'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal

'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal on the DRL

Classical Tibetan Authors

འགོས་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་གཞོན་ནུ་དཔལ་

Wylie	'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal
English Phonetics	Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal
Sort Name	Gö Lotsāwa

Himalayan Art Resources

Other names

• ཡིད་བཟང་རྩེ་བ་
• མགོས་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་གཞོན་ནུ་དཔལ་

• yid bzang rtse ba
• mgos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal
• 'gos lo tsā ba gzhon nu dpal

Dates

Birth:	1392
Death:	1481
Place of birth:	grong nag me dgu ('phyongs rgyas)

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender	Male
Element	Water
Animal	Monkey
Rab Jyung	7

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Religious Affiliation

Karma Kagyu

Teachers

Shamarpa, 3rd · Karmapa, 5th · Tsong kha pa · Rong ston shes bya kun rig

Students

Shamarpa, 4th · Karmapa, 7th

Other Biographical info:

Links

BDRC Link

https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=P318

Treasury of Lives Link

https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Go-Lotsawa-Zhonnu-Pel/5500

Treasury of Lives Excerpt

Go Lotsāwa Zhönnu Pel ('gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal) was born in a small town called Drongnak Megu (grong nag me dgu) in Chonggye region ('phyongs rgyas) of southern Tibet in 1392, the water-monkey year in the seventh sexagenary cycle. He was born to the Gö clan ('gos). His father was called Goton Jungne Dorje ('gos ston 'byung gnas rdo rje) and his mother was named Sitar Kyi (srid thar skyid). Go ('gos) was also the name of their family; Zhonnu Pel was the third among their eight children . . .

Gö Lotsāwa is perhaps best known for this massive history of Buddhism in Tibet, The Blue Annals (deb ther sngon po) that he started in 1476 at the age of eighty-four, dictating to attendants, and completed in 1478. It includes vital information about early Tibetan history and religious lineages. Gö Lotsāwa drew from earlier works such as The Red Annals, written in 1346 by Tselpa Situ Kunga Dorje (tshal pa si tu kun dga' rdo rje, 1309-1364), and Butön Rinchen Drup's (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290-1364) History of Buddhism, and also many other earlier historical records. The work was originally preserved and woodblocks carved at Yangpachen (yangs pa chen) near Lhasa, which were later transferred to Kundeling (kun bde gling) in Lhasa. A set of woodblocks were also carved at Ganden Chokhorling in Amdo (a mdo dga' ldan chos ’khor gling).

Himalayan Art Resources Link or Other Art Resource

https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=976

Wiki Pages

• 'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal on the DRL
• 'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal on the LIB
• 'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal on the BNW

Buddha Nature Project

Person description or short bio

Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.

Is Buddha-nature considered definitive or provisional?
Position:	Definitive
Notes:	* "Thus the last two dharmacakras are not different in terms of ontology. Still, the third dharmacakra differs in the fine distinctions it offers, and for this reason alone it has—contrary to the first two—definitive meaning (nītārtha), and so outshines the second dharmacakra by an uncountable factor." Mathes, K., A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, p. 369. "There is not the slightest attempt to elevate the second dharmacakra to the same level as the third; Zhönu Pal goes so far as to quote in full length the Samdhinirmocanasūtras description of how the third dharmacakra is superior, and concludes that, since the benefit derived from merely hearing its definitive meaning is that great, the profound and vast meaning of the last dharmacakra stands out accordingly." Mathes, K., A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, p. 371.
All beings have Buddha-nature
Position:
If "Qualified", explain:
Notes:
Which Wheel Turning
Position:	Third Turning
Notes:
Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
Position:	Yogācāra
Notes:	Though his own view is based on Mahāmudrā, for which he asserts RGV is an important basis.
Zhentong vs Rangtong
Position:
Notes:
Promotes how many vehicles?
Position:
Notes:
Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
Position:	Meditative Tradition
Notes:	"That Zhönu Pal comments on the Ratnagotravibhāga from within the tradition of meditation is also clear from his colophon: The Dharma master Drigungpa [Jigten Sumgön] rejoiced in Jé Gampopas statement that the basic text of these mahāmudrā instructions of ours is the [Ratnagotravibhāga] Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra composed by the illustrious Maitreya; and since it is evident that the notes to [his] Uttaratantra explanations, the points he makes when presenting the three dharmacakras, and also the explanations deriving from Sajjana’s heart disciple Tsen Kawoché, are [all] in accordance with mahāmudrā proper, I have relied on them and have made [this] clear to others as best as I could. (DRSM, 574.9-12)" Mathes, K., A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, p. 368.
What is Buddha-nature?
Position:	Tathāgatagarbha as Mind's Luminous Nature
Notes:	* "The tathāgata heart’s own essence is not a nonimplicative negation but is the element of basic awareness." Brunnhölzl, K., When the Clouds Part, p. 69. "The determination of the ultimate as buddha nature or natural luminosity in the third dharmacakra is taken to be the direct mahāmudrā approach to the nature of mind. This approach is not really different from the emptiness of the second dharmacakra. While the analytical methods of the second dharmacakra deflate all concepts, coarse and subtle, about things, the third one purifies phenomenal appearances that hinder the proper perception of buddha nature." Mathes, K., A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, p. 373. "In the third dharmacakra, the scope of such a nonaffirming negation is restricted to the adventitious stains, whose lack of an own-being has been established by inferential valid cognitions. The ultimate that is beyond the intellect is taken to be the emptiness that is buddha nature, or the element of awareness." Mathes, K., A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, p. 374.
Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
Position:
Notes:
Causal nature of the vajrapāda
Position:

The Kagyu school traces its origin to the eleventh-century translator Marpa, who studied in India with Nāropa. Marpa's student Milarepa trained Gampopa, who founded the first monastery of the Kagyu order. As many as twelve subtraditions grew out from there, the best known being the Karma Kagyu, the Drikung, and the Drukpa.

Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true.

Three successive stages of the Buddhist teachings. Though they are traditionally attributed to the historical Buddha, modern scholarship tends to view them as developmental stages that occurred over the course of an extended period of time, with interludes of several centuries, in which we see major doctrinal shifts often based on seemingly newly emergent scriptural sources.

Refers to a teaching that is literally true.

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.

Mahāmudrā refers to an advanced meditation tradition in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna forms of Into-Tibetan Buddhism that is focused on the realization of the empty and luminous nature of the mind. It also refers to the resultant state of buddhahood attained through such meditation practice. In Tibet, this tradition is particularly associated with the Kagyu school, although all other schools also profess this tradition. The term also appears as part of the four seals, alongside dharmamūdra, samayamudrā, and karmamudrā.

Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature.

The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena.

Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana.

Mahāmudrā refers to an advanced meditation tradition in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna forms of Into-Tibetan Buddhism that is focused on the realization of the empty and luminous nature of the mind. It also refers to the resultant state of buddhahood attained through such meditation practice. In Tibet, this tradition is particularly associated with the Kagyu school, although all other schools also profess this tradition. The term also appears as part of the four seals, alongside dharmamūdra, samayamudrā, and karmamudrā.

The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra.

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.

A negation that merely denies the existence of something without implicitly suggesting an alternative.

In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas.

Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.

A negation that merely denies the existence of something without implicitly suggesting an alternative.

Mental stains that are not inherent to the nature of the mind but are temporarily present as the residue of past actions or habitual tendencies. It is sometimes iterated as adventitious defilements (Skt. āgantukakleśa, Tib. glo bur gyi nyon mongs), which references the fickle and temporary nature of disturbing emotions that lack an ultimately established basis for existence.