Relative Truth, Ultimate Truth The Foundation of Buddhist Thought

by Tashi Tsering, Geshe; Rinpoche, Lama Zopa

• ISBN13: 9780861712717
• ISBN10: 0861712714
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Summary

"Relative Truth, Ultimate Truth is a clear and practical presentation of a core Buddhist teaching on the nature of reality. Geshe Tashi Tsering provides readers with an opportunity to enhance not only their knowledge of Buddhism, but also a powerful means to profoundly enhance their view of the world." "The Buddhist teaching of the "two truths" is the gateway to understanding the often-misunderstood philosophy of emptiness. This volume is an excellent source of support for anyone interested in cultivating a more holistic and transformative understanding of the world around them and ultimately of their own consciousness."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Geshe Tashi Tsering is renowned for his ability to render Buddhist philosophy accessible and relevant to modern lives

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Editor's Preface	p. xv
The Evolution of Buddhist Thought	p. 1
Logic and Emotion	p. 1
The Long View	p. 1
Harnessing Our Emotions	p. 3
Listening, Contemplating, and Meditating	p. 6
The Evolution of Buddhist Thought	p. 8
Buddhism in India	p. 9
The Four Schools	p. 12
Buddhism in Tibet	p. 14
The Base and the Path within the Four Schools	p. 17
The Tibetan System of Study	p. 17
The Base of the Path	p. 18
The Two Truths as the Base	p. 20
The Path	p. 21
The Results of the Path	p. 23
The Core Concepts of Tibetan Buddhism	p. 23
Buddhist Tenets	p. 23
Impermanence	p. 26
Selflessness	p. 27
Arriving at Right View	p. 31
The Vaibhashika School	p. 35
The Great Exposition	p. 35
Divisions of Phenomena	p. 36
Compounded and Uncompounded Phenomena	p. 37
The Vaibhashika View of the Two Truths	p. 39
Conventional Truth and Imputed Existence	p. 42
Ultimate Truth and Substantial Existence	p. 45
Ultimate Truth, Selflessness, and Emptiness	p. 47
Partless Particles and Partless Moments of Consciousness	p. 48
The Sautrantika School	p. 53
The Sutra School	p. 53
Existent Objects	p. 55
Things and Nonthings	p. 55
Specifically Characterized and Generally Characterized Phenomena	p. 58
Real and Unreal Existent Objects	p. 60
The Relationship of Mind and Object	p. 64
The Reality of Material Objects	p. 65
Ultimate Truth and Conventional Truth	p. 69
Ultimate Truth in Sautrantika	p. 69
Conventional Truth in Sautrantika	p. 71
The Chittamatra School	p. 75
The Texts Used in Chittamatra	p. 75
Chittamatra's Base, Path, and Result	p. 76
The Three Natures	p. 79
Dependent Nature	p. 80
Imputed Nature	p. 80
Perfect Nature	p. 82
The Mind-Basis-of-All	p. 83
The Features of Mind-Basis-of-All	p. 85
The Properties of Mind-Basis-of-All	p. 88
Afflictive Mental Consciousness	p. 90
How an Object Exists According to Chittamatra	p. 92
Ultimate Truth and Conventional Truth According to Chittamatra	p. 94
The Madhyamaka School	p. 99
The Major Texts and Teachers of the Madhyamaka School	p. 99
The Two Subschools	p. 101
The Importance of the Two Truths for Madhyamaka	p. 102
Conventional Truth in Madhyamaka	p. 105
The Meaning of Samvriti Satya	p. 105
The Accuracy of Direct Valid Cognizers	p. 109
How Inferences Realize an Object	p. 111
The Existence of External Objects	p. 114
Real and Unreal Conventional Truths	p. 115
Ultimate Truth in Madhyamaka	p. 116
Emptiness	p. 116
The Meaning of Paramarta Satya	p. 117
Ultimate Mind	p. 119
Ultimate Existence	p. 121
Ultimate Truth	p. 123
Illusion and Reality	p. 125
The Relationship Between the Two Truths	p. 125
One Entity, Different Isolates	p. 128
The Faults If the Two Truths Were Different Entities	p. 129
How Things Exist	p. 131
The Truth That Conceals	p. 131
How Things Exist Conventionally	p. 133
The Sequence of Realizing the Two Truths	p. 136
How Realized Beings Perceive Relative Truths	p. 139
Illusion and Reality	p. 141
Wisdom or Dogma?	p. 145
Glossary	p. 149
Bibliography	p. 157
Notes	p. 161
Index	p. 167
About the Authors	p. 177
The Foundation of Buddhist Thought	p. 179
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