Buddhist Paradoxology

I wish to characterize the Buddhist usage of seeming contradictory propositions and ideas as “Buddhist Paradoxology.” I do this for sheer fun. First, the eight kinds of profundities (zab mo brgyad) or eight kinds of profound teachings (zab mo’i chos rnam pa brgyad) should be explored. Such a paradoxology is very typical of the Prajñāparamitā doctrines and all those that are based on or inspired by these. A staring point would be the following:  Mi-pham, mKhas ’jug (§): ’o na bden pa gnyis su phye ba don med cing bden pa gcig tu ’gyur ro snyam na | bden pa gnyis su phye ba ni bden pa gcig pu don dam bden pa mthar thug pa chos dbyings mnyam pa nyid ’di la ’jug pa’i thabs yin pas don yod la | mthar thug pa den pa gcig pu chos thams cad gdod nas zhi zhing ma skyes la mya ngan las ’das pa mnyam pa nyid yin par rgyal ba nyid kyis gsungs zhing shing rta chen po rnams kyis bstan bcos dag las kyang de ltar bsgrubs zin to || de ltar zab mo’i mthar thug pa’i don ’di la bzod pa nam thob na de’i tshe de bzhin gshegs pa’i gsungs rabs mtha’ dag gi bstan don zab cing rgya che ba thams cad la nges pa’i shes pa the tshom gyi smag dang bral ba skye ba yin no || ’on kyang theg pa chen po la blo ma sbyangs shing tshogs bsags pa dman pa bden gnyis ’gal bar ’dzin pa’i blo can rnams skrag pa’i gnas su ’gyur mod kyi | zab mo brgyad ldan rtogs pa’i shes rab kyi spyan dang ldan pa rnams gnas ’di la shin tu yid ches par ’gyur te | zab mo brgyad gang zhe na | skye ba dang skye med lta bu bden pa gnyis po de dag byis pa’i blo la ’gal ba ltar snang yang | zab mo’i chos nyid gzigs pa rnams kyi ngor | don dam par skye ba brtag na dben bzhin rten ’brel bslu med kyi dbang gis tha snyad du skye ba yod pa ’gal ba med par ma zad don gcig tu ’char ba skye ba la zab pa | de bzhin du don dam par ’gag pa med kyang tha snyad du ’gag pa yod pa ’gal med don gcig tu rtogs pa ’gag pa la zab pa | slob lam du shes rab kyis de bzhin nyid shes kyang thabs mkhas pas dus min par mngon du mi byed par gsungs pa la | blo chung ba dag gis de bzhin nyid shes shing goms par bya ba yin na mngon du byed mi rung ba ci zhig yod | yod na shes shing goms par bya ba don med do snyam du khong du chud dka’ la | blo ldan rnams de bzhin nyid shes shing goms pa’i stobs kyis de ’ba’ zhig dus min par mngon du mi byed par yongs su dag pa mthar thug pa’i ngo bos mngon du byed pa ’gal med don gcig tu shes pa de bzhin nyid rtogs pa la zab pa | don dam spros bral la sbyin sogs sgrub tu med par shes bzhin tha snyad du sbyin sogs tshad med par sgrub pa yang | phal pa’i blo la sgrub tu med na sbyin sogs sgrub par yang mi ’thad la | sgrub par byed na sgrub pa med pa yang ma yin no snyam du ’gal ba’i tshul gyis de’i don mi shes kyang | zab mo’i blo dang ldan pa dag gis don dam par sgrub tu med pa’i dbang gis tha snyad du sgrub pa dang de’i ’bras bu ’grub pa bslu med du yod kyi | don dam par yod na de lta bu mi rigs pa’i tshul shes nas de gnyis don gcig tu rtogs pa shes bya la zab pa | don dam par chos gang yang dmigs su med pas mthong ba ci yang med la | ci yang ma mthong ba de nyid mthong ba’i dam pa’o zhes gsungs pa la | blo dman pa dag gis | ci yang ma mthong ba la mthong ba’i dam pa ci zhig yod | mthong ba dam pa yod na de nyid mthong ba yin gyi ci yang ma mthong ba ma yin no snyam du ’gal bar ’dzin la | zab mo’i blo ldan rnams kyis dngos dngos med kyi chos su gtogs pa’i mthong ba’am dmigs par bya ba yod na de nyid de’i mtshan mar ’dzin pa dang lta bar gyur pa yin pas mi rtog pa’i ye shes yod mi srid la | dmigs pas mthong bar bya ba ci yang med pa’i don so so rang gis rig pa la the tshom med cing chos kun gyi gnas lugs bsam gyis mi khyab pa ’di kho na yin par nyams su myong ba yod pa’i tshul khong du chud pa shes pa la zab pa | de bzhin du don dam par chos gang yang spyod du med pa la spyod pa ni spyod pa’i mchog ste gnas lugs kyi don la spyod par gsungs pa la’ang gong du bshad pa’i tshul gyis ’gal med don gcig tu rtogs pa spyod pa la zab pa | yang dag pa’i don du bsgrub bya sgrub byed gnyis med kyang tha snyad du lam sgrub pa yang gong du bshad pa’i tshul gyi ’gal med don gcig tu rtogs pa gnyis med la zab pa | kun rdzob tu tshogs gnyis rdzogs par byed la don dam par de’i ’bras bu sangs rgyas thob du med par bstan pa dang | thob med nyid thob pa’i mchog tu bstan pa la’ang | byis pa rnams kyis ’gal ’dur bzung nas | sgra ji bzhin du rtogs mi nus par rnam bzhag gzhan dang gzhan du ’chad par sems kyang | zab mo’i blo dang ldan pa rnams kyis don dam par thob tu yod pa dmigs pa can zhig yod na bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i ye shes kyi sku can sangs rgyas nyid ma yin te chos nyi tshe bas bsdus pa’i ’bras bu nyi tshe ba’o || chos nyid bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i gnas lugs ni bsgrub thob med par shes kyang | de ’dra’i chos nyid mngon du ’gyur ba la blo bur gyi dri ma dag byed tshogs gnyis tshogs dgos pa yin zhing | de yang don dam par bsgrub med dang thob med yin pa’i gnad kyis tha snyad du bsgrub cing thob pa bslu med yin pa’i tshul ’gal med don gcig tu rtogs pa ni ’bras bu mngon du byed pa’i thabs mkhas la zab pa ste | mdor na stong rten ’byung ’gal med zung ’jug don gcig tu rtogs pa’i zab mo brgyad ldan ’di ni mngon du gyur pa sa brgyad pa pa’i rtogs rigs su gsungs pa yin la | zab mo’i don dang rjes su mthun pa’i bzod pa thob pa rnams la’ang cha ’dra ba ’byung zhing | theg chen gyi dgongs don la ’jug par ’dod pa’i blo ldan rnams kyis kyang de’i rjes su mthun pa’i blo bskyed par bya dgos pa yin no ||.

Second, there are many related ideas. Some examples: ma mthong ba ni mthong ba dam pa, bgrod du med pa ni lam gyi mchog, rtsa ba med ni chos rnams kun gyi rtsa ba, ci yang med pa la cir yang ’char du rung ba, ma gzigs pa’i tshul gyis gzigs, and so forth.

Third, the idea of profundity and inconceivability in Mahāyāna Buddhism seems to be somehow related (genetically or generically) to the idea of secrecy and mystery in Mahāyāna. What makes an entity, reality, event, or mechanism amazing, wondrous, marvellous, and thus also mysterious. The Bodhicittavivaraṇa (verse no. 88; Lindtner 1997: 62) ascribed to one Nāgārjuna, in my view, expresses the marvel and mystery of the Mahāyāna paradoxology: chos rnams stong pa ’di shes nas || las dang ’bras bu bsten pa gang || de ni mtsho mtshar bas ngo mtshar || rmad du ’byung bas rmad du ’byung ||. This idea is one of the eight kinds of profundity-based Mahāyāna paradoxology.  Mi-pham in his Nges shes sgron me briefly alludes to the idea but mKhan-po Kun-dpal seems completely oblivious to it. Khro-chu ’Jam-rdor did realize it but he quotes a verse from the Pañcakrama. John Pettit (e.g. Pettit 1999: 269) does not bother to identify or even to comment on the source. It needs to be checked of the source indication is correct. I think what Mi-pham had in mind is Bodhicittavivaraṇa 88. Such a profundity-based Mahāyāna paradoxology has been, in my view, transmitted in the *Guhyagarbhatantra via what is known among the exegetes as e ma’o mtshar lnga, which actually belongs to the initiatory setting of the Tantric scripture. Also the popular idea which seems to be rooted in the gTer-ma literature, namely, the resolution of the paradoxology of the profundity and height of realization and karmic meticulousness and scruple seems to be connected with the same idea: nga lta ba nam mkha’ bas kyang mtho, las rgyu ’bras bag phye bas kyang zhib.