a study of frederick lenz’s 27 talks on tantric buddhism troy omafray

A Study of Frederick Lenz’s 27 Talks on Tantric Buddhism


Troy OmafrayTroy Omafray

OverviewOverview• མཁན་པོ� ་འགྱུར་མ ད་ཕྲི ན་

ལས་ (mkhan po’ ‘gyur med

phrin las) Khenpo Gyurme Trinly Rinpoche

•“Khempo” was the founder of Osel Dorje Nyingpo

• མཁན་པོ� ་འགྱུར་མ ད་ཕྲི ན་ ལས་ (mkhan po’ ‘gyur med

phrin las) Khenpo Gyurme Trinly Rinpoche

•“Khempo” was the founder of Osel Dorje Nyingpo

OverviewOverview

•Khempo’s vision of the Lenz project

•Khempo’s vision of the Lenz project

OverviewOverview

•About Khempo

•About Khempo

OverviewOverview

•me•me

OverviewOverview

•An explanation of the project•An explanation of the project

Twenty-Seven Talks on Tantric Twenty-Seven Talks on Tantric BuddhismBuddhism CommentaryCommentary

Khempo’s commentary:Khempo’s commentary:

- Written in “Khemplish” (Khempo-- Written in “Khemplish” (Khempo-English).English).

- A blend of normative Tibetan - A blend of normative Tibetan Buddhist notions.Buddhist notions.

- Terse- Terse

Contents of Lenz’s “27 Talks on Tantric Contents of Lenz’s “27 Talks on Tantric Buddhism”Buddhism”

1) Tantric Buddhism I1) Tantric Buddhism I

2) Six 2) Six WorldsWorlds

3) The Mature 3) The Mature MonkMonk4) The Natural 4) The Natural StateState

5) Freedom5) Freedom

6) 6) EnlightenmentEnlightenment

7) Self Effort7) Self Effort

8) 8) PossibilitiesPossibilities

9) The Nexus of all 9) The Nexus of all PathwaysPathways

11) Tantric 11) Tantric Buddhism IIBuddhism II

12) Computer 12) Computer ScienceScience13) The Awareness of 13) The Awareness of MeditationMeditation14) Focus and 14) Focus and MeditationMeditation

15) Professional 15) Professional MeditationMeditation16) The Best Meditation I Ever 16) The Best Meditation I Ever HadHad

17) 17) MetaphysicsMetaphysics

18) A Clean 18) A Clean RoomRoom

19) The Bhagavad 19) The Bhagavad GitaGita

20) Buddhist 20) Buddhist EnlightenmentEnlightenment21) The Path of 21) The Path of NegationNegation

22) 22) TransienceTransience

23) Peak 23) Peak ExperiencesExperiences24) Solstices and 24) Solstices and EquinoxesEquinoxes

26) Buddhist 26) Buddhist YogaYoga

25) 25) TenacityTenacity

10) The Path of 10) The Path of AffirmationAffirmation

27) Light27) Light

The 5 ThemesThe 5 Themes

MeditationMeditation

MindMindEmptinessEmptiness

PathPath

TantraTantra


Theme #1Theme #1


- Reason was not emphasized- Reason was not emphasized

- Meditative goal: to- Meditative goal: to “stop “stop thought”thought”

- - “Stopping thought”“Stopping thought” also also suggests relaxing into the true suggests relaxing into the true nature of the mindnature of the mind

- Lenz’s path is markedly - Lenz’s path is markedly experience basedexperience based

- Rest mind in itself- Rest mind in itself


Khempo’s commentary:

“The senses are not thought. Only the conceptual mind thinks. But when you look directly without obscuration toward the luminous mind, our true nature is uncovered.”

MeditationMeditationMeditation is the key to non-Meditation is the key to non-conceptual concentration.conceptual concentration.

Meditative insight is the basis Meditative insight is the basis for the Lenz’s theory of mind.for the Lenz’s theory of mind.

““Uncovering Buddha-nature” Uncovering Buddha-nature” echoes Maitreya’s echoes Maitreya’s Uttaratantra-shastraUttaratantra-shastra


““...this mind, O monks, is luminous ...this mind, O monks, is luminous and it is freed from adventitious and it is freed from adventitious

defilements...defilements...””- Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya I,X)- Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya I,X)

““...remove delusion to realize the ...remove delusion to realize the luminous essence of mind...luminous essence of mind...””

- Rangjang Dorje (- Rangjang Dorje (Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha NatureNature))

Pali CanonPali Canon

TibetanTibetanCommentaryCommentary

CommentaryCommentary


Lenz said:Lenz said:““Self-recognition of basic mind is Self-recognition of basic mind is the final path.”the final path.”


“Reaching the wisdom-mind is facilitated only by pristine meditative absorption.”

Lenz’s approach is Lenz’s approach is similar to Rangjung similar to Rangjung Dorje and DolpopaDorje and Dolpopa

Dolpopa said:Dolpopa said:

MindMind

Theme #2Theme #2

Mind(s)Mind(s)

Lenz said:Lenz said:

““The mind is luminous, The mind is luminous, infinite, permanent and at infinite, permanent and at the same time there’s an the same time there’s an ordinary thinking mind.”ordinary thinking mind.”

- This suggests two separate minds- This suggests two separate minds

Mind(s)Mind(s)

“We must peel back the layers, know the mind, this is what brings us beyond.”

