John Newman

The Indian Buddhist Mādhyamika philosopher Candrakīrti's position on lokaprasiddhi ('things generally accepted by people' / "common knowledge") has attracted considerable interest among scholars of Madhyamaka. Tom J.F. Tillemans has argued that Candrakīrti advocates a "populist," "lowest common denominator" version of lokaprasiddhi that leads to a "global error theory" and "a dismal slough of relativism." In this paper I present evidence that Candrakīrti instead advocates a version of lokaprasiddhi that assumes a hierarchy of knowledge in which some educated knowledge about mundane reality is privileged over the untutored notions of the hoi polloi. This model of lokaprasiddhi in turn serves as a foundation for philosophy and ascertainment of the correct view of reality, which is embodied in the "mundane ultimate" (laukika paramārtha), the Buddha's teaching of the Dharma.

Scholars studying the chronology of late Indic Buddhism, the Sinhalese Theriya ('Theravāda') tradition, and the Tibetan tradition may wish to know of a dated Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscript of the Śrī Kālacakra (the Kālacakra laghutantra) which was recently made available in a high-quality scan by the British Library, accession no. Or 16981: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_16981 (One will have to register to obtain a British Library "Reader Pass" to view the scan.) I discussed this manuscript and its dates in my 1987 dissertation, The Outer Wheel of Time: Vajrayāna Buddhist Cosmology in the Kālacakra Tantra pp. 185-186, 660; this is available on my academia.edu page: https://ncf.academia.edu/JohnNewman. There is much to say about this manuscript and its dates. But for the moment I will simply note that it provides compelling evidence in support of the observation made by the Tibetan scholars Sa skya Paṇḍita and Bu ston that the Kashmiri master Śākyaśrībhadra and other contemporary Indian, Nepalese, and Kashmiri Buddhists employed a "saindhava" (which in this instance indicates the Sinhalese Theriya ['Theravāda'] tradition) parinirvāṇa era. This in turn bears upon the dating of other Indic manuscripts and inscriptions that employ a parinirvāṇa era during the 13th century CE.

Review article on The Yakherds, _Knowing Illusion: Bringing a Tibetan Debate into Contemporary Discourse_. 2 Vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. _Knowing Illusion_ examines: Taktsang's attack on Tsongkhapa's interpretation of Candrakīrti's Madhyamaka view; Karma Kagyu adoption/adaptations of Taktsang's ideas; and Geluk responses to Tatktsang's and Karma Kagyu critiques of Tsongkhapa. This review article: surveys some of the central issues treated in the book; offers some corrections and additional information on Sanskrit and Tibetan terminology; and presents a hypothetical explanation of why Tsongkhapa expanded upon Candrakīrti's account of vyavahārasatya / tha snyad bden pa.

The foundational texts of the Kālacakra tantra provide an origin story in which this system of mysticism was taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni at Śrī Dhānyakaṭaka. The original text of the tantra, the Paramādibuddha (the Kālacakra mūlatantra) is said to have been redacted by Dharmarāja Sucandra – emperor of Sambhala and an emanation of the tenth stage bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi – who wrote the tantra down in a book and carried it to Sambhala. Hundreds of years later, the tradition maintains, the Kālacakra tantra was brought from Sambhala and introduced in India. This essay argues that it is unlikely that the Paramādibuddha existed as a complete written text. Instead, the extant Indic excerpts and quotations of the Paramādibuddha are probably ad hoc creations produced within the context of the original Indian Kālacakra cult's extraordinary literary activities. In support of this theory we study a purported extract from the Paramādibuddha quoted in *Kālacakrapāda's *Sekoddeśaṭīkā. This "quotation" is in fact a modification of the second half of the sixteenth chapter of the Samādhirājasūtra. We also present evidence in support of the hypothesis that the founders of the Kālacakra tradition include the early 11th century CE Kālacakra masters Piṇḍo of Java and Nāropāda.

This paper presents evidence that the Kālacakra tantra follows a 'developmental' soteriology, contrary to the gzhan stong 'revelatory' model soteriology promoted by Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan. The Sanskrit of passages by Nāropāda and from the Vimalaprabhā are edited, translated, and discussed.

Tibetan sen dha pa seems to correspond to Sanskrit *saindhava, or more likely Indic vernacular pronunciation(s) of saindhava. In this note I offer a brief summary of some unpublished research I did decades ago. I suggest *Saindhava is a nickname (some) north Indian Buddhists used to designate anti-Mahāyāna śrāvaka monks of the Sinhalese Theravāda and the Sindhu Sammatīya traditions. Śākyaśrībhadra and other north Indian masters adopted the Sinhalese calculation of the Buddha's parinirvana, and this also appears in Indic manuscript colophons. Tibetan historians refer to this a sen dha pa calculation of the Buddha's parinirvana.

A study of six illustrations in a palmleaf manuscript of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāparamitā dated Govindapāla 39 (ca. end of 12th cent. CE). The illustrations depict forms of the chief male and female deities of the Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, and Hevajra tantras. This note focusses on the identification and iconography of the deities in relation to the tantras and their sādhanas. It concludes (pp. 123–124) with reference to the fact that in the tantras themselves and in their exegetical literature these deities are said to be "endowed with the nine rasas of nāṭya." See, e.g., Hevajra 2.5.26d: navanāṭyarasair yutam [emending Snellgrove's text in light of Yogaratnamālā p. 153.5–6 and a plethora of other texts]. The fact that the Vajrayāna tradition self-consciously draws on the pan-Indic rasa model of aesthetics has major – largely unexplored – ramifications for our interpretation of its theory and practice.

rMi lam rdzun bshad sgyu ma'i sgra dbyangs chen mo – Also Known As – Sham bha la pa'i lam yig.

Part 1: A transcript of a manuscript of the text.

Part 2: An unpublished paper written in 1989 surveying the text.

A note to scholars: For my published work on this text, see my "Itineraries to Sambhala"; pp. 485-499 [especially p. 488] in José Ignacio Cabezón and Roger R. Jackson eds., Tibetan Literature – Studies in Genre – Essays in Honor of Geshe Lhundup Sopa (Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1996). The 1989 paper I provide here in Part 2 is juvenilia, but it offers a rough overview of the entire content of the rMi lam rdzun bshad sgyu ma'i sgra dbyangs chen mo.
The transcript of the manuscript requires some context. As noted in p. 1n1 of the paper, my access to the manuscript was limited to photocopies of photographs Dr. Edwin Bernbaum took in Zanskar. In the photocopies I had, the folio sides of the text are represented in images that are about 4.5" x  .75", and the quality of the images is extremely poor. I transcribed the text back in the last millennium, with younger eyes. I had intended to produce a polished edition of the text, but other projects and interests attracted my attention.
The transcript I provide here is far from perfect (as is the manuscript), but I make it available in the hope that it will be temporarily useful, and inspire others to work on the text. In addition to the manuscript Edwin Bernbaum photographed, Berthold Laufer and Giuseppe Tucci had access to manuscripts of the text. I made perfunctory efforts to locate their manuscripts, without success. However, given the incredible treasures currently being revealed in Tibet we have every reason to hope that additional witnesses will become available.

Postscript 25 July 2020: After I published the above on Academia.edu, Dan Martin kindly directed me to a 14 ff. dbu med manuscript scan published online by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center [BDRC; formerly Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC)] under the title: "man lung gu ru'i lam yig" with the BDRC accession no. W3PD981, and the source given as: "khams a 'dzom dgon du bzhugs pa'i dpe rnying dpe dkon/ Volume 3 Pages 21 - 48." A precursory comparison of the BDRC MS and the one I transcribed shows that it contains basically the same text, but exhibits substantially different readings in places. More grist for the Tibetological mill.

Postscript 31 Dec 2023: On this text and the complex question of its authorship see now the article by sNyan bzang gYung drung tshes ring, "'Lo tsā ba Sham bha la pa' 'tshol zhib" published online 29 Dec 2023 on the bodrigpa.org website:

https://bodrigpa.org/archives/3934

This paper contains a wealth of new information on the subject, but seems to be unaware of my studies of the text.

Part 1: A transcript of a manuscript of the text.

Part 2: An unpublished paper written in 1989 surveying the text.

A note to scholars: For my published work on this text, see my "Itineraries to Sambhala"; pp. 485-499 [especially p. 488] in José Ignacio Cabezón and Roger R. Jackson eds., Tibetan Literature – Studies in Genre – Essays in Honor of Geshe Lhundup Sopa (Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1996). The 1989 paper I provide here in Part 2 is juvenilia, but it offers a rough overview of the entire content of the rMi lam rdzun bshad sgyu ma'i sgra dbyangs chen mo.
The transcript of the manuscript requires some context. As noted in p. 1n1 of the paper, my access to the manuscript was limited to photocopies of photographs Dr. Edwin Bernbaum took in Zanskar. In the photocopies I had, the folio sides of the text are represented in images that are about 4.5" x  .75", and the quality of the images is extremely poor. I transcribed the text back in the last millennium, with younger eyes. I had intended to produce a polished edition of the text, but other projects and interests attracted my attention.
The transcript I provide here is far from perfect (as is the manuscript), but I make it available in the hope that it will be temporarily useful, and inspire others to work on the text. In addition to the manuscript Edwin Bernbaum photographed, Berthold Laufer and Giuseppe Tucci had access to manuscripts of the text. I made perfunctory efforts to locate their manuscripts, without success. However, given the incredible treasures currently being revealed in Tibet we have every reason to hope that additional witnesses will become available.

Postscript 25 July 2020: After I published the above on Academia.edu, Dan Martin kindly directed me to a 14 ff. dbu med manuscript scan published online by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center [BDRC; formerly Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC)] under the title: "man lung gu ru'i lam yig" with the BDRC accession no. W3PD981, and the source given as: "khams a 'dzom dgon du bzhugs pa'i dpe rnying dpe dkon/ Volume 3 Pages 21 - 48." A precursory comparison of the BDRC MS and the one I transcribed shows that it contains basically the same text, but exhibits substantially different readings in places. More grist for the Tibetological mill.

This paper identifies, edits, translates and analyzes all of the references to Islamic beliefs and practises appearing in the primary Indic literature of the Buddhist Kālacakra tantra system of mysticism, which first appeared in India during the early decades of the 11th century CE. (For this dating, see John Newman, "The Epoch of the Kālacakra Tantra" IIJ 41 (1998): 319-49.) This paper has been extensively plagiarized, and its findings have been obfuscated to serve an apologetic purpose, in Alexander Berzin, "Historical Survey of the Buddhist and Muslim Worlds' Knowledge of Each Other's Customs and Teachings" Muslim World 100 (2010): 187-203, and in Dr. Berzin's online "Berzin Archives."

This paper establishes the epoch (dhruva/dhruvaka) of the Kālacakra laghukaraṇa, the handbook on astronomy contained in the Śrī Kālacakra—the Kālacakra laghutantra—and its commentary, the Vimalaprabhā. It also demonstrates that these foundational texts of the Kālacakra tantra tradition reached completion between 1025 and ca. 1040 CE (pp. 342-43). In addition, evidence is provided supporting Turrell V. Wylie's dating of Nāropāda's death to ca. 1040 CE (p. 347, n. 10).

A study of the Indian and Tibetan 'itineraries' (Tib.: lam yig) to Sambhala (Tib.: sham bha la), mythic homeland of the Kālacakra tantra. The Buddhist "Sambhala" is an adaptation of the Hindu Vaiṣṇava myth of Kalki, but in the foundational Indic Kālacakra texts Sambhala has been transformed into a fabulous kingdom at the center of a vast empire located in north-central Asia (p. 487, n. 9). Itineraries to Sambhala fall into two types. The Indic itinerary Kalāpāvatāra describes a ritual-magical journey that has little or no relation to "real" geography. The Tibetan itinerary of Man lung Guru (13th century), on the other hand, describes a conventional journey that can be traced on a map. A tendency to coordinate spiritual imagination with empirical reality (also noteworthy in the Tibetan historiographic tradition) is an important characteristic of the Tibetan adaptation of Indian Buddhist culture.

A study focusing on eight verses summarizing the four Buddhist siddhāntas that appear in Kalkin Puṇḍarīka's Vimalaprabhā. These verses are drawn from the Jñānasārasamuccaya of Āryadeva, and they also appear in the Svadarśanamatoddeśa of Kalkin Yaśas and at the core of Jitāri's Sugatamatavibhaṅgakārikā.
      N.b.: In this study replace "Pradarśanānumatoddeśaparīkṣānāma"—a Tibetan construction of the title—with Svadarśanamatoddeśa, the title as it is cited in Nāropāda's Sekoddeśaṭīkā [Sferra ed. p. 176.21.] This text is wrongly ascribed to "Narendrakīrti" based on the erroneous back-translation of the Tibetan mi'i dbang po grags pa to narendrakīrti. In this case, mi'i dbang po is an epithet, and grags pa translates yaśas, the proper name of the first Kalkin of Sambhala. As far as I can tell, it is mere coincidence that 1) mi'i dbang po grags pa is given as the title and name of the author of this text, and 2) Narendrayaśas (517–589 CE) was a translator who translated a recension of the Samādhirāja-sūtra into Chinese (T 639) in 557 CE. Nevertheless, this is indeed odd!

A study of the Sanskrit employed in some of the primary texts of the Kālacakra tantra tradition. I argue that this language is not the Prakrit Franklin Edgerton called "Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit," nor is it simply "bad Sanskrit" or "barbarian Sanskrit"[!]. Rather, it is an irregular variety of standard Sanskrit in which Kālacakra authors deliberately, self-consciously employ irregular forms with a didactic purpose.

A study of the Paramādibuddha (the Kālacakra mūlatantra) and its relationship with the Sekoddeśa and the Śrī Kālacakra (the Kālacakra laghutantra) in light of the Kālacakra tradition's account of these texts' origins. This paper also raises the question of Vajrayāna mūlatantras in general, noting the Kālacakra tradition's references to gigantic mūlatantras of the Guhyasamāja, Yamāntaka, Māyājāla, and Cakrasaṃvara tantras. See now my "On the origin of the Kālacakra tantra and the Paramādibuddha" in JIABS 2021 which presents additional information bearing on the early textual history of the Kālacakra.

An overview of the history of the Kālacakra tantra, focusing on its mythology and its history in India. Some of this is superseded by "The History of the Kālacakra in India" Chapter 6, pp. 70-113 in my 1987 doctoral dissertation: The Outer Wheel of Time: Vajrayāna Buddhist Cosmology in the Kālacakra Tantra. NOTE: Without my knowledge an editor stripped all of the diacritics out of this paper, creating numerous problems. It was published in this form without my knowledge or consent.

An unpublished study of the life and works of Jitāri. Note: This paper was completed in 1988, when I was blissfully and embarrassingly ignorant of the works of Kenjō Shirasaki (see p. 48). Once I became familiar with his fine research, I abandoned this project, extracted its essence, and published the results as “Buddhist Siddhānta in the Kālacakra Tantra” WZKS 36 (1992): 227-34. Now that web publishing is so easy, those interested in Jitāri and his works might glean some nuggets of information from this paper, with the proviso, of course, that the subject has been treated in much greater depth by Dr. Shirasaki. J.N., 14 June 2016.

Doctoral dissertation completed at the University of Wisconsin – Madison under the supervision of Prof. Geshe Lhundub Sopa. Originally published by University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. UMI underwent multiple name changes and changes of ownership. The current [6 Jan 2022] publisher is named "ProQuest."

The Wish-Granting Sovereign: A Ceremony for Worshipping the Seven Sugatas by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Losang Gyatso. Translated by John Newman. Portland, OR: FPMT Inc., 2009.

NOTE: This PDF is formatted for printing, and the pagination is not sequential. From pp. 84–85 (with corrections): This is a translation of bDer gshegs bdun gyi mchod pa’i chog sgrigs yid bzhin dbang rgyal zhes bya ba, composed in 1673 by the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Losang Gyatso (1617-1682). As its title suggests, it is an extensive rite for the worship of seven sugatas (an epithet equivalent to ‘Buddha’ or ‘Tathāgata’)—which include the famous ‘Medicine Buddha’ Bhaiṣajyaguru—plus the Buddha Śākyamuni and an assembly of bodhisattvas and guardian deities.
Although The Wish-Granting Sovereign is attributed to the fifth Dalai Lama, it is in fact based on and contains extensive excerpts from texts that go back to eighth century Tibet, and ultimately to India. The scriptural foundation for the ceremony is the Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistarasūtra (The Extensive Sutra on the Former Special Prayers of the Seven Tathāgatas), a text that is closely related to and contains within itself the Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra (Sutra on the Medicine Guru). These Indian sutras and the ritual practices founded on them were introduced in Tibet in the second half of the eighth century by the great missionary Śāntarakṣita, who composed several liturgies for the worship of the Seven Tathāgatas that are preserved in the Tibetan Tangyur. Worship of the Seven Tathāgatas includes prayers for health, longevity, prosperity, and success, and Śāntarakṣita promoted this practice in part to foster the well-being of his patron, the Tibetan Emperor Trisong Detsen. The guru lineage translated herein indicates that the tradition was passed on by Trisong Detsen to his descendents in the dynastic line. In later centuries worship of the Seven Tathāgatas became widely diffused throughout the Tibetan Buddhist world, and today it is practiced in all the sub-traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
This translation is based on the text given in a South Asian reproduction (191 pp.; n.p.; n.d.) of an imprint (96 ff.) from blocks that appear to have been carved during the early nineteenth century (the first folio contains a drawing of the ninth Dalai Lama). On problematic readings and to fill in ellipses I used the text given in rNying ma bka’ ma shin tu rgyas pa vol. 2 [KHA], pp. 83-234 [Tibetan Bud- dhist Resource Center W25983]; this edition supplements the basic ritual with an important extensive preface by the fifth Dalai Lama. According to Gene Smith, the text also appears in volume twelve of the collected works of the fifth Dalai Lama; I did not consult this edition. The Wish-Granting Sovereign incorporates extensive excerpts from the Bhaiṣajyagurusūtra, and for these portions I used the Sanskrit text given by P.L. Vaidya (ed.), Mahāyāna-sūtra-saṃgraha Part 1, pp. 165-173 (Darbhanga: Mithila Institute, 1961).

English translations of the sādhana portion of bCom ldan 'das rdo rje mi 'khrugs pa'i sgrub dkyil yongs su rdzogs pa'i cho ga mngon par dga' ba'i sgo 'byed ces bya ba together with its smon lam and shis brjod; by Paṇ chen bLo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan (1570-1662). This is a kriyā (ritual) tantra practice focusing on Akṣobhya and his pure land Abhirati. (For background on this see, e.g., Jan Nattier "The Realm of Akṣobhya: A Missing Piece in the History of Pure Land Buddhism" JIABS 23 (2000): 71-102. For publication data on the Tibetan texts and background on the translation, see p. 3 of the translation. The translation employs FPMT prescribed style for transliteration of Sanskrit and some of the translation terminology.

Tibetan texts of the sādhana portion of bCom ldan 'das rdo rje mi 'khrugs pa'i sgrub dkyil yongs su rdzogs pa'i cho ga mngon par dga' ba'i sgo 'byed ces bya ba together with its smon lam and shis brjod; by Paṇ chen bLo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan (1570-1662). For publication data on these texts see p. 3 of the translation: The Complete Rite for the Sadhana and Mandala of Bhagavan Vajra Akshobhya (Mitrugpa): Opening the Door to the Pure Land of Superior Delight.

A brief study of the Kālacakra daśākāravaśin (Tib. rnam bcu dbang ldan), focusing on the contrast between its ubiquitous "sacred and profane" use and its esoteric significance. I was not able to upload the slides that accompanied this talk, but many of the images I referenced [and more!] are readily available on the web. I may return to this to correct it and flesh it out some day...

A review of K.T.S. Sarao, The Decline of Buddhism in India: A Fresh Perspective. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publ., 2012.

I argue that Buddhism never "disappeared" from India if—as we must—we include the Buddhist Newars and the Sinhalese within 'India' as a nebulous imagined zone of cultural history. In explaining the decline and disappearance of Buddhism in its original heartland, economic and political factors are likely to have played a greater role than ideology.

A critical analysis of the "Introduction" to Douglas Ober's book _Dust on the Throne_ (Stanford, 2023). This is an important book, and I find most of Ober's treatment of the 19th-20th century "revival" of Buddhism in India solid and convincing. However, I assert that Ober's thesis that Buddhism never really "disappeared" from India is not well formulated, and that the evidence (and lack of evidence) instead suggests that Indian Buddhism effectively 'ceased to exist' for an extended period of time, prior to its 'revival' in the 19th century.

A working version of a study of the philosophical view found in the Indian texts of the Kālacakra tantra. Texts studied include: Sekoddeśa, Svadarśanamatoddeśa, Śrī Kālacakra, Vimalaprabhā, Nāropāda’s Sekoddeśaṭīkā, Sādhuputra Śrīdharānanda’s Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī. The Kālacakra presents a version of Madhyamaka in which phenomenal reality and ultimate reality are inseparable dimensions of reality as such. Phenomenal reality is deceptive because it is illusory, and misapprehension of phenomenal reality creates samsara. Yet understanding phenomenal reality as it actually is – as similar to a magical illusion – is the means by which a person liberates themself from samsara. I argue that this view agrees with the Madhyamaka view that is fundamental to the Ārya tradition’s interpretation of the Guhyasamāja tantra. The present study consists of three parts: 1) an overview of Madhyamaka in the Kālacakra; 2) two appendices providing annotated editions and translations of Sanskrit Kālacakra texts; 3) an appendix providing critical notes on two Tibetan interpretations of the Kālacakra’s Madhyamaka view. An overview of this paper is to be presented on the panel “Indo-Tibetan Views of Emptiness” at The International Conference “Madhyamaka in South Asia and Beyond,” Vienna, Austria – 20 August 2024. This is a work in progress, so I would very much welcome comments and criticism from scholars having expertise in this area.

Notes on a Sanskrit term corresponding to Tibetan 'phags lugs, used to designate the "tradition" or "school" following the Guhyasamāja master Ārya Nāgārjuna. I believe the information presented here establishes the Indic origin of the concept underlying the Tibetan term 'phags lugs.

A transcript of the Tibetan text of Matho vol. 175 Scan nos. 3-4 and a discussion of aspects of this manuscript's contents. I identify the text as a portion of an account of the life of Maitrīpā. This Matho fragment is among the earliest witnesses for Tibetan knowledge of the life of the 11th century Indian master Maitrīpā.

An explanation of the location of the Kālacakra tantra Sambhala, drawing upon the Śrī Kālacakra, the Vimalaprabhā, and the notes of the Bengali Kālacakra master Vibhūticandra (active last quarter 12th cent. CE -- first quarter 13th cent. CE) on Śrī Kālacakra 1.150-151.

(1) A survey and critique of some earlier etic attempts to locate the Kālacakra Sambhala (Tib. Shambhala). (2) Location of Sambhala based upon the Sanskrit text of the Vimalaprabhā. (3) An expanded version of my interpretation of the role of Sambhala in Kālacakra eschatology. Update 24 Dec 2023: This draft (6.0) replaces an earlier draft (5.4) I had placed on academia.edu in 2022. This study is forthcoming in a festschrift scheduled for publication in 2024[?]; publication details are given here on the first page. Scholars interested in this topic are directed to my subsequent study "Vibhūticandra on the Location of Sambhala in Kālacakra Geography" (Newman 2023; Version 1.0 available on my academia.edu page); that paper provides much more primary source evidence in support of some of the ideas presented here, and a lot of new information I could not include in "Locating..." due to limitations of length.

Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit / Tibetan Translation / English Translation of the "Seven Part Worship" section of the Bhadracarīpraṇidhānam (vv. 1-12).

Note: I made this as an exercise for myself. The BHS and Tibetan texts are simply intended to be readable versions, not proper editions.