Best regards, Andrew Stewart
Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <[email protected]> > Date: June 3, 2021 at 2:01:27 AM EDT > To: [email protected] > Cc: H-Net Staff <[email protected]> > Subject: H-Net Review [H-Buddhism]: Pearcey on Bayer, 'The Life and Works of > mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927): rDzogs-chen Master and Educational Reformer > of Eastern Tibet' > Reply-To: [email protected] > > Achim Bayer. The Life and Works of mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927): > rDzogs-chen Master and Educational Reformer of Eastern Tibet. > Hamburg Buddhist Studies. Bochum Projekt Verlag, 2019. xxi + 394 > pp. $39.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-3-89733-495-3. > > Reviewed by Adam Pearcey (Independent Scholar) > Published on H-Buddhism (June, 2021) > Commissioned by Lucia Galli > > Achim Bayer's _The Life and Works of mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927): > rDzogs-chen Master and Educational Reformer of Eastern Tibet_ > provides a comprehensive account of the life and literary output of > gZhan-phan chos-kyi-snang-ba, one of the most significant figures in > recent Tibetan Buddhist history. As the subtitle indicates, > gZhan-dga', as he is generally known, is remembered chiefly for his > reform of monastic education in eastern Tibet in the early decades of > the twentieth century. He brought about this reform through his role > as a teacher and founder of scriptural colleges (Tib. _bshad grwa_) > where he instituted a curriculum centered on the so-called thirteen > major treatises, or thirteen great texts (_gzhung chen bcu gsum_). > > Bayer's book, adapted from his master's thesis (University of > Hamburg, 2000), is divided into three parts: the first covers > gZhan-dga's life in more or less chronological order; the second > discusses his "gloss commentaries" (_mchan 'grel_) to the thirteen > major treatises in detail, as well as his minor writings; and the > third provides the Tibetan text (in transliteration) of some key > sources. Appendices then offer a wealth of additional information, > including details on gZhan-dga's ordination lineage and biographical > notes on no fewer than seventy-three of his main disciples. > > The author is under no illusion as to the challenges of accurately > piecing together and conveying gZhan-dga's life story. In the absence > of a single, book-length biography in Tibetan--the long-searched-for > _namthar_ (_rnam thar_) attributed to his student mKhyen-rab Chos-kyi > 'Od-zer (1889-1959) is presumed lost, if it ever existed at > all--Bayer is compelled to rely on a variety of sources, including > accounts from the master's contemporaries and interviews with more > recent representatives of his lineage. The large number of sources > consulted, both written and oral, is impressive and results in an > engaging narrative. There is some inevitable disagreement between > sources, as well as a general reluctance to discuss topics that might > be deemed inauspicious, such as gZhan-dga's apparent antipathy toward > the extrinsic emptiness or emptiness-of-other (_gzhan stong_) > philosophy, which proved controversial during his tenure at > dPal-spungs Monastery. Bayer thus offers what he refers to as "a > possible sequence of events," noting discrepancies in the historical > record and suggesting possible motives for omissions (p. 25). This > approach is not without its perils, and some stories from the oral > tradition, in particular, have perhaps been accepted without > sufficient caution. The reference to mKhyen-brtse'i-dbang-po > (1820-92), rDza dPal-sprul (1808-87), and 'Jam-mgon Kong-sprul > (1813-99) as "three dorm mates" during their studies at Zhe-chen, for > instance, is closer to what might be termed "Ris-med fan fiction" > than it is to a reliable chronicling of events (p. 5). > > Following E. Gene Smith and others, Bayer presents gZhan-dga' as a > participant in the Ris-med tradition, and more specifically as a > nonsectarian author, teacher, and founder (or "founding principal," > as Bayer has it). gZhan-dga's efforts helped to preserve "the Ris-med > legacy" and "had an enormous impact on Tibetan intellectual life" > (pp. 6, 8). He brought about "a fundamental reform in Tibetan > Buddhist education" within the rNying-ma, Sa-skya, and bKa'-brgyud > schools (p. 178). Still, Bayer argues, he did not necessarily set out > to do so. His activity as a prolific founder of scriptural > colleges--"explanation colleges" and "exposition seminaries" in the > book's literal rendering--arose largely from being in the right place > at the right time, combined with an obvious reputation for erudition > and willingness to accept invitations. This willingness waned in his > later years, however, as it conflicted with his ambition to remain in > retreat. Yet even when he retired to the mountains, he still > continued to teach and involve himself in the politics of _sprul-sku_ > succession. > > Bayer does not broach the topic of whether gZhan-dga' should be > classified as the author or editor of the gloss commentaries on the > thirteen major texts, a legitimate question given that they are > cribbed from the works of Indian authors. But he does make clear that > the texts served