Some Notes on Kamala??la’s Understanding of Insight Considered as the Discernment of Reality (bh?ta-pratyavek??).
Martin T. Adam
Buddhist Studies Review December 29, 2008 DOI: 10.1558/bsrv.v25i2.194 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that Kamalaśīla's insight, understood as bhūta-pratyavekṣā or 'discernment of reality,' is a meditative process clarified through translation, scriptural exegesis, and polemical contrast with Mo ho yen, providing a multi-perspective understanding for both scholars and practitioners. |
Abstract
The present article aims to explain Kamala??la’s understanding of the nature of insight, specifically considering it as the ‘discernment of reality’ (bh?ta-pratyavek??) -- a technical term identified with insight (vipa?yan?) in the author’s well known Bh?van?krama? texts. I approach my analysis of bh?ta-pratyavek?? from three different angles. I begin by providing a rationale for its translation. This is followed by an account of Kamala??la’s reading of key passages in the La?k?vat?ra S?tra describing the process to which the term refers. Here the aim is to illustrate Kamala??la’s understanding of bh?ta-pratyavek?? as it is actually experienced in meditation. The final section examines bh?ta-pratyavek?? in relation to other important technical terminology employed in the course of making arguments against his historical rival in debate, the Ch’an monk Mo ho yen. By providing these three different perspectives on the same process it is my hope that both scholars and practitioners will be able to more fully comprehend and benefit from the instructions provided by the ancient master Kamala??la.