2023 Buddha-Nature Conference Kathmandu: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:15, 13 June 2023

Buddha-Nature Conference Kathmandu

Shechen Monastery, June 1–3, 2023

The Reception of an Influential Mahāyāna Doctrine in Central and East Asia

Organized by Professor Klaus-Dieter Mathes
Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Universität Wien

The 2019 Vienna Symposium

Increased attention to the tathāgatagarbha doctrine in the last decade has lead to significant publications and meetings on the topic of buddha-nature and related themes. Scholars in Asia, Europe, and the Americas have published new translations and studies of the foundational scriptures and commentaries, and are examining the history and literature of the doctrine. In July 2019 Tsadra Foundation partnered with the University of Vienna to bring many of these scholars together for an international symposium titled Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia. The presentations are available here and the edited papers will be published in a collection of essays from Wisdom Publications.

Over three days the symposium surveyed the differing forms of tathāgatagarbha doctrine that developed as its primary Indian scriptural sources were translated, transmitted, and interpreted by religious schools across Asia. Contemporary Buddhist teachers joined academics at the podium. Presentations ranged from the historical-philological analysis of the primary sources to issues of reconstruction and comparison in the target languages and cultures and included how tathāgatagarbha is taught in Buddhist communities today. Although primarily focused on the Indian and Himalayan material, the diversity in approaches and subject matter made for fruitful comparisons and discussions.

All presentations were recorded, and the videos are available below. Organizers are planning on publishing the proceedings of the symposium in book form, and for this reason transcripts of the talks are not being released.

The Symposium Sessions

Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Welcome

Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Welcome Speech of the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium: Opening Remarks by Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Donald Lopez

Keynote

Donald S. Lopez, Jr.

Tathāgatagarbha: A Brief History

Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Presentation

Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Zhang ston Bsod nams grags pa’s Defense of Dol po pa’s Clear-Cut Distinction between Buddha Nature and the Ground Consciousness

Filippo Brambilla

Presentation

Filippo Brambilla

Empty of True Existence, Yet Full of Qualities. Tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940) on Buddha Nature

Martina Draszczyk

Presentation

Martina Draszczyk

Buddha Nature as Seen by Early Bka’ brgyud Masters

Khenpo Tamphel

Presentation

Khenpo Tamphel

The Difference Between a Sentient Being and a Buddha: 'Jig rten gsum mgon’s Instruction on the Process of Confusion

Charrier, Carré

Presentation

Charrier, Carré

Uttaratantraśāstra: A New French Translation from Tibetan According to ‘Jam mgon Kong sprul’s Commentary

Douglas Duckworth

Presentation

Douglas Duckworth

Sentient Beings Within: Buddha-Nature and the Great Perfection

David Higgins

Presentation

David Higgins

Buddha-Nature and Selfhood

Presentation

Hookham, S.

The impact of a Shentong interpretation of Tathāgatagarbha doctrine from the point of view of a western Buddhist practitioner

Presentation

Luo, H.

Observing the Link between Self-awareness and Buddha Nature in Ratnākaraśānti’s Prajñāpāramitopadeśa

Presentation

Joos, S.

The Role of the Ratnagotravibhāga in Tā ra nā tha’s dBu ma theg mchog

Ngawang Jorden

Presentation

Khenpo Ngawang Jorden

Revisiting Gorampa on Buddha Nature

Christopher Jones

Presentation

Christopher V. Jones

Selfhood, Secrecy, Singularity: Reassessing the Early Life of the Tathāgatagarbha in India

Kazuo Kano

Presentation

Kazuo Kano

Examples of the Term tathāgatagarbha Appearing in Indic Tantric Literature

Casey Forgues

Presentation

Casey Forgues Kemp

The Luminous Basis for Buddhahood: ’Jig rten mgon po’s Pith Instructions for Merging the Nature of Mind with the Dharmakāya

Seiji Kumagai

Presentation

Kumagai, S.

How the Concepts of “buddha-nature” (Tathāgatagarbha) and “innate enlightenment” (Hongaku) were interpreted by Shinran (1173-1263)

Katrin Querl

Presentation

Katrin Querl

Preliminary Notes on the Notion of Buddha Nature in the Single Intention

Kurtis Schaeffer

Presentation

Kurtis Schaeffer

Notes from the Cave: 'Jigs med gling pa on Buddha-Nature

Presentation

Sheehy, M.

Tantric Zhentong Visions of Tathāgatagarbha in Tibetan Kālacakra Yoga Manuals

Jacqueline Stone

Presentation

Jacqueline Stone

From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment “Contemplating Suchness” in Medieval Japan

Dorji Wangchuk

Presentation

Dorji Wangchuk

Rong-zom-pa on the Tathāgatagarbha and Pratītyasamutpāda Theories

Michael Zimmermann

Presentation

Michael Zimmermann

New Research on the Concept of Buddha-Nature in India: The Beginnings

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 	|headerImage=Jochen-van-wylick-xUiUfbcpdaY-unsplash-stupa-nepal-reduced.jpg
 	|eventTitle=Buddha-Nature Conference Kathmandu
-	|eventSubtitle=The Reception of an Influential Mahāyāna Doctrine in Central and East Asia
+	|eventSubtitle=
-	|eventSeriesTitle=Vienna Symposium
+	|eventSeriesTitle=
-	|description=Increased attention to the tathāgatagarbha doctrine in the last decade has lead to significant publications and meetings on the topic of buddha-nature and related themes. Scholars in Asia, Europe, and the Americas have published new translations and studies of the foundational scriptures and commentaries, and are examining the history and literature of the doctrine. In July 2019 Tsadra Foundation partnered with the University of Vienna to bring many of these scholars together for an international symposium titled Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia. The presentations are available here and the edited papers will be published in a collection of essays from Wisdom Publications.
+	|description=In connection with the Buddha-Nature resource project, Tsadra Foundation hosted a three-day symposium for monastic scholars of different Tibetan Buddhist traditions to discuss buddha-nature, related texts, theories, and practices. The event was held at Shechen Monastery, in the Tibetan language. The event was broadcast live and the proceedings were recorded. More than twenty leading scholars met in person for three days from 8:30 am - 6:00 pm.
+	|date=June 1–3, 2023
-	Over three days the symposium surveyed the differing forms of tathāgatagarbha doctrine that developed as its primary Indian scriptural sources were translated, transmitted, and interpreted by religious schools across Asia. Contemporary Buddhist teachers joined academics at the podium. Presentations ranged from the historical-philological analysis of the primary sources to issues of reconstruction and comparison in the target languages and cultures and included how tathāgatagarbha is taught in Buddhist communities today. Although primarily focused on the Indian and Himalayan material, the diversity in approaches and subject matter made for fruitful comparisons and discussions.
-	|date=July 2019
 }}{{FullPagePanel
-	|title=Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia
+	|title=Buddha-Nature Conference Kathmandu
-	|subtitle=University of Vienna, July 2019
+	|subtitle=Shechen Monastery, June 1–3, 2023
-	|image=File:Vienna-Symposium-Main-Banner.jpg
+	|image=
 	|imageattop=true
 	|description=<center>The Reception of an Influential Mahāyāna Doctrine in Central and East Asia<br><br>''Organized by Professor Klaus-Dieter Mathes''<br><small>Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Universität Wien</small></center>