Rama said:Rama said:

MindMindFive Sense ConsciousnessesFive Sense Consciousnesses

eyeeye bodybody

earear tonguetongue

nosenose

MindMind

eyeeye bodybody

earear tonguetongue

nosenose

6th consciousness - conceptual mind6th consciousness - conceptual mind

eyeeyebodybody

earear tonguetonguenosenose

6th consciousness - conceptual mind6th consciousness - conceptual mind

7th consciousness (intermediate mind / afflicted mind)7th consciousness (intermediate mind / afflicted mind)

8th consciousness (all-base / Buddha-nature)8th consciousness (all-base / Buddha-nature)

MindMind

““In term of the six consciounesses, you don’t see In term of the six consciounesses, you don’t see the absolute; when one does see the absolute, the absolute; when one does see the absolute,

then the fabricated is eliminated.”then the fabricated is eliminated.”

Khempo said:Khempo said:

MindMind

•Rangjung Dorje’s notion of the 7th consciousness

•Two Aspects

•Rangjung Dorje’s notion of the 7th consciousness

•Two Aspects

7th Consciousness7th Consciousness

MindMind

Rangjung Dorje said:Rangjung Dorje said:““This is Mahamudra free from conceptual This is Mahamudra free from conceptual artifice.artifice.

This is the Great Madhyamaka free from This is the Great Madhyamaka free from positions, positions,

this is the Great Completion that includes this is the Great Completion that includes all...”all...”

Mahayana Eight ConsciousnessesMahayana Eight Consciousnesses

EmptinessEmptiness

Theme #3Theme #3

Illusion and Correct ViewIllusion and Correct View

EmptinessEmptiness

Illusion and Correct View Illusion and Correct View

EmptinessEmptiness

How to overcome the illusion?How to overcome the illusion?

EmptinessEmptiness

EmptinessEmptiness

•Lenz suggest two types of emptiness:

•self-empty (rangtong)

•empty of other (shentong)

•Lenz suggest two types of emptiness:

•self-empty (rangtong)

•empty of other (shentong)

EmptinessEmptiness

•Buddha-nature is permanent

•Buddha-nature is empty of everything that is not Buddha-nature.

•Khempo shored up Buddha-nature

•Buddha-nature is permanent

•Buddha-nature is empty of everything that is not Buddha-nature.

•Khempo shored up Buddha-nature

Emptiness of OtherEmptiness of Other

EmptinessEmptiness

•Lenz’s approach was tantric shentong

•Tantras make no attempt to establish emptiness through reasoning.

•Lenz’s approach was tantric shentong

•Tantras make no attempt to establish emptiness through reasoning.

TantricTantric Emptiness of Other Emptiness of Other

EmptinessEmptinessEmptiness of OtherEmptiness of Other

Khempo said:Khempo said:““Rama’s [Lenz’s] tantra is Rama’s [Lenz’s] tantra is

Kalacakra where every Kalacakra where every kaya [form] is empty but kaya [form] is empty but

clear light nature is clear light nature is other...”other...”

PathPath

Theme #4Theme #4

PathPath

•Lenz gave a general sense of the path to enlightenment

•Khempo outlined Asanga and Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara

•Khempo also spoke extensively about Maitreya

•Lenz gave a general sense of the path to enlightenment

•Khempo outlined Asanga and Maitreya’s Abhisamayalamkara

•Khempo also spoke extensively about Maitreya

SoteriologySoteriology

PathPath

-Path of Shamatha-Path of Shamatha

-Repeated practice -Repeated practice stressed. stressed. This is the path of This is the path of generating merit and generating merit and wisdom.wisdom.

TantraTantra

Theme #5Theme #5

TantraTantra

•Tantra is the practice of transmuting desire

•Tantra is the practice of transmuting desire

Kalacakra mantraKalacakra mantra

TantraTantra

Kalacakra mantraKalacakra mantra

- Astrology and the connection with Kalacakra-tantra

Kalachakra-tantraKalachakra-tantra

Kalacakra is referred to Kalacakra is referred to as the as the ‘Wheel of Time’‘Wheel of Time’

‘‘Time’Time’

‘‘Wheel’Wheel’

Wheel of TimeWheel of Time

TantraTantra

In In outlookoutlook I think Lenz was a I think Lenz was a Tantric Tantric Shentongpa.Shentongpa.

Buswell, Robert E. & Robert M. Gimello. Paths to Liberation: The Marga and Its Transformations in Buddhist Thought. University of Hawaii Press, 1992.

Brunnholzl, Karl. Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature. Snow Lion 2009.

Dolpopa, Sherab Gyaltsen. trans, Jeffrey Hopkins. Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha Matrix. Snow Lion, 2006.

Duckworth, Douglas. Mipham on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition. SUNY, 2008.

Hookham, S.K. The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga. SUNY, 1991.

Jackson, Roger. The Wheel of Time: The Kalachakra in Context. Snow Lion, 1985.

Lenz, Frederick P. Tantric Buddhism: Twenty-Seven Talks. Lenz Foundation of America, 2003.

Nyima, Thuken Losang Chokyi. Trans. Geshe Lhundub Sopa., Ed. Roger Jackson. The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems: A Tibetan Study of Asian Religious Thought. Wisdom, 2009.

Stearns, Cyrus. The Buddha from Dolpopa: A Study of The Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. SUNY, 1999.

Sutin, Lawrence. All Is Change: The Two-Thousand-Year Journey of Buddhism To The West. Little, Brown and Company, 2006.

Thrangu, Khenchen. On Buddha Essence: A Commentary on Rangjung Dorje's Treatise. Shambhala, 2006.

Yeshe, Lama. Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire. Wisdom, 2001.

References

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a study of frederick lenz’s 27 talks on tantric buddhism troy omafray

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