Beyond Intentionality: On the Non-dual Contemplative Practices of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition ‘The Great Perfection’
Eran Laish
Contemporary Buddhism May 31, 2017 DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2017.1332500 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that 'The Great Perfection' tradition affirms an inherent experiential state that is open, luminous and all-encompassing, transcending intentionality, temporality and causality. The author contends that its contemplative approach of relaxation, spaciousness and non-intending dissolves the intending tendencies of consciousness, revealing a non-dual awareness and prompting a reassessment of assumptions about human awareness. |
Abstract
The Buddhist vision of liberation is intimately related with an experiential state that transcends intentionality, temporality and causality, owing to its non-directed, unchanging and unconditioned nature. As such, this vision reveals a novel mode of non-dual awareness, which is not divided into perceiving subject and perceived objects. In order to directly recognise this mode, several Buddhist traditions utilised diverse contemplative instructions that were meant to dissolve the intending tendencies of consciousness. This paper discusses one of these traditions – ‘The Great Perfection’ (Tib. rDzogs pa chen po) – which affirms an inherent experiential state that is open, luminous and all-encompassing. For the sake of realising such a state, this tradition advocates a contemplative approach which emphasises relaxation, spaciousness and non-intending. Through its view and practices, ‘The Great Perfection’ introduces a vision of lived experience that goes beyond the structures of intentional consciousness and entails a reassessment of our basic assumptions about human awareness.
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| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |