Śāntarakṣita

PersonType	Category:Classical Indian Authors
MainNamePhon	Śāntarakṣita
MainNameTib	ཞི་བ་འཚོ
MainNameWylie	zhi ba 'tsho
YearBirth	725
YearDeath	788
BornIn	Zahor, Bengal
IsInGyatsa	No
BnwShortPersonBio	Eighth-century Indian Mahäyäna master who played an important role in the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet. According to traditional accounts, he was born into a royal family in Zahor in Bengal and was ordained at Nālandā monastery, where he became a renowned scholar. He is best known for two works. The first is the Tattvasaṃgraha, or "Compendium of Principles," a critical survey and analysis of the various non-Buddhist and Buddhist schools of Indian philosophy, set forth in 3,646 verses in twenty-six chapters. This work, which is preserved in Sanskrit, along with its commentary by his disciple Kamalaśīla, remains an important source on the philosophical systems of India during this period. His other famous work is the Madhyamakālaṃkāra, or "Ornament of the Middle Way," which sets forth his own philosophical position, identified by later Tibetan doxographers as Yogācāra-*Svātantrika-Madhyamaka, so called because it asserts, as in Yogācāra, that external objects do not exist, i.e., that sense objects are of the nature of consciousness; however, it also asserts, unlike Yogācāra and like Madhyamaka, that consciousness lacks ultimate existence. It further asserts that conventional truths (saṃvṛtisatya) possess their own character (svalakṣana) and in this regard differs from the other branch of Madhyamaka, the *Prāsangika. The Yogācāra-Madhyamaka synthesis, of which Śāntarakṣita is the major proponent, was the most important philosophical development of late Indian Buddhism, and the Madhyamakālaṃkāra is its locus classicus. This work, together with the Madhyamakāloka of Śāntarakṣita's disciple Kamalaśīla and the Satyadvayavibhaṅga of Jnānagarbha, are known in Tibet as the "three works of the eastern *Svātantrikas" (rang rgyud shar gsum) because the three authors were from Bengal. Śāntarakṣita's renown as a scholar was such that he was invited to Tibet by King Khri srong lde btsan. When a series of natural disasters indicated that the local deities were not positively disposed to the introduction of Buddhism, he left Tibet for Nepal and advised the king to invite the Indian tantric master Padmasambhava, who subdued the local deities. With this accomplished, Śāntarakṣita returned, the first Buddhist monastery of Bsam yas was founded, and Śāntarakṣita invited twelve Mūlasarvāstivāda monks to Tibet to ordain the first seven Tibetan monks. Śāntarakṣita lived and taught at Bsam yas from its founding (c. 775) until his death (c. 788) in an equestrian accident. Tibetans refer to him as the "bodhisattva abbot." The founding of Bsam yas and the ordination of the first monks were pivotal moments in Tibetan Buddhist history, and the relationship of Śāntarakṣita, Padmasambhava, and Khri srong lde btsan figures in many Tibetan legends, most famously as brothers in a previous life. Prior to his death, Śāntarakṣita predicted that a doctrinal dispute would arise in Tibet, in which case his disciple Kamalaśīla should be invited from India. Such a conflict arose between the Indian and Chinese factions, and Kamalaśīla came to Tibet to debate with the Chan monk Moheyan in what is referred to as the Bsam yas Debate, or the "Council of Lhasa." (Source: "Śāntarakṣita." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 773. Princeton University Press, 2014)
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Tibetan Names

Tibetan: ཞི་བ་འཚོ

Wylie: zhi ba 'tsho

Sanskrit Names

Śāntarakṣita

Other Transliterations in use:

Dates

• Birth 9th cent.

Other Biographical Information

TBRC RID: P5659

Main Students

• gsal snang
• sba rat+na
• rma thog rin chen
• ye shes gzhon nu
• sangs rgyas ye shes

Main Teachers

• ye shes snying po

Writings

From : http://web.otani.ac.jp/cri/twrp/tibdate/Peking_online_search.html

Search Words: zhi ba 'tsho

Search Words: zAntarakSita

• bcom ldan 'das la bstod pa dpal rdo rje 'dzin gyi dbyangs kyi rgya cher bshad pa / (zrivajradharasaMgItabhagavatstotraTIkA.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntarakSita.), [Tr] dpal brtsegs / (kUTa.), [Tr] vidyAkaraprabhA

[P. No.] 2052, bstod tshogs, ka 270b5-277b3 (vol.46, p.110)

[D. No.] 1163, , ka 231b1-237a5. [N] ka 254a1-260b2. [Kinsha] 52, ka 333a6 (p.166-4-6)

• de bzhin gshegs pa brgyad la bstod pa / (aSTatathAgatastotra.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntirakSita.)

