Tenet Systems

Basic Definitions A deluded outlook toward a transitory network (‘jig-lta) concerns how we view ourselves as persons (gang-zag) in relation to the aggregate factors of our experience (phung-po). It deals with only ourselves as persons and not with any other persons. It has...

Introduction The Tibetan term rigs, meaning “caste” or “family,” appears in the technical term sangs-rgyas-kyi rigs (Buddha-caste, Buddha-family) and is usually translated as “Buddha-nature.” More specifically, in the context of the discussion of Buddha-nature, it means a...

In order to rid ourselves of the second noble truth, true causes of suffering, we need to gain non-conceptual cognition of the lack of an impossible soul (bdag-med, selflessness, identitylessness) with relation to each of the four noble truths. In Mahayana terminology, this...

Introduction This evening we are going to be speaking about ways of knowing; in other words cognition theory, and how it is that we know things – how our cognition actually works. This is an important topic since it relates very much to how we experience the four noble...

Three Layers of Unawareness Voidness (stong-pa-nyid, Skt shunyata; emptiness) is a total absence of impossible ways of existing: impossible means there is no such thing. Here, we are speaking specifically about the voidness of impossible ways in which the conventionally...

The Lack of an Impossible “Soul” The Hinayana schools, including Vaibhashika, Sautrantika and Theravada, assert the lack of an impossible “soul” – or selflessness – with respect only to persons, not all phenomena. Although they do not use the term voidness for this...

We’ve discussed the impossible ways of existing of a person and voidness, or emptiness, which is the absence of something corresponding to these impossible ways. If we wish to go deeper, then we need to discuss the impossible ways of existing of all phenomena, which would...

What Do We Know after Negating Something We have been speaking about affirmations and negations and we have seen that they’re very important. There are quite a few things that came up from yesterday and some questions that are still there. A negation is one in which there’s...

Origin of the Tenet Systems Indian Buddhism, as transmitted to Tibet, had four main schools of philosophical tenets (grub-mtha’). According to tradition, Buddha is the source of them all. Various Indian masters wrote the major treatises presenting the views of the four. [See:...