2018, Vol., No.23

불교학리뷰 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.5

pISSN : 1975-2660
https://journal.kci.go.kr/crbs

This article examines philosophical differences between Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna (982-1054 CE) and Ratnākaraśānti (ca. 970-1030 CE) based on evidence from newly published Tibetan manuscripts. Traditional Tibetan historians describe Atiśa as Ratnākaraśānti’s student in the study of Mahāyāna works at Vikramaśīla. Ratnākaraśānti is also recorded in these sources as being a tantric master in a number of lineages upheld by Atiśa. Yet, as this paper demonstrates, these two important Indian Buddhist scholars had significant differences in their philosophical views. The paper compares doctrines found in the works of Ratnākaraśā nti and Atiśa to clearly demonstrate how they differed on a number of points of thought and exegesis. Although both Atiśa and Ratnākaraśā nti claimed to follow the Middle Way (madhyamā pratipat) of Nāgārjuna, Atiśa’s thought was influenced by Candrakīrti, while Ratnākaraśā nti expounded his system based on Yogācāra sources. As a specific example to illustrate the differences between these two scholars, the article draws attention to Nāgārjuna’s Yuktiṣaṣṭikā (verse 34), where Atiśa interprets the verse in terms of mere appearances that dependently arise while Ratnākaraśānti framed his interpretation on mental qualities whose ultimate nature consists of the “mere luminosity of non-duality” (advayaprakāśamātra). The paper concludes that these differences between Atiśa and Ratnākaraśānti impacted their relationship at Vikramaśīla monastery in eleventh century India.

It is generally taken for granted that the theory of bīja has originated in the novel ideas of Vasubandhu. But Saṅghabhadra acknowledges the theory of Vasubandhu just as another version of the bīja theory equivalent to that of Dārṣṭāntika or an offshoot of the *pūrvānudhātu theory established by Sthavira Śrīlāta. The notion of bīja is a metaphorfor hetupratyaya, that is, the dharma capable of producing, and serves as the core concept in illustrating the origin of all sentient beings and their worlds, as demonstrated in the theories of *pūrvānudhātu (Śrīlāta) or of bīja (ālayavijñāna) by the Yogācāra. However, the full connotation of the concept has not been completely uncovered because the term bīja in Abhidharmakośabhaṣya is only brought up as a ground for the critical refutation of the terms such as prāpti or avijñaptikarma of the Sarvāstivāda philosophy. Therefore it is very likely to fall either into a bias or a dogmatic understanding if the evidential references are limited to the fragmentary remarks in AKBh, without being supplemented by such significant records as the Nyāyānusāra by Saṅghabhadra, the Catuḥsatyanirdeśa by Vasuvarman, known as an affiliate of the Sautrāntika, and the Yogācārabhūmi, the Mahāyānasaṅgraha, the Chengweishilun, and their commentaries in which frequent quotations of bīja theory presented by the Sautrāntika and its branch *Sthavirapākṣika are found. In this paper I critically reviewed the hypothesis of Hyodo Kazuo, Kato Junsho, Harada Washo, and Sako Toshio etc in terms of their interpretations on the bīja theory of Vasubandhu and the concept of saṃtatipariṇāmaviśeṣa.

This study takes a bibliographical approach to the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing, pseudepigrapha from the Northern and Southern dynasties, explores related contemporary research, and suggests future research. First, the study bibliographically approaches the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing in three areas: copy, revision and translation, and resolution. Three copies of Chinese and Tibetan texts of the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing are considered; the study describes the process of discovering each copy and the condition in which each has been preserved. In terms of revision and translation, the study first examines three revised editions, and applies the assessments of the two textual bibliographies regarding the three revised editions. In terms of translation, the study finds one French and one Korean translation. Lastly, the study considers three types of resolutions, but they will be classified into two types because two of the resolutions are almost identical from a general perspective. The contemporary research regarding the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing demonstrates that despite the heightened attention given to the Tibetan translation of this scripture, the corresponding research is rather lacking. In addition, while there is an interpretation connecting the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing and the Council of Lhasa, there also seems to be confusion regarding this interpretation. Additionally, this study also considers the citation of the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing in the Seokgayeoraehaengjeokson≪釋迦如來行蹟頌≫. Lastly, the study suggests the relevance of Zen (禪) as a promising research field regarding the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing and pseudepigrapha (僞經), especially the pseudepigrapha recorded in the list of Dào ān (道安 CE 314-385), the first pseudepigrapha, which illustrates the Zen tradition that led to the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing. Moreover, the study shows the need to investigate further the effect of the Zui Miao Sheng Ding Jing on Tibetan Zen (Nyingma school).