Articles & Chapters by Michael Sheehy
Histories of Tibet: Essays in Honor of Leonard W.J. van der Kuijp, 2023
Article on the printing of the Jonang, Sakya, and Shangpa scholar Jetsun Künga Drolchok's (1507-1... more Article on the printing of the Jonang, Sakya, and Shangpa scholar Jetsun Künga Drolchok's (1507-1566) Collected Works along with discussion about a rare manuscript of his Analects of Zhentong – his only known work on the zhentong philosophy of emptiness.
The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet, 2019
Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsan’s (1292-1361) hermeneutics of the cosmic eons and framing of the zhentong... more Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsan’s (1292-1361) hermeneutics of the cosmic eons and framing of the zhentong philosophy of emptiness in his seminal works.
Voices from Larung Gar: Shaping Tibetan Buddhism for the Twenty-First Century, 2021
In the 1940s, the Tibetan modernist Gendun Chopel (1903-1951) suggested that neuroscience and Eur... more In the 1940s, the Tibetan modernist Gendun Chopel (1903-1951) suggested that neuroscience and Euro-American psychology would provide proof to validate Buddhist epistemological claims, such as those proposed by Dharmakīrti. By the time Dungkar Lobzang Trinle (1927-1997) was writing after the Cultural Revolution, he made regular use of the Tibetan neologism tshan rig, the term that is now consistently translated into English as, “science.” This chapter contributes to an unfolding understanding of the Tibetan cultural discourse on modern experimental science through the writings of an authoritative intellectual voice from inside Tibet, Larung Gar Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro (b. 1962). The chapter includes an introduction to science in Tibet with an emphasis on the relevance of science to discourses on rebirth, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), and near-death experiences (NDEs) and features translated excerpts from Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro’s work, "The Mirror That Illuminates Existence: An Analysis of Past and Future Lives" that situates these discourses in dialogue with the Tibetan Book of the Dead. In his important work, Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro seeks to reconcile the new global epistemology of empirical science with Tibetan Buddhist philosophical views that credit the atemporal and immaterial – giving the reader a fascinating glimpse into the workings of science in Tibet.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion, 2023
The zhentong (gzhan stong; also phonetisized shentong) philosophy of emptiness is a positivist tr... more The zhentong (gzhan stong; also phonetisized shentong) philosophy of emptiness is a positivist tradition in the history of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist thought that includes a range of philosophical views and meditative experiences that express the ultimate to be emptiness (śūnyatā; stong pa nyid) devoid of everything other than (gzhan) buddhanature (tathāgatagarbha; de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po), a luminous essence that pervades living beings. The literal meaning of zhentong is to be empty of other, which is commonly translated as “other-emptiness” or “extrinsic emptiness.” In contrast to zhentong, philosophical views that assert emptiness devoid of an intrinsic nature (svabhāva) are rangtong (rang stong), which means to be empty of itself, and is commonly translated as “self-emptiness” or “intrinsic emptiness.” Adherents to zhentong views are called “Zhentongpas,” while adherents to rangtong views are called “Rangtongpas.” Accordingly, Tibetan adherents to zhentong generally divide the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist thought into two sub-schools: (a) General Madhyamaka or Rangtong Madhyamaka, namely the Prāsaṅgika and Svātantrika approaches; and (b) Great Madhyamaka or Zhentong Madhyamaka. Historically, there are zhentong proponents from the Jonang, Nyingma, Kagyü, Sakya, and Kadam orders of Tibetan Buddhism.
