Four tenet systems

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Four tenet systems — in the Indian Mahayana Buddhist monasteries, such as Nalanda, monks studied four systems of Buddhist tenets. These systems are:

  1. Vaibhashika
  2. Sautrantika
  3. Chittamatra
  4. Madhyamika

The Tibetans have followed this custom, but have made further subdivisions within these four systems. For example, within Madhyamaka, they have differentiated Svatantrika Madhyamaka from Prasangika Madhyamaka. Within Svatantrika Madhyamaka, the Gelug school has further classified Indian authors as Yogachara Svatantrika or Sautrantika Svatantrika. The various non-Gelug schools have subdivided Madhyamaka in yet other ways.

Major Authors and Texts

Vaibhashika

Sautrantika

Chittamatra (or Yogachara)

Madhyamaka


Two Divisions of Madhyamaka


Svatantrika-Madhyamaka is studied in general in the context of far-reaching discriminating awareness (Wyl. phar-phyin, Skt. prajnaparamita, perfection of wisdom), as formulated by Maitreya.

Prasangika-Madhyamaka is studied primarily through the works of Chandrakirti (Zla-ba grags-pa), Aryadeva (‘Phags-pa lha), Shantideva (Zhi-ba lha), and Buddhapalita (Sang-rgyas bskyangs).

  • Madhyamakavatara – A supplement to Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamaka-karika
  • Prasannapada – A detailed commentary on Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamaka-karika

Other proponents of this tenet system are:

  • Patsab Nyima Drak (1055-1145) – translated Chandrakirti into Tibetan
  • Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) – wrote a commentary on the Madhyamakavatara


The Two Divisions of Svatantrika-Madhyamaka


Yogachara-Svatantrika is studied through the works of Shantarakshita and his disciples, Kamalashila and Haribhadra.

  • Sphutartha – a commentary to Maitreya’s “Ornament of Realizations”

Other proponents of this tenet system are:

Sautrantika-Svatantrika

External Links