Nagarjuna's Bodhicittavivarana: Shentong: Teaching by the 14th Dalai Lama (Part 3)
From Bodhicitta
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Nagarjuna's Bodhicittavivarana: Shentong
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Series: Nagarjuna's Bodhicittavivarana: Teaching by the 14th Dalai Lama (23 tracks)
Description
Literally meaning "other-emptiness," [shentong] is a sub-school of Tibetan Buddhism, which was systematized and articulated under that name by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. It interprets śūnyatā (emptiness) in a specific way, indicating that there is a substrate or essence underlying phenomenal reality, which does not exist by itself, and is "void" of "other"—that is, void of all distinct qualities, to their inherent existence. Shentong is closely related to the Yogācāra school and the concept of Buddha-nature.
Citation
Dalai Lama, 14th. "Nagarjuna's Bodhicittavivarana: Shentong." Part 3 of 23. Radio City Music Hall, New York, 2010. Translated by Thupten Jinpa. Video, 5:10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDvCk3cLhY.
Interconnections
1 Teaching on
The Bodhicittavivaraṇa (Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་ཀྱི་འགྲེལ་པ།, Eng. Commentary on the Awakening Mind) is a foundational Mahāyāna text comprising 112 verses, originally composed in Sanskrit, preceded by a prose introduction, traditionally attributed to the second-century master Nāgārjuna. This work serves as both a comprehensive Madhyamaka analysis and a practical guide for cultivating bodhicitta in its two dimensions: conventional bodhicitta as the compassionate aspiration for all beings' enlightenment, and ultimate bodhicitta as the direct realization of emptiness (śūnyatā). The text grounds ethical aspiration in ontological analysis, demonstrating how understanding the empty nature of phenomena naturally generates universal compassion, while also refuting competing philosophical positions including Vijñānavāda idealism, the tīrthika conception of self, and the śrāvaka understanding of the skandhas. Although scholarly questions persist regarding its authorship—particularly given the text’s apparent tantric elements, critique of Vijñānavāda, and absence of citation by Nāgārjuna’s principal commentators Buddhapālita, Candrakīrti, and Bhāvaviveka—the Bodhicittavivaraṇa has exerted profound influence across Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Its remarkable interpretive flexibility has allowed it to serve as a scriptural foundation for diverse philosophical schools and contemplative practices, from strict Prāsaṅgika philosophy to mahāmudrā and mind training (lojong), making it an essential text for both monastic and lay bodhisattvas throughout the history of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
