Contemplative Practice, Doxographies, and the Construction of Tibetan Buddhism: Nupchen Sangyé Yeshé and The Lamp for the Eye in Meditation
Religions November 15, 2018 Manuel Lopez
Doxographies—classifications of views—were used in Tibetan Buddhism not merely to organize diverse contemplative practices but to construct new systems. Focusing on Nupchen Sangyé Yeshé's 10th-century text, the Lamp for the Eye in Meditation, the article argues that the doxographical genre served as a tool for creating the original Tibetan Buddhist practice known as the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen). The work also reflects on how definition, comparison, and classification create and articulate religious difference, honoring religious studies scholar Jonathan Z. Smith.