a practical purpose: for students seated > cross-legged on the floor without a desk, simultaneously consulting > two or more loose-leaf books--a "root text" and its commentary or > commentaries--poses something of an ergonomic challenge, to which a > single combined volume offers an elegant solution. Bayer also > provides a mass of bibliographic information for each of the works > and discusses the circumstances surrounding their composition (if > that is the word). He lists their various pre- and post-1959 editions > and identifies a likely precedent in the "eighteen [treatises] of > great renown" (_grags chen bco brgyad_) particular to the Sa-skya > tradition (pp. 188-90). As Smith observed in his seminal essay on > Kong-sprul and the nonsectarian movement, the gloss commentaries > represented a "reorientation" toward Indian originals that predated > many of Tibet's philosophical controversies and sectarian > wrangling.[1] Bayer underscores this point and makes the further > observation that the commentaries' nondenominationalism facilitated > their adoption by colleges of different sectarian affiliations, as > they could be taught at a foundational level prior to the defining > tenets of a given tradition. > > The choice of thirteen treatises, selection of commentaries, and > choice of passages within them all reflect gZhan-dga's pedagogical > approach but do little to reveal his philosophical standpoint. Even > his minor writings, in which he had more freedom to express his > views, leave some room for speculation as to what he actually > believed. It is clear that he had a fondness for Candrakīrti's > approach and was an admirer of both Sa-skya Paṇḍita Kun-dga' > rgyal-mtshan (1128-1251) and Go-rams-pa bSod-nams seng-ge (1429-89), > yet questions remain. Why are there no _pramāṇa_ titles among the > thirteen great texts, for example? Bayer addresses two key issues in > particular detail: gZhan-dga's supposed critique of the > emptiness-of-other view and his attitude toward _pramāṇa_ and > debate. Historians of Tibetan scholasticism will appreciate the > thoroughness with which Bayer treats these topics. It is a pity > though that he fails to identify 'Jigs-med gling-pa's _Yon tan mdzod_ > as the source for a key citation in _The Mirror Illuminating the > Objects of Knowledge _(_Shes bya gsal ba'i me long_), gZhan-dga's > longest minor work. The reference to 'Jigs-med gling-pa here as the > "later Omniscient One" (_kun mkhyen phyi ma_) shows the extent to > which gZhan-dga' was embedded within the Klong-chen snying-thig > tradition, a point Bayer himself makes elsewhere in the book. > > Such quibbles aside, Bayer's book represents a significant > contribution to the history of Tibetan Buddhism in the twentieth > century and an essential work of reference for anyone with more than > a passing interest in traditional Tibetan education, scholasticism, > or nonsectarianism. It sheds light not only on gZhan-dga's life but > also on the lives of those around him, including Dil-mgo mKhyen-brtse > bkra-shis dpal-'byor (1910-91), whom gZhan-dga' believed to be the > incarnation of his main teacher O-rgyan bstan-'dzin nor-bu > (1841-1900?), and it paints a vivid picture of intellectual life in > and around the monasteries of Khams in the early twentieth century. > In this respect, it complements David Jackson's _Saint in Seattle: > The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche_ (2003), on the life > of sDe-gzhung Rin-po-che (1906-87), which was both a reference for, > and beneficiary of, Bayer's research. Additional sources, as they > become available, may clarify some episodes in gZhan-dga's career > that still remain contested or obscure.[2] Even so, all future > research on gZhan-dga's life and works and on monastic education more > generally will surely benefit from the foundations laid in this > monograph, an admirable work of scholarship that befits its > illustrious (and somewhat enigmatic) subject. > > Notes > > [1]. See E. Gene Smith, _Among Tibetan Texts: History and Literature > of the Himalayan Plateau_ (Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2001), > 246. > > [2]. One such source, perhaps, is the biography of O-rgyan > bstan-'dzin nor-bu, to which Matthieu Ricard has access but that has > not yet been made available to researchers. A recently published > biography of dBon-stod mkhyen-rab Chos-kyi-'od-zer (1889-1959), > gZhan-dga's successor at Khams-bye college at rDzong-gsar, also > warrants attention. See Nyi ma blo gsal (rab brtan pa dge legs phun > tshogs), "dbon stod pa mkhan chen mkhyen rab kyi nyi ma'i rnam thar," > in _dbon stod mkhyen rab chos kyi 'od zer gyi gsung 'bum_ (Lhasa: Bod > ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 2015), 1-47. > > Citation: Adam Pearcey. Review of Bayer, Achim, _The Life and Works > of mKhan-po gZhan-dga' (1871-1927): rDzogs-chen Master and > Educational Reformer of Eastern Tibet_. H-Buddhism, H-Net Reviews. > June, 2021. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=56511 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#8949): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/8949 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/83280887/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
