rDzogs chen Sems sde: A Historical, Literary and Textual Study with Critical Edition and Translation of the Tibetan Texts (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.