67 Facts About Tsongkhapa

Tsongkhapa was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tsongkhapa is known by Chinese as Zongkapa Lobsang Zhaba or just Zongkaba.

Tsongkhapa was born in Amdo, the son of a Tibetan Longben Tribal leader who once served as an official of the Yuan Dynasty.

Tsongkhapa was a prolific author with a broad knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, logic, hermeneutics and practice.

Tsongkhapa wrote numerous works on madhyamaka philosophy, Mahayana practice, and Vajrayana.

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Tsongkhapa was educated in Buddhism from an early age by his first teacher, the Kadam monk Choje Dondrub Rinchen.

When he was sixteen, Tsongkhapa traveled to Central Tibet, where he studied at the scholastic institutions of the Sangphu monastery, the Drikung Kagyu and the Sakya tradition of Sakya pandita.

Tsongkhapa studied widely under numerous teachers from various Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

Tsongkhapa received the Lam-Rim lineage, and the oral guideline lineage from the Nyingma Lama, Lhodrag Namka-gyeltsen; and he received the lineage of textual transmission from Lama Umapa.

Under Rendawa, Tsongkhapa studied various classic works, including the Pramanavarttika, the Abhidharmakosha, the Abhidharmasamuccaya and the Madhyamakavatara.

Tsongkhapa studied with a Nyingma teacher, Drupchen Lekyi Dorje, known as Namkha Gyaltsen.

From 1390 to 1398, Tsongkhapa engaged in extended meditation retreats in various locations.

Tsongkhapa developed a close relationship with a mystic and hermit named Umapa Pawo Dorje, who was known for his connection to Manjusri bodhisattva and who had frequent visions of black Manjusri with whom he would communicate.

An important instruction which Tsongkhapa is said to have received about the view from Manjusri is:.

Tsongkhapa would discuss these visions and instructions with his teacher Rendawa.

In 1397 while in intensive meditation retreat at Wolkha Valley, Tsongkhapa writes that he had a “major insight” into the view of emptiness.

Tsongkhapa wrote some other main works during this period, including Essence of Eloquence, Ocean of Reasoning, the Medium-Length Lamrim, and Elucidation of the Intent, his last major writing.

In 1409, Tsongkhapa worked on a project to renovate the Jokhang temple, the main temple in Lhasa and he promoted a great 15 day prayer festival at Jokhang to celebrate Sakyamuni Buddha.

In 1409, Tsongkhapa worked to found Ganden monastery, located 25 miles north of Lhasa.

Tsongkhapa was held in high regard by key figures of other Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

Tsongkhapa's madhyamaka thought has become widely influential in the western scholarly understanding of madhyamaka, with the majority of books and articles initially being based on Gelug explanations.

Tsongkhapa then received a prophecy from numerous Buddhas which said that he would become the tathagata Simhasvara.

Some hagiographical sources claim that Tsongkhapa was an emanation of Manjusri as well as a reincarnation of Nagarjuna, Atisa and of Padmasambhava.

Tsongkhapa's philosophy is mainly based on that of Indian madhyamaka philosophers like Nagarjuna, Buddhapalita and Chandrakirti.

Tsongkhapa is known for his emphasis on the importance of philosophical reasoning in the path to liberation.

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Tsongkhapa held that if one did not properly understand what is to be negated in madhyamaka, one was at risk of either negating too much or negating too little, and thus one would "miss the mark" of madhyamaka.

Tsongkhapa follows Nagarjuna and Candrakirti in asserting that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence or essence because they are dependently originated.

Tsongkhapa saw emptiness of intrinsic nature as a consequence of pratityasamutpada, the teaching that no dharma has an existence of its own, but always comes into existence in dependence on other dharmas.

Furthermore, according to Tsongkhapa, emptiness is itself empty of inherent existence and thus only exists nominally and conventionally as dependent arising.

Unlike other Tibetan madhyamikas, Tsongkhapa argues that this does not mean things do not exist at all or that ultimate analysis undermines conventional existence.

Tsongkhapa cites numerous passages from Nagarjuna which show that emptiness and dependent origination ultimately have the same intent and meaning and thus they are two ways of discussing one single reality.

Tsongkhapa cites various passages from Chandrakirti to show that even though phenomena do not arise intrinsically, they do arise conventionally.

Tsongkhapa cites a passage from Chandrakirti's commentary to Aryadeva's Four Hundred which states:.

Tsongkhapa cites the Lankavatara Sutra where the Buddha says, “Mahamati, thinking that they are not produced intrinsically, I said that all phenomena are not produced.

Indeed, for Tsongkhapa, it is because things are ultimately empty that they can be said to arise and exist at all.

