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Non-duality as Yab Yum in Tibetan Great Perfection (rdzogs chen)

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Abstract

This article explores how a Tibetan Great Perfection (rdzogs chen) scripture uses the buddha couple (yab yum) as an interpretive structure that illuminates doctrines of non-duality, uniting pairs of concepts such as emptiness and gnosis, male and female, individual and cosmos. The focus of this research is an influential fourteenth century esoteric Buddhist scripture known as The Seminal Heart of the Ḍākinī (mkha’ ‘gro snying thig). There are multiple tropes of non-duality espoused in this scripture, yet the present research explores those discourses in their ontological, aesthetic, and transcorporeal functions while also addressing the non-dual yab yum’s role promoting female inclusion in the fourteenth century post-tantric literature. This article also includes a discussion of the female centric yab yum figures presented by the scripture, underscoring that yab yum does not have a singular meaning; in Great Perfection literature, it is deployed to illustrate multiple paradigms.

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Notes

  1. This research was made possible due to the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation.

  2. Motif is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as follows: “Motif: I1a. Art and Architecture. A (usually recurrent) feature of a composition, especially a distinctive or salient one; the structural principle or dominant idea of a work; an object or group of objects forming a distinct element of a design; any small design or symbol. Also, a particular type of subject for artistic treatment” (Oxford, 2023).

  3. Known in Tibetan language as “rnam par snang mdzad kyi chos kyi chos bdun.”

  4. Jacoby (2014), Love and Liberation, 189, 191–192 and Gyatso (1998) Apparitions, 195.

  5. Jacoby, Love and Liberation, 223.

  6. Gayley (2016), Love Letters from Golok, 215.

  7. Gyatso (1998), Apparitions, 193.

  8. Germano (1994), Architecture, 204–205.

  9. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.182: sangs rgyas thams cad kyang rang byung gi rig pa rang shar rang grol du rtogs pas sangs rgyas:sems can kyang: rang byung gi rig pa rang shar du rtogs na sangs rgyas ste: rang gi rig pa stong pa ngo bo ka nas dag pa: rang bzhin sna tshogs ‘od du gsal ba: thugs rje ma ‘gags phyogs ris med pa:

  10. Davidson (2005), Tibetan Renaissance, 84–85.

  11. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.408–414.

  12. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.124.

  13. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.475.

  14. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol. 5.44.

  15. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.17: stong gsal du ma shes pa’i bdag ‘dzin phra mo ‘dis: rang rgyud la nyon mongs pa brgyad khri bzhi stong du ‘phel zhing: srid pa’i rtsa ba byas pas khams gsum du ‘khor zhing rigs drug tu ‘khyams pa’o:

  16. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.18–19: phyi nang kun brtags ye stong grol: ….nyi zla kha sbyor las: dmigs pas snang ba’i yul rnams la: rang bzhin med par sus rtogs pa: ‘di la snang stong gnyis su med: tshogs drug ma ‘gag lhug pa ‘o:

  17. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.19: klong gsal las: sna tshogs rig pa'i rtsal yin phyir: rig pa stong pa nyid du grol: dbang dang rgyal po ji bzhin no:

  18. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.43: de nas yab yum gnyis med kyi dgongs pa dbyings rig gsal stong dbyer med du bstan pa ni: de nas yab yum gnyis med ‘khril: dgongs pa gcig tu bka’ stsal pa: ces gsungs pas gsal ba dang stong pa dbyer med lhun grub tu gnas te: skad cig tu ‘du ‘bral med par stong pa’i dus na yang rig pa ‘od dang: ‘od khyim: thig le dang lu gu rgyud sku dang ye shes de lta bu’i rang bzhin du khra chi le gsal bar gnas so: gsal ba’i dus na'ang ngo bo stong gsal dbyer med: de bzhin snang stong dbyer med: grags stong dbyer med: tshor stong dbyer med: myong stong dbyer med: rig stong dbyer med par gnas so:

  19. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.56–70.

  20. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi,Vol 6.350.

  21. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.114.

  22. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.101.

