Jñānagarbha

From Tsadra Commons

PersonType Category:Classical Indian Authors
MainNamePhon Jñānagarbha
MainNameWylie rgya gar gyi mkhan po dznyA na garbha
YearBirth 700
YearDeath 760
BDRC http://www.tbrc.org/kb/tbrc-detail.xq;jsessionid=22B15029880B64207ABC537F7497D872?RID=P8217 P8217
IsInGyatsa No
BnwShortPersonBio Jñānagarbha (Tibetan: ཡེ་ཤེས་སྙིང་པོ་, Wyl. ye shes snying po) was an 8th-century Buddhist philosopher from Nalanda who wrote on Madhyamaka and Yogācāra and is considered part of Bhāviveka's Svātantrika tradition. He was a student of Śrīgupta and the teacher and ordaining master of Śāntarakṣita.

In his mostly Svātantrika interpretation of Madhyamaka philosophy, Jñānagarbha incorporated aspects of Yogācāra philosophy and Dharmakirti's epistemology and therefore can be seen as a harmonizer of the various Buddhist philosophical systems like his student Śāntarakṣita.

He is mostly known for his work "Distinguishing the Two Truths" (Skt. Satyadvayavibhaṅga, Wyl. Bden gnyis rnam ‘byed). This work mostly sought to critique the views of Dharmapāla of Nalanda and his followers. A meditation text named "The Path for the Practice of Yoga" (Yoga-bhavana-marga or -patha) is also attributed to him by Tibetan sources. He also may have written a commentary to the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra, a major sūtra of the Yogācāra school. However, it is possible that the author of this text was actually a different writer also named Jñānagarbha.

Jñānagarbha's Satyadvayavibhaṅga analyzes the Madhyamaka "two truths" doctrine of conventional truth and ultimate truth. He defends the role of conceptual thinking and reasoning against those who would eliminate all conceptual thinking and theorizing (i.e., Candrakīrti). However, like other Madhyamikas, the goal of his project is a form of awareness which is free from all concepts, though one which, according to Jñānagarbha, is reachable through conceptual thought. Jñānagarbha held that even though language and reasoning is based on a cause and effect ontology which is ultimately empty and unreal, it can still lead toward the ultimate truth, through a logical analysis which realizes the untenable assumptions of reason and causality itself. (Source Accessed Jan 17, 2020)

Other wikis

If the page does not yet exist on the remote wiki, you can paste the tag {{PersonCall}} inside the destination page. But please first make sure you are on the right page. Some wikis have the person page on Person/<COMMONS PERSON PAGENAME>, in which case the page <COMMONS PERSON PAGENAME> needs to be redirected. Ask if you need clarification.

Tibetan names[edit]

Appears in Tibetan colophons as: rgya gar gyi mkhan po dznyA na garbha

Sanskrit Names[edit]

Jñānagarbha

Dates[edit]

Writings[edit]

TBRC Person: jnanagarbha P8217

  • 'jam dpal gyi zhal nas gsungs pa'i gzungs

[tbrc holdings 1]

  • de bzhin gshegs pa'i yon tan dang ye shes bsam gyis mi khyab pa'i yul la 'jug par bstan pa'i mdo

delhi delhi karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang 1976-1979 [tbrc holdings 1]

  • dge ba'i rtsa ba yongs su 'dzin pa'i mdo

delhi delhi karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang 1976-1979 [tbrc holdings 1]

  • mar me mdzad kyis lung bstan pa'i mdo

delhi delhi karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang 1976-1979 [tbrc holdings 1]

  • rin chen dra bas zhus pa'i mdo

delhi delhi karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang 1976-1979 [tbrc holdings 1]

  • shes rab bskyed pa'i gzungs

[tbrc holdings 1]

  • shes rab bskyed pa'i gzungs gnyis

[tbrc holdings 1]

  • yongs su mya ngan las 'das pa chen po las lha dang mi la sogs pas zhus pa'i mdo

delhi delhi karmapae chodhey gyalwae sungrab partun khang 1976-1979 [tbrc holdings 1]