Kamalaśīla

Kamalaśīla on the DRL

Classical Indian Authors

པདྨའི་ངང་ཚུལ་

Wylie	pad+ma'i ngang tshul
Romanized Sanskrit	Kamalaśīla

Dates

Birth:	713/740
Death:	763/795

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Religious Affiliation

Nalanda

Teachers

Śāntarakṣita

Other Biographical info:

Links

BDRC Link

https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=P7641

Wiki Pages

• Kamalaśīla on the DRL
• Kamalaśīla on the LIB
• Kamalaśīla 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:	Provisional
Notes:	"In another context, Kamalasila quotes the passage from the Latikâvatârasütra cited by Candraklrti as scriptural authority for Buddha-nature being of provisional meaning. Kamalasila himself, though, does not put it quite that way, stating only that, in accord with the various outlooks of sentient beings, the Buddhas taught what is a single dharmadhâtu (or dharmanairâtmya in the Lankâvatârasütra) by means of many different expressions (including the expression “Buddha-nature”), that is, in conventional terms." Kano. K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p.11.
All beings have Buddha-nature
Position:	Qualified Yes
If "Qualified", explain:	In the sense that all beings have the potential to achieve Buddhahood.
Notes:	"The teaching “all sentient beings have Buddha-nature” is interpreted in the sense that all sentient beings are pervaded by the dharmadhätu, which is characterized by selflessness. In other words, the tathägatagarbha is taken to be the dharmadhätugarbha. Though the term dharmadhätugarbha appears in the RGVV, Kamalasila's interpretation seems to have been derived from a phrase in the Lankävatärasütra, “the embryo of the tathägata, which is selflessness” (tathägatanairätmyagarbha),reinforcing the notion that Buddha-nature does not refer to ätman but rather to selflessness (nairātmya)." Kano. K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p. 10.
Which Wheel Turning
Position:
Notes:
Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
Position:	Madhyamaka
Notes:
Zhentong vs Rangtong
Position:
Notes:
Promotes how many vehicles?
Position:	1
Notes:	"In his Madhyamakäloka, Kamalasila presents the position of an opponent who takes the three-vehicle theory to be definitive. He refutes that position and makes the case for the single-vehicle theory being definitive by quoting a number of sutra passages." Kano. K., Buddha-Nature and Emptiness, p. 9.
Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
Position:
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What is Buddha-nature?
Position:
Notes:	Karl includes him in the first category (emptiness), but he seems to fall somewhere between that and the second (luminous nature), which he defines as selflessness (nairātmya). "One should add here Kamalaśīla’s (c. 740–795) Madhyamakāloka, which takes the tathāgata heart to be natural luminosity but defines the latter as the dharmadhātu characterized by twofold identitylessness: "This statement “All sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart” teaches that all are suitable to attain the state of unsurpassable completely perfect awakening since it is held that the term tathāgata expresses that the dharmadhātu, which is characterized by personal and phenomenal identitylessness, is natural luminosity." Brunnhölzl, K., When the Clouds Part, p. 56. Note: there are obvious echoes of Kano in Karl's discussion of Kamalaśīla.
Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
Position:
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Causal nature of the vajrapāda
Position:

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

The nonexistence of the self as a permanent, unchanging entity.

Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā

This is the title of Asaṅga's commentary to the Gyü Lama that is given by Tibetan sources instead of the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā.

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 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.

The state of being empty of an innate nature due to a lack of independently existing characteristics.

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.

The fundamental expanse from which all phenomena emerge.