[P. No.] 2055, bstod tshogs, ka 278b8-279b8 (vol.46, p.113)

[D. No.] 1166, , ka 238a6-239a4. [N] ka 261b5-262b5. [Kinsha] 55, ka 344b1 (p.173-3-1)

• kye'i rdo rje las byung ba'i ku ru ku lle'i man ngag chen po lnga / (hevajrodbhavakurukullAyAH paJcamahopadeza.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntirakSita.), [Tr] dAnazIla.

[P. No.] 2447, rgyud 'grel, za 122b4-123b3 (vol.57, p.51)

[D. No.] 1316, , ta 242b7-243b5. [N] za 116a6-117a5. [Kinsha] 451, za 159a6 (p.80-2-6)

• bden pa gnyis rnam par 'byed pa'i dka' 'grel / (satyadvayavibhaGgapaJjikA.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntarakSita.), [Tr] jAnagarbha., [Tr] prajAvarma (prajAvarman)., [Tr] ye shes sde /

[P. No.] 5283, dbu ma, sa 1a1-32b2 (vol.100-101, p.283-1)

[D. No.] 3883, mdo 'grel, sa 15b2-52b7. [N] sa 1a1-44a4. [Kinsha] 3282, sa 1b1 (p.1-2-1)

• dbu ma'i rgyan gyi tshig le'ur byas pa / (madhyamakAlaMkArakArikA.) / (Madhyamakālaṅkāra)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntarakSita.), [Tr] surendrabodhi., [Tr] ye shes sde /

[P. No.] 5284, dbu ma, sa 48b7-52b1 (vol.101, p.1-2)

[D. No.] 3884, mdo 'grel, sa 53a1-56b3. [N] sa 44a4-48a2. [Kinsha] 3283, sa 56b1 (p.29-3-1)

• dbu ma'i rgyan gyi 'grel pa / (madhyamakAlaMkAravRtti.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntarakSita.), [Tr] zIlendrabodhi., [Tr] ye shes sde /

[P. No.] 5285, dbu ma, sa 52b1-84b7 (vol.101, p.2-15)

[D. No.] 3885, mdo 'grel, sa 56b4-84a1. [N] sa 48a2-79b7. [Kinsha] 3284, sa 62b1 (p.33-1-1)

• de kho na nyid bsdus pa'i tshig le'ur byas pa / (tattvasaMgrahakArikA.)

[A] zhi ba 'tsho / (zAntirakSita.), [Tr] guNAkarazrIbhadra., [Tr] zhi ba 'od /

[P. No.] 5764, tshad ma, 'e 1-159a2 (vol.138, p.135-200)

[D. No.] 4266, tshad ma, ze 1b1-133a6. [N] 'e 1b1-146a5. [Kinsha] 3764, 'e 1b1 (p.1-2-1)

• rtsod pa'i rigs pa'i 'grel pa don rnam par 'byed pa zhes bya ba / (vAdanyAyavRttivipaJcitArthA-nAma.)

[A] zAntarakSita., [Tr] kumArazrIbhadra., [Tr] 'phags pa shes rab /, [Tr] sh'akya 'od /

[P. No.] 5725, tshad ma, tshe 21b2-137a8 (vol.136, p.78-125)

[D. No.] 4239, tshad ma, zhe 51a3-151a6. [N] tshe 21b2-131b7. [Kinsha] 3725, tshe 23b4 (p.13-2-4)

The disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain individual liberation or nirvāṇa. The final goal of the Hearers is to become an arhat, a state in which one has totally eliminated the inner problems of attachment, hatred and ignorance, the main causes for rebirth in this cycle of existence. There are four stages of a śrāvaka path including eight phases.

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana).

Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

The reality or the objective state of things as they are. In the Buddhist context, it refers to the ultimate nature of things although what exactly suchness means would depend on the philosophical position of the specific schools. The Middle Way school, for instance, consider emptiness as the suchness of all things.

In the Buddhist literature on pramāṇa, it refers to cognition that correctly apprehends its object without any deception or mistake. Such correct cognition include direct perception and inferential cognition.

Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain.