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This book contains two parts of equal length: a detailed discussion of issues of authenticity, canonicity, vision and revelation, and a pioneering textual and text-critical study within this unique genre.
List of contents
Preface
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1: THE RNYING-MA-PA TANTRAS AND THE ISSUE OF AUTHENTICITY
1.1 Canonicity in Buddhism
1.1.1 India
1.1.2 Sri Lanka
1.1.3 China
1.1.4 Tibet
1.1.5 Summary
1.2 Shamanic Buddhism and Clerical Buddhism: through Wisdom to Means, through Means to Wisdom
1.2.1. Max Weber
1.2.2 Paul Demieville
1.2.3 Louis Dumont
1.2.4 Matthew Kapstein
1.2.5 S.K. Hookham
1.2.6 Geoffrey Samuel
1.3 Buddhist Perspectives
1.4 Shamanic and Clerical Attitudes in Tibetan Debates over "Canonicity"
1.4.1 The clerical view of canonicity in Tibet
1.4.2 The shamanic view of canonicity in Tibet
1.5 Tibetan Buddhism, Modernity, and Postmodernity
CHAPTER 2: THE PCN AND THE CLAIMED METHODS OF REVELATION OF THE MAHAYOGA TANTRAS
2.1 The Treasure and Pure Vision Systems of Scriptural Revelation
2.1.1 The PraS
2.1.2 The pure vision system
2.1.3 The treasure system
2.2 Nidhi
CHAPTER 3: WHERE DID THE PCN COME FROM? THE EVIDENCE FROM ITS CONTENTS
3.1 The NGB in Tibet
3.1.1 Ongoing revelation and the process of 'dul-ba
3.1.2 Colophons, "respectability" and "reputation"
3.2 Indic Materials
3.2.1 'Dul-ba and sgrol-ba in Indic perspective
3.2.2 Demon devotees in Indian religions
3.2.2.1 Siva as the Buddha's demon devotee
3.2.2.2 The converting of Mahesvara myths
3.3. The Conversion of the Four Malodorous Mumbling Earth-Mistresses: the Evidence Attributed to Nepal
3.4 Arrow Sorcery and Problematic Mantras: the Evidence from Tibet
3.5 The PCN as a Paradigm Case
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS
4.1 The Spirit and the Letter: Two Ways of Interpreting the Indian Heritage
4.2 Endnote: the Question of Reflexivity
TRANSLATION
PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATED SUMMARIES
SUMMARIES OF THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
TEXTUAL CRITICISM
PREFACE TO THE EDITION
EDITORIAL POLICY
Indeterminacy in critically editing Kanjur scriptures
Indeterminacy and uncertainty in critically editing
NGB scriptures
External considerations
Eight possible contingencies in editing NGB texts
Editorial policy and the open and closed models of Buddhist canonical literature
How do we edit the scriptures of an open canonical tradition?
The diplomatic edition of the PCN based on the sDe-dge xylograph recension, and my own conjectural corrections to it
THE EDITIONS OF THE NGB
Versions used
A PROVISIONAL STEMMA OF THE PHUR-PA BCU-GNYIS
EDITION OF THE TIBETAN TEXT
CONVENTIONS USED IN THE EDITION
GCIG
GNYIS
GSUM
RTSA-BZHI
REFERENCE MATERIALS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Summary
This work contains two parts of equal length: a detailed discussion of authenticity, canonicity, vision and revelation, and a pioneering textual and text-critical study within this unique genre.
This major study of one of the most significant tantras of the Old School of Tibetan Buddhism is much more than critical apparatus and detailed text history, although it does include all of that. It requires us to rethink our usual notions about what a Buddhist tradition might be.
