From the Bka’ chems ka khol ma to the Maṇi bka’ ’bum: The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and the Meditation Tradition of the Ratnagotravibhaga in Tibet Book

The author examines two gter-mas (‘revealed texts’), the Bka’ chems ka khol ma and the Mani bka’ ’bum, both transmitted as the testaments of the ancient Tibetan king Srong btsan sgam po. The doctrines and practices elucidated in these gter mas focus on the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Those of the Mani bka’ ’bum in particular are known as the King’s Tradition, which emphasizes mind-oriented practices aimed towards the recognition of one’s own mind as Buddhahood, the Buddha-nature that pervades all sentient beings. The author explores these gter mas in connection with the Meditation Tradition of the Ratnagotravibhaga interpretation lineages in Tibet, contrasting that tradition with another distinct lineage, the Logic Tradition, in terms of their understandings of the mind, emptiness, and the Buddha-nature, and arguing that the later dichotomy between intrinsic emptiness (rang stong) and extrinsic emptiness (gzhan stong) developed from two orientations of rang stong that emerged in response to the confrontation between the sectarian Buddhism of Sravakayana and Mahayana Buddhism (Paramitayana and Vajrayana). The latter advanced the Meditation Tradition, which stands on extrinsic emptiness and embodies the early Mahayana traditions envisaged by King Srong btsan sgam po, as depicted in these gter mas, in alignment with AtiÅ›a’s teachings. The author presents a comprehensive overview of the Meditation Tradition, shared by the Bka’ gdams (Rwa sgreng / Reting monastery), Bka’ brgyud, Rnying ma, Jo nang, Bon, and East Asian Buddhist followers of Mahayana traditions such as Chan/ Zen. The present work includes critical editions and three dbu can texts derived from dbu med manuscripts of the Bka’ chems ka khol ma.