The Dharma's Gatekeepers

Jonathan C. Gold

Description

The Dharma's Gatekeepers offers an incisive analysis of one of the most important works in Tibetan Buddhist intellectual history: Sakya Paṇḍita's Gateway to Learning (Mkhas pa 'jug pa'i sgo). Writing in a time when a distinctively Tibetan tradition of Buddhism was first emerging, Sakya Paṇḍita wanted to present Tibetan intellectuals with what he took to be an authentically Indian (and therefore, authentically Buddhist) understanding of the nature and tasks of intellectual life—with a view of how scholarship was understood and practiced in the great monastic colleges of India.

In The Dharma's Gatekeepers, we see Sakya Paṇḍita building the intellectual foundation for Tibetan scholasticism through a series of subtle, brilliant, and quintessentially Buddhist arguments about the nature of learning itself, with his elaboration of a model of scholastic education skillfully drawing together ideas in Buddhist epistemology, philosophy of language, translation theory, hermeneutics, and literary theory. In this study of Sakya Paṇḍita's remarkable work, Jonathan C. Gold shows that the Gateway to Learning addresses issues that remain of concern to contemporary intellectuals; this thirteenth-century work has much to contribute to our understanding of such issues as translation and translatability, theories of reading and authorship, the connections between religious values and academic institutions, and theories of language and literary aesthetics. The book includes a translation of significant parts of Sakya Paṇḍita's text.
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. The Lion’s Roar in the Assembly:  Sa-pan’s Scholarly Ideal

Introduction
The Gateway in the History of Tibetan Learning
Śākyaśrībhadra and the Indianization of Tibet
The Five Sciences and the Goal of Scholarly Perfection

2. Beware of the Dharma in Translation:  A Warning to Interpreters

Introduction: Translation in Tibet and in the Gateway
Obscure Vocabulary
The Techniques of Translators
Translation Mistakes
Unintelligible Context
Untranslatability Denied

3. The Dharma Is Only Words:  A Philosophical Authorization of the Linguist

Introduction
Skill in Means in the Gateway
The “Term Generality” at the Foundation of Grammar
The “Term Generality” in Sakyapa Epistemology
Sa-pan and Saussure on the Conceptuality and Conventionality of Language
Sa-pan and Sönam Tsemo on the Dharma as Language
Linguistics as the Study of Convention: The “Speech Intention”

4. The Expert Knows the Context:  Sa-pan’s Appeals to Buddhist Hermeneutics

Introduction: Sa-pan’s Contribution to Buddhist Hermeneutics
Tantric Hermeneutics in the Background of the Gateway
How Words Get Their Meaning
Sa-pan’s Previous Position: Linguistic Analysis in the Treasury
Sa-pan’s Predecessors on “Well Known in the World” and “Well Known in Treatises”
Well-known Terminology and Linguistic Convention
Sa-pan’s General Theory of the “Well Known”  and Tantric Hermeneutics
Which Scholars Form the Community of Interpreters?
Conclusion

5. The Message in the Medium:  Intellectual Norms and Protocols

Introduction
The Three Kinds of Meaning in a Good Verse of Reverence
Introductory Verses and the Social Function of Rhetoric
Synopsis as a Display of Mastery
Ensuring Excellence by Declaring a Legitimate Purpose
How to Make Meaning Evident
Conclusion

6. Appealing to the Translocal:  Sanskrit Poetics for a Tibetan Buddhist Elite

Introduction
Sa-pan’s Buddhicization of the Rasas
Applying the Rasas
Poetics in Defense of the Dharma
Introducing Poetics to Tibetans
Conclusion: Who Benefits from Aesthetic Cultivation?

7. Conclusion: Thoughts on a Future Comparative Intellectual History

Appendixes:

A: Outline
B: The Gateway to Learning

Notes
Tibetan Orthographic Equivalents
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Tibetan Buddhism
• Buddhism

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 05 juin 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791479711
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

T HE D HARMA ’ S G ATEKEEPERS Sakya Pandita on Buddhist Scholarship in Tibet . .

J ONATHAN C. G OLD

T HE D HARMA ’ S G ATEKEEPERS

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T HE D HARMA ’ S G ATEKEEPERS

Sakya Pandita on Buddhist Scholarship in Tibet · ·

J ONATHAN C. G OLD

S TATE U NIVERSITY OF N EW Y ORK P RESS

Cover: Stone Manjushri—Namasangiti (Northern India, 1000–1099), item no. 65391 on himalayanart.org, Collection of Rubin Museum of Art

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gold, Jonathan C., 1969– The Dharma’s gatekeepers : Sakya Pandita on Buddhist scholarship in Tibet / Jonathan C. Gold. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7914-7165-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Sa-skya Pandi-ta Kun-dga’-rgyal-mtshan, 1182–1251. Mkhas pa ’jug pa’i sgo. 2. Buddhism—Study and teaching—China—Tibet. I. Title. BQ162.C52T55734 2007 294.3′923092—dc22 2006032683

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C ONTENTS

Preface / ix

Acknowledgments / xi

1 T HE L ION ’ S R OAR IN THE A SSEMBLY : S A - PAN ’ S S CHOLARLY I DEAL / 1 · Introduction / 1 TheGatewayin the History of Tibetan Learning / 4 ´ Sa¯kyas´r¯ıbhadraandtheIndianizationofTibet/9 The Five Sciences and the Goal of Scholarly Perfection / 14

