Philosopher
Kamalaśīla
c. 740 – c. 795 CE
Also known as Kamalasila
Student of Śāntarakṣita who helped bring Indian Buddhist scholasticism to Tibet, and is remembered for defending gradual awakening against a Chan master.
Kamalaśīla was Śāntarakṣita’s student and disciple, and went with his teacher to Tibet, where both played leading parts in the beginnings of Tibetan Buddhist thought. With Śāntarakṣita he first brought the scholastic traditions of Indian Buddhist philosophy to Tibet, in their Svātantrika form.
Key ideas
- The gradual path
- Tibetan tradition holds that at Samye monastery Kamalaśīla defended the gradual path to awakening against a Chinese Chan advocate of sudden enlightenment, and that his victory made the gradualist view the norm in Tibet.
- Stages of cultivation
- Whether or not the debate happened, his three Stages of Cultivation, written in Tibet, reflect the gradualist position.
- Commentary on Śāntarakṣita
- His commentary illuminates Śāntarakṣita’s Compendium of Reality, a major work that survives in Sanskrit.
- Tradition
- Indian
- Region
- India and Tibet
- Schools
- Madhyamaka
Influences
Where these links come from
- Kamalaśīla studied with Śāntarakṣita. Source: Dan Arnold, Madhyamaka Buddhist Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Key works
- Stages of Cultivation (Bhāvanākrama)
- Commentary on the Compendium of Reality (Tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā)
Sources
- Dan Arnold, Madhyamaka Buddhist Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy