The Life and Collected Works of Tibetan Lojong Master Tokmé Zangpo (1295-1369)

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The Life and Collected Works of Tibetan Lojong Master Tokmé Zangpo (1295-1369)

Dissertation

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Descriptionངོ་སྤྲོད།

This study concerns the biography and Collected Works of Tibetan Lojong master

Tokmé Zangpo (1295-1369). Among diverse Buddhist spiritual exercises, the cultivation of compassion explored in Tibetan Lojong, or mind training, literature is arguably the most prominent and popular teaching about compassion meditation. Beginning in the early twelfth century, texts about Lojong teachings gradually evolved into a category of Lojong literature, which became a shared heritage across various Tibetan Buddhist schools. Tibetan master Tokmé Zangpo is renowned for explaining this material in his Collected Works. Tokmé Zangpo’s biography also reflects his Lojong character. This dissertation examines how Tokmé Zangpo is portrayed as a unique compassionate personality in his biography. The research also explores his Collected Works as a source to understand the Lojong tradition.

Chapter 1 investigates the relations between the earliest three Tokmé Zangpo biographies. I compare related information in the contents of these three works, as well as other textual evidence to determine their composition times. In so doing, I discover the true identity of the biographer, Zhönnu Gyeltsen Pelzangpo, and that Guide to Your Devotion could be the earliest existing version of Tokmé Zangpo’s biography. Chapter 2 chooses three themes with which to analyze Tokmé Zangpo’s childhood, educational background, and compassionate actions as described in Guide to Your Devotion. Chapter 3 contributes the first research on the authorship and editorship of four editions of Tokmé Zangpo’s Collected Works. This chapter investigates their compilation history. Chapter 4 analyzes the textual organization in Degé Collected Works and divides its one hundred and fourteen texts into ten different categories. This analysis discovers that Degé Collected Works functions as a central source for understanding Tokmé Zangpo’s Lojong philosophy. Chapter 5 shows that Tokmé Zangpo’s concept for his Lojong lineage was shaped by his involvement with Kadam masters and texts. I argue that the unique element of Tokmé Zangpo’s Lojong lineage is the inclusion of the five masters who are associated with Asaṅga. By so doing, Tokmé Zangpo created a better credibility for his Lojong lineage. In conclusion, this dissertation contributes to the study of Tokmé Zangpo’s biography and Collected Works as related to the subject on Lojong.

Citation

Chien, I-Ling. "The Life and Collected Works of Tibetan Lojong Master Tokmé Zangpo (1295-1369)." PhD diss., University of Virginia, 2015.

Table of contents

• Abstractii
• Acknowledgementsiii
• Introduction1
  • The Concept and Translation of the Term Lojong4
  • Situating Tokmé Zangpo in History9
  • Chapter Summary12
• Chapter One: Editions of Tokmé Zangpo’s Earliest Biographies15
  • Introduction5
  • The Earliest Versions of Tokmé Zangpo’s Biographies16
  • 1. The Biographer of Guide to Your Devotion16
  • 2. The Composition of Guide to Your Devotion35
  • 3. The Composition of Ray of Altruism38
  • 4. The Composition of Drops of Ambrosia41
  • Conclusion: Selecting Guide to Your Devotion47
• Chapter Two: Tokmé Zangpo’s Life Story as Narrated in Guide to Your Devotion50
  • Introduction50
  • 1. An Unusually Empathetic Child Born into an Excellent Family53
  • 2. Education60
  • 3. Tokmé Zangpo as an Ethical Model of Lojong70
  • Conclusion77
• Chapter Three: The Editions of Tokmé Zangpo’s Collected Works79
  • Introduction79
  • Bhutan Fragmentary Collected Works82
  • Degé Collected Works92
  • The Fifth Dalai Lama and the "113 Texts"96
  • The Fifth Dalai Lama and Degé Collected Works100
  • The Printing of Degé Collected Works114
  • Labrang Collected Works116
  • Manuscript of Fragmentary Collected Works119
  • Conclusion124
• Chapter Four: Textual Organization in Degé Collected Works127
  • Introduction127
  • The Organization of Degé Collected Works129
  • The First Three Categories133
  • Other Categories154
  • Category 4154
  • Category 5157
  • Category 6157
  • Category 7158
  • Category 8161
  • Category 9168
  • Category 10169
  • Texts Related to Lojong Teachings in Degé Collected Works169
  • Conclusion172
• Chapter Five: Tokmé Zangpo’s Lojong Lineage in Degé Collected Works176
  • Introduction177
  • Lojong and Bodhicitta178
  • The Establishment of Lojong Lineage186
  • Conclusion200
• Conclusion202
• Appendix 1207
• Appendix 2214
• Bibliography226
  • Sources in English226
  • Sources in Tibetan229
  • Sources in Chinese233

Interconnections

Works related to this item

Karuṇā - The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (mahākaruṇā), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others. Skt करुणा  Tib ཐུགས་རྗེ་  Ch 悲  

Go to the page with the definition of 'compassion'

Kadam - The Kadam tradition, which traces its origin to the teachings of Atiśa, was the first of the so-called New Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, traditions which arose during or after the Second Propagation of Buddhism (phyi dar) in the tenth century. Tib བཀའ་གདམས་  

Go to the page with the definition of 'Kadam'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'Bodhicitta'