  23. ‘od-zer, (1975), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 10:354.6: klong gsal las: sems can kun rig dri ma med: phung po ‘byung b yab yum lnga:

  24. ‘od-zer (1975), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 10:355.6–356.1: “rgyud las:…tshogs brgyad sems dpa' yab yum brgyad: sgo bzhi sgo ba yab yum bzhi: …”.

  25. This translation follows Kapstein’s translation: Kapstein (1992) Samantabhadra, 57.

  26. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.15: de nas yab yum gnyis med 'khril/ dgongs pa gcig tu bka' stsal pa/ yon tan kun rdzogs mtshon byed phyir/

  27. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.46. de yang mkha’ klong rnam par dag pa’i ‘og min chos kyi dbyings kyi pho brang du: bcom ldan ‘das dpal kun tu bzang po yab yum chos kyi sku dri ma dang bral ba: ci’i ngo bor yang ma grub pa las sku zhal phyag gi rnam par bzhengs nas:

  28. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.52.

  29. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.11: chos sku ti la nyag gcig klong nas rang byung ba.

  30. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5:126.

  31. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5:349: de’i grogs su chags can yin na las kyi phyag rgya dang ‘grogs: chags bral yin na nyams myong gi phyag rgya dang ‘grogs pa’o:

  32. Khenpo Yeshi (Seminal Heart scholar) in discussion with the author, April 29, 2023.

  33. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.398: de’i dus su: gsang gnas bde skyong gi tsakra’i dbus su rtsa mdud kyi nang na ‘byung bzhi’i dngas ma las grub pa’i: DAk + ki las kyi yab yum longs spyod rdzogs pa’i sku mdzes shing yid du ‘ong ba rgyan thasam cad kyis brgyan pa gcig yab yum sbyor ba byas nas sbyor mtshams nas ‘byung bzhi’i dngas ma kha dog lnga ldan ma ‘dres shing so sor gsal ba: rgyun ma chad par byung ba las gsang ba’i rtsa mdud gang nas rtsa ‘dab thams cad khyab pas DAk + ki yab yum dpag tu med pa sbyor ba mdzad pas gong ltar byang sems kyis lus thams cad gang ste bde ba mi bzod par bsam mo:

  34. It should be noted again that this represents a narrow range of sexualities compared to other Buddhist literature; here the images are entirely heteronormative; the couple of the yab yum remains always male and female in this scripture.

  35. The female disciples of the treasure revealer of this corpus are discussed in Cape (2023).

  36. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying, Vol 5.19: ston pa kun bzang yab yum gyis zhes pas: ston pa ni chos sku ci'i ngo bor yang ma grub pa:

  37. Matteucci (2018), Aesthetic, 407.

  38. Matteucci (2018), Aesthetic, 408.

  39. Matteucci (2018), Aesthetic, 418.

  40. Bourdieu (1977), Outline, 186.

  41. ‘od-zer, (2009), snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5:43:de nas yab yum gnyis med kyi dgongs pa dbyings rig gsal stong dbyer med du bstan pa.

  42. Alaimo (2010), Bodily Natures, 2.

  43. Germano (2007), Shifting Terrain, 59.

  44. ‘od-zer (2009), snying thig ya bzhi,Vol 5.117.

  45. It should be noted that despite visualizing themselves as fierce deities, an aspect of the details of the sexual instructions is that the male adept is advised to be gentle in intercourse. ‘od-zer, snying thig ya bzhi,Vol 5.117.

  46. ‘od-zer (2009) snying thig ya bzhi, Vol 5.117: bde stong gnyis med don de la: der ‘dzin ma byed ngo la ltos: gnyis shor gnyis mnyam dus ‘di ru: lhan cig skyes pa'i ye shes ‘char:

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Acknowledgements

This research was possible due to the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation.

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This research was supported by the Tsadra Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.

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  1. Religious Studies Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Kali Nyima Cape

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Kali Cape. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Kali Cape and Kali Cape commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kali Nyima Cape.

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Cape, K.N. Non-duality as Yab Yum in Tibetan Great Perfection (rdzogs chen). DHARM 7, 41–61 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42240-024-00168-x

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