Ostensen, M.

Ostensen, M. on the DRL

Authors of English Works • Translators

Morten Ostensen

English Phonetics	Morten Ostensen
Sort Name	Ostensen, M

Dates

Birth:	1975/02/22
Place of birth:	Manhasset, NY

Tibetan calendar dates

Dates of birth

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

Dates of passing

Day
Month
Gender
Element
Animal
Rab Jyung

About

Primary Language:	English
Translates from:	Tibtetan

Primary Affiliation (Workplace)

Tsadra Foundation

Religious Affiliation

Nyingma

Current projects

Doctoral Research on the Great Perfection Mind Series Traditions (rdzogs chen sems sde lugs).

PhD University

Kathmandu University, Centre for Buddhist Studies (Rangjung Yeshe Institute)

Education

Ph.D., ongoing, Kathmandu University, Centre for Buddhist Studies (Rangjung Yeshe Institute). Dissertation working title: Prospecting for Buddha in the Mine of Enlightenment: The Pedagogy of Experience in the Great Perfection Mind Series Traditions.

M.A. in Buddhist Philosophy and Himalayan Languages, 2008. Kathmandu University, Centre for Buddhist Studies (Rangjung Yeshe Institute). Thesis: In the Presence of the Dharmakāya: Dzogchen Practice According to Khangsar Tenpe Wangchug’s Notes on Dza Paltrul’s Extraordinary Teaching of the Wise and Glorious King (mkhas pa shri rgyal po’i khyad chos).

B.A. in Religion and Philosophy, 1999. Long Island University, South Hampton, (Friends World Program).

Biographical Information

Morten Ostensen is the Digital Curator for the Research Department of Tsadra Foundation where he works to create digital editions of major Tibetan literary collections, as well other online resources developed by the research team and their collaborators. He was a frequent resident of Nepal from the mid 1990's until 2015 where he has studied Buddhism as an undergrad, a graduate student, and a doctoral candidate, as well as in more traditional settings. He now lives in upstate New York with his wife and daughter.

Publications

Morten Ostensen, “Reconsidering the Contents and Function of the rDzogs chen Classifications of Sems phyogs and Sems sde”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 43, January 2018, pp. 32–49.

Morten Ostensen, “Muddy Waters and Blurred Lines: A ro ye shes ’byung gnas and the Anomalous Origins of the rDzogs pa chen po Sems sde A ro lugs”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 44, March 2018, pp. 9–30.

Links

Wiki Pages

• Ostensen, M. on the DRL
• Ostensen, M. on the LIB
• Ostensen, M. on the RTZ
• Ostensen, M. 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?
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All beings have Buddha-nature
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If "Qualified", explain:
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Which Wheel Turning
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Yogācāra vs Madhyamaka
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Zhentong vs Rangtong
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Promotes how many vehicles?
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Analytic vs Meditative Tradition
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What is Buddha-nature?
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Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་)
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Causal nature of the vajrapāda
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The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century.

Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition.

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

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.