Ratnkarantis Middle

Way
The Storied History of a Scholar-Siddha
by
Daniel McNamara
Ph.D. Candidate, Emory University, October 2014

Preliminary Information
Ratnkaranti, also known as Mahsiddha

ntipa
Circa 970-1050 CE

Influential in his own period as a scholar-saint

Complex (ahem) status in Tibet
Goals for this talk:
Who was he, why is he important?
What did he say about Madhyamaka and

Yogcra, and their roles in meditation practice?

How was he interpreted by later generations?

Context: The Golden Age of

Pla-period Buddhism
Cosmopolitan time: interactions between

Tibet, Nepal, rvijaya (Indonesia), Angor

(Cambodia/Thailand) et al. Teachers, students
and translators went back and forth
Tantras are very well established and

definitely practiced at Vikrimala, Nalanda

and other Mahvihras
Turkic invaders and the beginning of the end

for Indian Mahvihra-s

ntipa in History
Sources: Lives of the Eighty-Four Siddhas by

Abhayadatta; Blue Annals; Taranthas History

Known as The Academic Siddha, or (per

Dowman) The Complacent Scholar

Goes against the broad Siddha Narrative
Remained a monk; attained siddhi in old age
Encounters with Maitrp and Koali (next page)

Eastern door-keeper (dvrapla) at

Vikramala
Contemporary with Nropa, Prajkaramati,

Ratnakrti

Students
Ata (see handout)
Drokmi Lotsawa
ntipas Hevajra commentary is included in

Lam
bras literature, but not emphasized by the
tradition
Maitrpda
Apocryphal (?) debate story from Pema Karpo

(16th c.)
Mahsiddha Koali

Ratnkarantis Madhyamaka: What is he?

First, what is madhyamaka?
Right View as sayag-di (also yathbhtadarana)
Nagrjunas lineages

Vijapti-Madhyamaka (rnam par rig pai dbu ma)

ntibhadra and Shakya Od; not ntipa himself (see handout)

Great Madhyamaka (dbu ma chen po)

Dudjom Rinpoche Jikdral Yeshe Dorje, et al

Alkkra-Yogcra (rnam brdzun pai rnal byor spyod pa)

His Indian contemporaries and successors, e.g. Mokkaragupta

Sems tsam pa: Thuken Chokyi Nyimas criticisms of Kagyu

grub mtha links them to ntipa

Facets of ntipas philosophy

Side note on the necessity of reading tantric works in

addition to materials categorized as philosophical

Three natures (trisvabhva, rang bzhin gsum) are

vital
Perfected nature = non-dual awareness =
dharmakya
Neither-one-nor-many argument
Emphasis on prama (tshad ma)
Main criticisms of Candrakrti center on prama

(discussed below)

ntipas Madhyamaka-Yogcra
Synthesis(?)
Like Shakya Chogden, ntipa argues for a unity of

intention in writings by Maitreya/Asa ga and Nagrjuna

Madhyamaka and yogcra are both vehicles for

realizing suchness (see handout)

Contrast with ntarakitas synthesis

Therefore the Yogic Practice tradition accords with

the philosophy of the Middle Way. This is

irrefutable.
Are madhyamaka and yogcra different kinds of

things?
Is this a synthesis?

ntipa on Prama
Wrote the Madhyamaklakropadea to delight the learned

who correctly rely on prama

This does not include Candrakrti (see handout), who is a cow
among Crvkas and a tricky idiot (g.yo blun po)
(Madhyamaklakra-vtti Derge 209-213)
Svasavedana (rang rig) is the only real prama:
There is nothing that can refute the luminous nature of

reflexive awareness. Reflexive awareness is direct, and it is an

authentic experience because there are no means of reliable
knowledge [prama] apart from it.
Bare luminosity without aspects (nirkra, rnam med)

is the only thing that could be non-deceptive: its

appearance accords with its nature.
Compare with kyabuddhi: phags pai mnyam bzhag rang rig tsam

Philosophy on the Path

Discusses meditation in tandem with philosophy in a

manner similar to Kmalalas Bhvankrama texts

Specifically cites Four Yogas:
Apprehending things to the extent they exist
Apprehending mind-only (sems tsam la dmigs pa)
Apprehending suchness (de bzhin nyid dmigs pa)
Non-Apprehension (dmigs su med pa)

Even though on the whole, the Buddhist tantric tradition

tends to draw solid lines of distinction between sutra and

tantra, Ratnkaranti in his Prajpramitopadea does
link the fourfold meditation described in the Lankvatra
with that of the Guhyasamaja-tantra. (Bentor, 41)
ntipa does not present a strong sutra/tantra distinction

From the Hevajra-Tantra

At the beginning confession is given, then the ten
precepts.
Then the vaibhsya should be taught, and after
that the strnta. (2.8.9)

Then one should show yogcra, after that

madhyamaka.
Having understood the entirety of the mantra path,
one should begin Hevajra. The pupil should learn
carefully; there is no doubt here. (2.8.10)

ntipas Muktval on these

verses:
yogcram iti cittamtram ida vivam, asatyarthe
rthapratibhsa cittam eva vsanbaldutpadyate
yath svapna iti/ madhyamakam iti madhya
pratipadam, tadapi citta na sat dvayarpena/
nsat dvayanyena rpeneti//
Yogcra indicates that everything is merely mind.
While there are no objects, the appearance of
objects which are just mind arises due to the power
of
tendencies
(vsan),
as
in
a
dream.
Madhyamaka is the middle path. Here, too, the
mind does not exist (sat) in the form of duality, nor
is it non-existent in a form empty of duality.

First line of Khasam-nma-k:

Iha Vajradharo bhagavn sarvabuddhn
bodhi /
S ca araya-parvtti-lakan /
(Vaidya edition, p. 231)

Here, Lord Vajradhara is the cognition/awareness

(bodhi) of all buddhas; this [bodhi] is
characterized by arayaparvtti (Revolution at
the basis)

Conclusions, tentatively
ntipa is using categories in a manner were

not used to
Madhyamaka and Yogcra
Sutra and Tantra

Madhyamaka as Right View, directly linked with

yogic practice (i.e., yogcra)

ntipas own students vary in their descriptions

of his views; this variation has only increased.

Ata calls him a cittamtrin, ntibhadra calls him

a vijapti madhyamaka; he calls himself a

yogcrin with the view of the middle way

Appendix: Tibetan of Prajpramitopadea quote

di ltar rnal byor spyod pa ni chos rnam kyi rang bzhin
gnyug ma gsal ba tsam ni rdzas su yod par dod pa yin
la / dbu ma ni rdzas de yang mi dod de / khyad par di
yang ming tsam du rtogs so / des na rtsa ba med par
rnal byor spyod pa pa rnams dang / dbu ma pa rnams
lhan cig tu rtsod pa ni skye bo shin tu gnas ngan pa
nyid / dir tshigs su bcad pa ni / gang dag gang dad
lhan cig de nyid ma mthong dir spyod pa ni kun
mtshungs shing / de nyid mthong tshe mun pai di mar
bzad ye shes kyang ni gcig tu gyur pa yi / rtsa lag
mchog gi rnal byor spyod ba pa la snad [sdad?] bar
sems ni dir bcas te / rtsod par sems pai dbu ma mchog
dzin di dag cii phyir rtsod cing shin tu smad / de la
phyi rol gyi don yong par smra ba dang / shes pa rnam
pa dang bcas par smra ba dbu ma pa dag ni / lung
bstan bcos dang tshad ma dag las phyi rol tu gyur bar
sdar bzog zin to // (299.2-5)