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 2023
A classic set of eight similes of illusion (sgyu ma'i dpe brgyad) are employed recurrently throug... more A classic set of eight similes of illusion (sgyu ma'i dpe brgyad) are employed recurrently throughout Indian and Tibetan Buddhist literature to illustrate the operations of cognition, its correlative perceptions, and experiences that emerge. To illustrate a Buddhist psychology of metaphor, the fourteenth century Tibetan scholar and synthesizer of the Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) or Great Perfection system, Longchen Rabjam Drimé Ödzer (1308-1363), composed his poetic text, Being at Ease with Illusion. This work on illusion is the third volume in Longchenpa's Trilogy of Being at Ease (Ngal gso skor gsum) in which he presents a series of Dzogchen instructions on how to settle totally at ease. To complement each volume in his trilogy, Longchenpa composed auxiliary contemplative guidance instructions on their meaning (don khrid). This article contextualizes Longchenpa's meditation manual on Being at Ease with Illusion, a translation of which is included in the appendix. Special attention is given to Dzogchen practices of lucid dreaming and working with cognitive illusions to spotlight underlying contemplative dynamics and correlative psychological effects. To analogically map these Tibetan language instructions in translation, this article interprets Buddhist psychological understandings of cognitive and perceptual processes in dialogue with current theories in the cognitive sciences.
Buddha Nature Across Asia, 2022
This chapter investigates the concept of “empty images” (śūnyatā-biṃba, stong gzugs), expressions... more This chapter investigates the concept of “empty images” (śūnyatā-biṃba, stong gzugs), expressions of emptiness in the Kālacakra Tantra, and gives attention to how this phenomenon was interpreted by the Tibetan Kālacakra master Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361) and his immediate disciples to be direct expressions of buddhanature (tathāgatagarbha). The focus is the tantric epistemology of these “empty images,” textual connections to tathāgatagarbha, and correlative contemplative experiences that are described within Tibetan meditation manuals on the Kālacakra sixfold vajrayoga. As we find in Dölpopa’s writings, as well as by later Jonang authors, these expressions of tathāgatagarbha are observable and experiential, and come about through the careful execution of the yogic procedures explicated in the vajrayoga practice of the Kālacakra. These expressions are said to be experienced through the precise process of withdrawing one’s sense faculties from mundane stimuli, hence rescinding one's involvement with objectification through a threefold practice of isolating the body, voice, and mind (dben pa gsum), resulting in the philosophical and contemplative visions of tantric zhentong (sngags gi gzhan stong). To contextualize Dölpopa’s claims, we analyze passages from early meditation procedural manuals on the sixfold vajrayoga practices composed by two of his closest disciples, Chokle Namgyal (1306-1386) and Lotsāwa Lodro Pel (1313-1391). To better understand the phenomenon of these expressions of tathāgatagarbha and their categorical construction as contemplative experience within Tibetan literature, we analyze Buddhist doctrinal relationships of emptiness and tathāgatagarbha, and probe the epistemological nature of these expressions to be nature-born experiences, external referents, visionary “images of buddhas,” and/or intentional objects of meditation.
Religions, 2022
For Indian Buddhists and their Tibetan successors, the faculty of “mindfulness” (Skt. smṛti, Tib.... more For Indian Buddhists and their Tibetan successors, the faculty of “mindfulness” (Skt. smṛti, Tib. dran pa) has been interpreted as the foundation of the threefold development of wisdom (study, reflection, cultivation). Such a model was, in Tibet, the hallmark of the gradual approach to awakening, whereas in the simultaneous approach, the state beyond ordinary mindfulness was emphasized. The complementarity of both approaches has been an essential issue, especially for the Nyingma tradition, which holds the direct teaching of Dzogchen to be the penultimate. To elucidate the operations of mindfulness in this context, this paper analyzes two guidance texts on mindfulness by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798), Ocean of Qualities: Advice on Mindfulness and Cudgel to Discern the Real: Advice that Shines from Mindfulness and Meta-Awareness, the latter translated into English for the first time in this paper. As this study shows, Jigme Lingpa articulates a twofold typology of mindfulness, first a mindfulness that is effortful and conditioned, and secondarily the distinctive mindfulness of Dzogchen that is inseparable from pure awareness or rigpa (rig pa). Jigme Lingpa thus applies mindfulness to integrate Buddhist teachings and make sense of alternative modes of practice along the Dzogchen path.
Journal of Dharma Studies, 2021
Convergences and conflicts in the dialogue between Buddhism and modern science occasionally find ... more Convergences and conflicts in the dialogue between Buddhism and modern science occasionally find precedent in historical sources and encounters, some of which have set the stage for scenarios that are commonplace in the current dialogue. This paper brings recent scholarship and Tibetan sources on astronomy and geography in Tibet into conversation with the ongoing Buddhism and science dialogue. In response to a lack of context in the dialogue, the paper gives attention to how two contexts in particular, namely, the contemplative and historical, inform currents in the Buddhism and science dialogue about cosmology. The paper challenges claims made that Tibetans did not encounter European science until the twentieth century and that Tibetans were unaware of scientific cosmological ideas, and therefore have not updated the Buddhist Mount Meru cosmology. To address tensions inherent in the binary discourse on science vs religion, this paper asks, does the Mount Meru cosmology represent a domain wherein Buddhism or science hold more appropriate tools for meaningful discourse and resolution about its existence?
Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, 2020
This paper reflects on the autobiographical subjectivity of the 17th c. Tibetan woman author and ... more This paper reflects on the autobiographical subjectivity of the 17th c. Tibetan woman author and yoginī Rje btsun ma Kun dga’ ‘Phrin las dbang mo (1585-1668). She was a close disciple and secret consort (gsang yum) to Rje btsun Tāranātha (1575-1635), a Jonang lineage-holder and key figure in the transmission of gzhan stong (zhentong) philosophy, and mentor to the generation of masters who were instrumental in transplanting the Jonangpas from central Tibet to Amdo. This paper (a) discusses the provenance of the manuscript of her autobiography, the Gsang ba’i ye shes or The Secret Gnosis, and related source texts; (b) contextualizes her autobiography in the broader Tibetan literature written by and about women in Tibet; (c) presents her to be an author whose writing style captures her relationality within a given social context and ability to operate within juxtaposed lived worlds; and (d) to exemplify the literary modes that she effectuates as an author, reflects on select dreams in her autobiography that describe the oneiric consciousness that she pilots as a yoginī.
Reasons and Lives in Buddhist Traditions: Studies in Honor of Matthew Kapstein, 2019
The Shangpa Kagyu lineage, as Matthew Kapstein has described, is like "some vine that adorns a wh... more The Shangpa Kagyu lineage, as Matthew Kapstein has described, is like "some vine that adorns a whole forest without being able to stand by itself," so much so that it "may strike one who follows its twists and turns as being virtually an omnipresent element in Tibetan Buddhism." Continuing with this analogy, this chapter traces these twists and turns of the Shangpa’s entangled history from its formidable institutional origins at the time of its founder, Khyung po Rnal ‘byor (1050-1127), to its later assimilation into mainstream Buddhist traditions, giving attention to the early institutionalized presence of the Shangpa in Tibet. We look at the networks and strategies that the Shangpa employed to transfer their lineage of contemplative and philosophical knowledge through the generations and across the Tibetan plateau. The paper aims to contribute to our working knowledge of the institutional history of the Shangpas in Tibet, based on Tibetan lineage records and fieldwork that that the author conducted to locate Shangpa historical sites in the Shangs and 'Phan po valleys of central Tibet during the summer of 2014, providing clues in the case of the missing Shangpas. Discussing the recompilation of Tibetan knowledge about the early Shangpa lineages, the paper begins the processes of untangling select knots that have come to inhibit a better historical vision of the reception of this Buddhist tradition’s philosophical import from India, and its continuation in Tibet.
The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet, 2019
Introduction to the edited multi-author volume, "The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Bud... more Introduction to the edited multi-author volume, "The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet." Brief intellectual history of the zhentong philosophy of emptiness in Tibet.