Tsongkhapa rejects this as "a great philosophical error" and affirms the pragmatic importance of conventional truths.

Tsongkhapa argues that ultimate analysis is not merely a philosophical or intellectual matter, instead it is supposed to negate a deep internal habit that sentient beings have which experiences the world in a false and distorted way.

Tsongkhapa's view that a dependent and conventional reality is not negated by madhyamaka was a subject of much debate among Tibetan madhyamaka philosophers and became a subject of critique for Sakya school figures like Gorampa Sonam Senge.

Tsongkhapa held that a proper defense of madhyamaka required an understanding of pramana on the conventional level and that furthermore, one could make epistemic distinctions about the conventional and know what is conventionally true and what is a falsehood.

However, Tsongkhapa argues that Candrakirti does accept pramanas conventionally, since he states “the world knows objects with four valid cognitions.

Tsongkhapa, there are two valid ways of understanding the world, two levels of explanation: one way which understands conventional phenomena and another way which sees the profound ultimate truth of things, which is the sheer fact that they lack intrinsic nature.

Tsongkhapa thinks that if we only relied on the ultimate epistemological point of view, we would not be able to distinguish between virtue from non-virtue, or enlightenment from samsara.

Tsongkhapa held that the alternative svatantrika approach to madhyamaka was inferior.

Tsongkhapa argued that the svatantrika approach holds that one had to posit autonomous syllogisms in order to defend madhyamaka and that this insistence implies that phenomena or at least logic itself, has intrinsic nature conventionally.

Bhaviveka does not actually affirm the existence of intrinsic natures conventionally or that conventional reality is "established with its own identity, " in any of his texts, and Tsongkhapa's interpretation of the implications of Bhaviveka's thought is a topic of much debate among Tibetan and modern western authors on madhyamaka.

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Tsongkhapa strongly rejects that either phenomena or reasoning have intrinsic natures or characteristics in any way.

Tsongkhapa argues that prasangikas do not just reject all theses or views.

Tsongkhapa rejects Buddhist idealism and thus affirms the conventional existence of an external world.

Tsongkhapa wrote on Buddhist hermeneutics, which is a major subject of his Essence of Eloquence.

Tsongkhapa held that it was important to have a proper understanding of hermeneutics in order to properly interpret the many seemingly contradictory statements found in the Buddhist sutras and scholastic treatises.

Tsongkhapa, only the madhyamaka view of Nagarjuna is a definitive interpretation of the final intent of the Buddha.

The first Sakya scholar to openly critique Tsongkhapa was Rongton Shakya Gyaltsen and his critiques were met by responses written by Khedrup Je.

The philosophical critique of Tsongkhapa was later continued by a trio of Sakya school thinkers: Taktsang Lotsawa, Gorampa, and Shakya Chokden, all followers of Rongton.

Gorampa meanwhile argued that Tsongkhapa's definition of emptiness as an absolute negation of intrinsic existence was a form of nihilism.

Tsongkhapa took issue with Tsongkhapa's characterization of conventional truth as a kind of existence.

Tsongkhapa was acquainted with all Tibetan Buddhist traditions of his time, and received teachings and transmission in all major Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tsongkhapa wrote a Middle Length Lamrim Treatise and a Small Lamrim Treatise.

Indeed, according to Tsongkhapa, the broad study of the Buddhist texts is the “sacred life force of the path, ” which is a necessary complement to the practice of meditation.

Tsongkhapa rejects the idea that meditation is only about throwing away all concepts, instead, we need to gradually refine our understanding until it becomes non-conceptual wisdom.

Tsongkhapa wrote commentaries on some of the main Sarma tantras, including the Vajrabhairava, Cakrasamvara, Kalacakra and Guhyasamaja tantras.

Tsongkhapa wrote a grand summary of tantric thought and practice, The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra.

Tsongkhapa heavily relies on the works of Marpa Lotsawa and Buton Rinchendrub, both of whom passed down lineages of the Guhyasamaja tantra, a text which Tsongkhapa considered to be the "king of tantras".

Tsongkhapa argues that complete Buddhahood can ultimately only be attained through the practice of Highest Yoga Tantra.

However, Tsongkhapa holds that non-tantric Mahayana practices are indispensable the practice of Secret Mantra and that bodhicitta is the basis for the practice of both sutra Mahayana and Secret Mantra.

Indeed, according to Tsongkhapa, without having ascertained emptiness, one cannot practice the tantric yogas of Vajrayana.

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Tsongkhapa promoted the study of pramana, encouraged formal debates as part of Dharma studies, and instructed disciples in the Guhyasamaja, Kalacakra, and Hevajra Tantras.

Tsongkhapa's writings comprise eighteen volumes, with the largest amount being on Guhyasamaja tantra.