2 B EWARE OF THE D HARMA IN T RANSLATION : A W ARNING TO I NTERPRETERS / 25 Introduction: Translation in Tibet and in theGateway/ 25 Obscure Vocabulary / 28 The Techniques of Translators / 30 Translation Mistakes / 31 Unintelligible Context / 32 Untranslatability Denied / 35

3 T HE D HARMA I S O NLY W ORDS : A P HILOSOPHICAL A UTHORIZATION OF THE L INGUIST / 41 Introduction / 41 Skill in Means in theGateway/ 42 The “Term Generality” at the Foundation of Grammar / 43 The “Term Generality” in Sakyapa Epistemology / 45 Sa-pan and Saussure on the Conceptuality · and Conventionality of Language / 50 Sa-pan and Sönam Tsemo on the Dharma as Language / 53 · Linguistics as the Study of Convention: The “Speech Intention” / 57

4 T HE E XPERT K NOWS THE C ONTEXT : S A - PAN ’ S A PPEALS TO B UDDHIST H ERMENEUTICS / 61 · Introduction: Sa-pan’s Contribution to Buddhist Hermeneutics / 61 ·

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C ONTENTS

Tantric Hermeneutics in the Background of theGateway/ 64 How Words Get Their Meaning / 69 Sa-pan’s Previous Position: Linguistic Analysis in theTreasury/ 73 · Sa-pan’s Predecessors on “Well Known in the World” · and “Well Known in Treatises” / 76 Well-known Terminology and Linguistic Convention / 81 Sa-pan’s General Theory of the “Well Known” · and Tantric Hermeneutics / 84 Which Scholars Form the Community of Interpreters? / 87 Conclusion / 91

5 T HE M ESSAGE IN THE M EDIUM : I NTELLECTUAL N ORMS AND P ROTOCOLS / 93 Introduction / 93 The Three Kinds of Meaning in a Good Verse of Reverence / 95 Introductory Verses and the Social Function of Rhetoric / 98 Synopsis as a Display of Mastery / 102 Ensuring Excellence by Declaring a Legitimate Purpose / 107 How to Make Meaning Evident / 110 Conclusion / 113

6 A PPEALING TO THE T RANSLOCAL : S ANSKRIT P OETICS FOR A T IBETAN B UDDHIST E LITE / 117 Introduction / 117 Sa-pan’s Buddhicization of theRasas/ 119 · Applying theRasas/ 126 Poetics in Defense of the Dharma / 130 Introducing Poetics to Tibetans / 135 Conclusion: Who Benefits from Aesthetic Cultivation? / 138

7 C ONCLUSION : T HOUGHTS ON A F UTURE C OMPARATIVE I NTELLECTUAL H ISTORY / 141

A PPENDIXES A: Outline / 151 B: The Gateway to Learning / 153

Notes / 185

C ONTENTS

Tibetan Orthographic Equivalents / 235

Abbreviations / 237

Bibliography / 239

Index / 255

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P REFACE

This book describes a Buddhist view of scholarship. It is a study of theGateway to Learning(Mkhas pa ’jug pa’i sgo), a thirteenth-century Tibetan introduction to scholarship by the great luminary Sakya Pandita. TheGatewayis in many · · ways a unique product of its author’s time, place, and worldview. Yet the bril- liance with which Sakya Pandita grasped the intellectual issues of that time · · and place, and the clarity and depth with which he expressed his worldview, make theGatewaya classic of world literature with lessons that resonate in our

time. TheGateway’s principal audience consisted of the most ambitious schol- ars among the Tibetan monastic establishment, and these were students who struggled, above all, with the complexities of understanding their scriptures in translations from Sanskrit. Sakya Pandita consequently reflects with greater · · depth than any other premodern Buddhist on the nature of translation, and on the challenges that the dharma faces during its travels among diverse cultures and languages. The many translated Buddhist scriptures and treatises available to Tibetans during this time contained a bewildering variety of doctrines and practices. So Sakya Pandita provides a unique hermeneutic theory that allows · · for a diversity of interpretive conventions, each legitimate and applicable in its own scriptural context, while yet defining true mastery as comprehension of all contexts. The intellectual repertoire that theGatewaydescribes is justified by · its claim to continue the practices of the true originalsanghaestablished by the Buddha in India. So Sakya Pandita explicitly elevates this scholarly community · · to the role of just arbiter not only of its elite membership but of the legitimate possibilities of linguistic meaning itself. These are distinctive views of learning and expertise that are rooted in traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhist thought and entwined around the specific frameworks and needs of Sakya Pandita’s thir- · · teenth-century readership. They are also sophisticated, Buddhist contributions to the wider philosophical study of language, translation, interpretation, and the functions of communities of learning. At the same time, the more general ideals of literary and philosophical ex- pertise that theGatewayadvocates are by no means unique. Sakya Pandita’s vi- · · sion of scholarship takes part in a Buddhist imagination of the perfection of knowledge that extends from the notion of the Buddha as ideal teacher to the manyfacesandformsofMañju´srı¯,thegreatbodhisattvaofwisdom.Asonthe

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