Lam rim chen mo (roughly, "the great book on stages of the path to enlightenment") is the abbreviated title of a massive encyclopedic manual written by Tson-Kha-pa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Calming the Mind and Discerning the Real marks the first appearance in English of the two most important segments of this work. As translator Alex Wayman notes, "From the beginning of Buddhist literature we find the terms 'calming' and 'discerning' paired, as natures to be cultivated." However, over centuries of religious teaching, the precise connotations of these terms became diffuse, and "calming" and "discerning" came to stand, at different times, for natures to be cultivated in their own right and for categories covering various steps toward spiritual goal. In 1402 Tson-kha-pa completed Lam rim chen mo, the latter portions of which, here translated, reconciled what had long been in philosophical dispute. Calming the Mind and Discerning the Real constitutes Tson-kha-pa's reform of Tibetan non-tantric Buddhist meditation and its philosophical position. the initial section, Calming the Mind, is a treatise on meditation, following the Buddhist teachings of Asanga. Discerning the Real deals with philosophy, and exhibits the influence of the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna and his successors. Both sections cover matters that are still controversial in Tibet, and remain of prevalent interest to modern scholars. Wayman, a Sanskrit scholar and an expert on the writings of Tson-kha-pa, has utilized the original Sanskrit texts for Tson-kha-pa's citations as well as the Tibetan text. He has included a biography of the author, several clarifying essays providing the necessary Tibetan and Buddhist background, and helpful glossary of terms.
Calming the Mind and Discerning the Real, Alex Wayman, Motilal, Hardcover, 510 pages, $27.50
Drawing on both Sanskrit and Tibetan text, Alex Wayman has published twelve brooks and 150 articles on tantric and non-tantric Buddhism. Since 1991 he has been Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit, Columbia University.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Series Editor ix
Preface xi
A Critical Evaluation of the Translation
xiii
Introduction 1
The Lineage, and Atisa's "Ling on the Path of Enlightenment" 3
The Author of the Lam rim chen mo 15
Calming and Discerning as Natures and Categories 26
Asanga on the Ancillaries of Calming and the Supernormal Faculties 31
Discursive Thought and the bSam-yas Debate 44
Tson-kha-pa's Position on Discerning 59
The Translation 70
Tson-kha-pa's Sectional Titles
74
CALMING THE MIND and DISCERNING THE REAL
81
Calming the Mind (Samatha) 97
Reliance on the Equipment for Calming 98
After Recourse to that (Equipment), the Method of Cultivating Calming 100
[By Reason of the Cultivation] The Standard of Accomplishment of Calming
147
Discerning the Real (Vipasyana) 173
Reliance on the Equipment for Discerning 177
Engaging the Principle to be Refuted 188
Ê Option of Prasangika and Svatantrika as Refuting Agents 283
Ê Relying on This Agent, the Method of Generating the View in Consciousness 336
Varieties of Discerning 386
The Way to Cultivate Discerning 390
Standard for Accomplishment of Discerning Through Cultivation
414
The Method of Pair-Yoking Calming and Discerning 419
Notes, Glossaries, and Bibliography 433
Abbreviations Used in the Note and Bibliography 434
Notes 435
Glossaries 483
Bibliography
493
Index 499
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