Tuesday, September 18, 2018

PRAMANA - TERM 8 - FALL 2018 AUDIO & RESOURCES

Class Materials

Following His Holiness the Dalai Lama's advice, Geshe Wangmo is translating the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Pramāņavarttika.  In accord with the methodology for teaching this ancient text at IBD and the great Tibetan monastic universities, Dharmakirti's terse verses are embedded into Geshe Wangmo's translation of Gyaltsab (Darma Rinchen) Je's commentary.  Additionally, Geshe Wangmo, having received oral teachings on this text by several contemporary masters, has translated selected portions of those and inserted these explanations into the course text.

Current version of this Term's Pramanavarttika text
Geshe Wangmo is creating a Glossary of important terminology.  The 1st installment is here.

Resources for this Term

 H.H. Dalai Lama's teaching* on Buddhapalita's Commentary on Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way in September 2018 includes material Geshe Kelsang Wangmo references as particularly relevant.  Video's of the 4-day teaching are available on the Dalai Lama YouTube Channel & linked here:  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4. *This is the second year of these teachings, which were requested by a multi-national group of Asians.

MP3 recordings of Geshe Kelsang Wangmo translating REVIEW Sessions by Geshe Thupten Palsang are being posted here.  They are edited to remove the Tibetan & Chinese portions of the original recordings:  Day 1Review & Q&A.  

Background Resources from Earlier Terms

If you are new to the Pramanavarttika, the resources on this blog can provide background for the studies in this Sixth Term. The first section of the text provides a general introduction.  The Diagrams & Charts provided in the Fall 2014 Term, as well as other class recordings, transcripts or class descriptions provided on the posts listed below may be of use.

DOWNLOAD CHARTS & MP3 Recordings of Classes of the FIRST PRAMANA term, Fall 2014, here.
  See blog posts for Class 1 & Class 2 for an Introduction to the Pramanavarttika

You can find some CLASS [DRAFT] TRANSCRIPTS & AUDIO RECORDINGS on this BLOG from all the earlier Terms: Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016 & Fall 2016.


DOWNLOAD MP3 Recordings of FALL 2018 CLASSES


CLASS ONE - Monday, 17 September 2018:

  • Track 1.  Introduction to this term, praying to God, Compassion.
    • NOTE:  This track's audio quality suffers due to monsoon downpour & ends after the Power to Geshe Wangmo's microphone went off.
  • Track 2.  Past & Future Lives.  Dharmakirti challenges the ancient Indian materialist/hedonist philosophy school [Lokayata aka Charvaka] which, like our era's dominant Scientific Materialism, rejects karma, past or future lives, etc.
    • NOTE:  Audio quality is improved by new mike & rain lessening & ceasing.
  • Track 3.  Q&A re Reincarnation, Bardo, and more. 
    • Geshe Wangmo speaks of the importance of Reincarnation, which is often hard for Western materialists to accept, in the practice of Buddhism.  She advises that we watch YouTube Videos regarding, for instance, the Reincarnation Research of (deceased) Ian Stevenson, MD, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Virginia, Carlson Professor of Psychiatry Chair.
CLASS TWO - Wednesday, 19 September 2018
  • Track 1. Prayers & Glossary. Introduction to complex study of different types of causation & effects.  Chapter 7 of Buddhapalita's Commentary on the Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way [which H.H. Dalai Lama taught earlier in September*] is particularly relevant here. Is the Body the indispensable cause of the Mind, or vice versa? Per Buddhism, Mind is the Indispensable cause of the Body, but we must establish convincing proof of this thesis that the Body is result of coarse and subtle thoughts.  An indispensable cause can either be the indispensable cause or a Special Cooperative Condition for an effect. E.g., a bottle is the special cooperative condition of a bottle of water as the vessel containing the water. Likewise a Body is the special indispensable condition of a Mind, i.e., a Mental Consciousness. Videos of the 4 day-teaching are on the Dalai Lama YouTube channel {Day 1}. 
  • Track 2. Subtle Impermanence.  How can we say that a sprout that is changing moment-to-moment [e.g., into a flower] is a sprout when during the sprout's abiding as a sprout, it is changing, i.e., disintegrating towards the moment when it is no longer present & a flower has arisen?  All characteristics of phenomena can only be designated in relation to other characteristics of phenomena.
Begins reading/exposition of the text:  "To counteract the misperception that the body is the substantial and, thus, the indispensable cause of the mental consciousness, Dharmakirti presents the definition of substantial cause." 
[Dharmakirti says in the Pramanavarttika]:
Without a transformation of the substantial cause 
The substantial result would be unable to change. 
[This is] like, [for] example, without the transformation [61] 
Of the clay [there would be no transformation of a clay] vase, and so forth.
 
[Gyaltsab Je's commentary]  Regarding the subject, the flame of a lamp, it is the substantial cause of the rays of the flame of the lamp, (a) because without the transformation of [the flame’s] nature, the substantial result, the nature of the rays of [the flame] would be unable to change [and] (b) because [the flame] is the unique and direct placing agent of the mark, the mere nature [of the rays]. This is like, for example, without a transformation of the clay, and there would be no transformation of a clay vase, and so forth.

CLASS THREE - Friday, 21 September 2018
 If any of the LINKS don't work, please leave a COMMENT or notify us by E-Mail.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

PRAMANA - TERM 8 - FALL 2018 ANNOUNCEMENT

The 8th term of the study of the Second Chapter of Dharmakirti's Commentary on [Dignaga's] Compendium of Valid Cognition (Skt. Pramāņavarttika; ཚད་མ་རྣམ་འགྲེལ་) in the Advanced Buddhist Philosophy in English program of the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies (IBD) continues the study of the logical reasoning for Past & Future Lives.  


The main topic of this term is:

 Reincarnation and the Relationship between Mind and Body. 

For Those in India who wish to attend:

Class Schedule:      Monday, 17 SEPTEMBER – Friday, 16 NOVEMBER 2018
4:00-6:00 PM – Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Course Fee:        400 Rupees/Month - All proceeds sponsor IBD students' living expenses.

Class LocationWalk up the steep street [Thardoling Rd. aka Kirti Monastery St.] from the Temple Taxi stand towards Chonor House.  Not far up that street, an IBD building, on your right, has exterior metal stairs. Go up the stairs & classroom is to your right.



Course Text & Methodology:   The text is prepared by Ven. Wangmo from her translations of Dharmakirti's text, commentary by Gyaltsab Je and oral commentaries by contemporary masters.  Handouts of the text will be distributed to the class throughout the term.*

Course Teacher:  Ven. Kelsang Wangmo (a Western nun) was awarded a Geshe degree upon her successful completion of the 17-year curriculum at IBD. 

Students:  The challenging course material is aimed at earnest students of Buddhist philosophy. If you wish to check out the classes, you are welcome to attend before you enroll. If you are unable to attend the entire course in person, you may be able to continue by following the classes online.*

Course Background:

Dharmakirti's Pramāņavarttika is highly valued and is studied in the Geshe curriculum.  The Second Chapter examines whether or not Buddhist Enlightenment is feasible or even possible -- issues that must be personally resolved by those considering the Bodhisattva path.  Therefore, in May 2015, H.H. Dalai Lama suggested that our teacher, Geshe Kelsang Wangmo, teach the Second Chapter and place the multi-year Perfection of Wisdom course (based on Maitreya's Ornament for Clear Realizations (Abhisamayalamkara) on hiatus until completion of the Second Chapter of Pramāņavarttika


* Our best efforts will be made to post Audio Files of Classes & the Text as it becomes availalable.



Sunday, April 01, 2018

PRAMANA - ANNOUNCEMENT - SPRING 2018 TERM CANCELLED

Dear Friends,

Due to unavoidable situations, Geshe Kelsang Wangmo is required to remain in Germany longer than anticipated.  Her obligations there mean that she will be unable to conduct a Spring 2018 Term of the Pramana course.