A Gathering of Brilliant Moons: Practice Advice from the Rimé Masters of Tibet, 2017
Bamda Thupten Gelek Gyatso (1844-1904) was born in the hamlet of Bamda in Amdo, a sh... more Bamda Thupten Gelek Gyatso (1844-1904) was born in the hamlet of Bamda in Amdo, a short horse ride through the barley fields to the monastic complex at Dzamthang, headquarters of the Jonang tradition. At an early age he was recognized as a re-embodiment of the famed Jonangpa scholar Tāranātha (1575-1634) and was raised in the formal monastic curriculum at Dzamthang Tsangwa Monastery. When he was nineteen, Bamda Gelek traveled to live in Degé district where he became integrally involved in the Kham intellectual scene throughout his twenties, studying closely with many of the Rimè luminaries of that period. In particular, Bamda Gelek studied with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1890), Dza Patrul (1808-1887), the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa Kelzang Tubtan Wangchuk (1856-1916), and the eighth throne-holder of Dzogchen Monastery, Pema Badzra (1867-1934). With such diverse influences, trained within the Jonang, Shangpa, Dzokchen and Geluk traditions, Bamda Gelek’s twenty-two volumes of collected writings span a wide range of subjects. Among his extensive treatises are preserved two short sweet texts that record instructions spoken by Bamda Gelek: these two texts are introduced and translated here, "Extracting the Essence of Freedoms and Fortunes: Advice on the Precious Mind, Vajrayāna, and Dzokchen," and his "Concise Personal Advice: Listening, Reflecting, and Meditating on the Path." Taught aloud in real-time to spur his disciples along their path of spiritual transformation, these texts assume a heightened degree of receptivity from the audience due to their personal nature while stylistically each reflect the intimacy, directness, and idiosyncrasy that is so often attributed to this Tibetan genre of personal advice (zhal gdams).
Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho'i dbu ma gzhan stong phyogs bsgrigs, 2009
Preface. Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho. 2009. In Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho'i dbu ma... more Preface. Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho. 2009. In Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho'i dbu ma gzhan stong phyogs bsgrigs. Chengdu: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang.
Tradition Transformed: Tibetan Artists Respond, Jun 2010
Contextualizing Tibet's rich visual culture in light of the language and practice of modern art, ... more Contextualizing Tibet's rich visual culture in light of the language and practice of modern art, we consider various tensions at play in these distinct forms of aestheticism. Modern art is conceived as modalities of self-expression in contrast to the intentional expression of movements and emotions of a sublime form, imaged and transformed into a receptacle for the actual living presence of a Buddhist deity.
As Long as Space Endures: Essays on the Kālacakra Tantra in Honor of H.H. the Dalai Lama
Brief lineage history of the transmission of the sixfold vajrayoga and tantric zhentong according... more Brief lineage history of the transmission of the sixfold vajrayoga and tantric zhentong according to the Jonang Kālacakra.
Asking, "What is the nature of fear?," "How is it that fear and terror are amenable to being 'sev... more Asking, "What is the nature of fear?," "How is it that fear and terror are amenable to being 'severed' or 'transcended'?," and "Why would it be advantageous to 'sever' fear?, this paper investigates the act of cutting-through fear via the Tibetan Buddhist meditative tradition known as 'gCod' (chöd). Through examining Mahayana philosophical notions of self and phenomena, as well as the psychological implications of subject-object reification at the heart of gCod, we elaborate on the interior cognitive and emotional dynamics of gCod praxis. In order to elaborate on these contemplative dynamics, we reflect upon translated verses from one of the seminal texts of the gCod tradition, entitled, The Essence of Enlightened Awareness: The Quintessence of the Profound Meaning of the Entirety of Expositions and Guidance on the Transcendent Wisdom that Cuts-Through.
A look at key biographical excerpts from several of Taranatha's (1575-1635) close disciples at a ... more A look at key biographical excerpts from several of Taranatha's (1575-1635) close disciples at a critical period, reflecting on the historic changes that were taking place after his death at Jonang Monastery in central Tibet.
Translation into Chinese of article, "A Lineage History of Vajrayoga and Tantric Zhentiong from t... more Translation into Chinese of article, "A Lineage History of Vajrayoga and Tantric Zhentiong from the Jonang Kalacakra Practice Tradition." Originally published in English in, As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalachakra Tantra in Honor of the Dalai Lama. Snow Lion Publications, 2009.
Discussion on Tibetan Buddhist understandings about the nature of "awareness." An examination of ... more Discussion on Tibetan Buddhist understandings about the nature of "awareness." An examination of a psychological text composed by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) with reflections from its commentaries by Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-1899) and the Fifteenth Karmapa Khakyab Dorje (1871-1922).
Entry in Oxford Bibliographies Online
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Articles & Chapters by Michael Sheehy
typology, to the extent possible — of particular importance for studying and identifying regional and historiographical features of digital manuscripts.