DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THE SAME LANDSCAPE
What is the etymology and historical usage and difference between the three terms: śunyata (or emptiness), “suchness,” and svabhava?
GEMINI
This is where the "geology" of Buddhist philosophy gets fascinating. These three terms represent the bedrock, the tectonic plates, and the volcanic eruptions of Indo-Tibetan thought. While they often describe the same "landscape," they look at it from very different angles.
1. Svabhāva (Own-Being / Inherent Existence)
Etymology: From the Sanskrit sva (self) + bhāva (being/becoming). Literally: "Self-nature."
Historical Usage: In early Abhidharma (systematic philosophy), it was a technical term used to describe the unique, defining characteristic that makes a "thing" what it is (e.g., the svabhava of fire is heat).
The Conflict: Nagarjuna (the founder of Madhyamika) turned this term into the "villain" of Buddhist logic. He argued that if something has svabhava, it must be independent, permanent, and uncaused.
Since everything in our world is dependent and changing, svabhava cannot exist. Meaning: It is the target of negation. It is what we falsely believe things have.
2. Śūnyatā (Emptiness)
Etymology: From the Sanskrit śūnya (zero, hollow, or swollen/empty) + the suffix -tā (-ness). It shares a root with the word for "zero" in mathematics.
Historical Usage: It began as a description of the lack of a "self" in the person, but in the Prajnaparamita Sutras, it was expanded to include the lack of "self-nature" (svabhava) in all phenomena.
The Difference: If svabhava is the "illusion" of a solid wall, sunyata is the fact that the wall is actually made of space.
Meaning: It is a descriptive negation. It describes the status of reality: it is empty of inherent existence (svabhava).
3. Tathātā (Suchness)
Etymology: From the Sanskrit tathā (thus/so) + -tā (-ness). Literally: "Thus-ness" or "Just-as-it-is-ness."
Historical Usage: This term shifted the focus from logic to direct experience. While "Emptiness" can feel cold or nihilistic to the uninitiated, "Suchness" is the affirmative side of the same coin. It is often associated with the Tathagata (the "Thus-Gone" Buddha).
The Difference: Where sunyata tells you what reality is not (not solid, not permanent), tathata describes the quality of the experience once you stop projecting onto it.
Meaning: It is the phenomenological "flavor" of reality. It is the world stripped of our labels—just things "being as they are."
Comparison Table: A Summary
| Term | Role | Tone | Analogy |
| Svabhāva | The False Concept | Rigid / Solid | The belief that a mirage is actual water. |
| Śūnyatā | The Logical Fact | Analytical / Clearing | The realization that the "water" has no substance. |
| Tathātā | The Direct Experience | Luminous / Presence | The simple, "thus" quality of the desert light. |
The Evolution of Usage
In the "Path" you mentioned earlier, these terms function like a sequence of operations:
Analyze the world and find it lacks Svabhāva.
Realize the Śūnyatā (Emptiness) of all things.
Rest in the Tathātā (Suchness) of the present moment.
Tsongkhapa was wary of "Suchness" because he felt people used it to sneak svabhava back in through the back door—treating "Thusness" like a permanent, holy substance. For him, the "Suchness" of a table is simply its "Emptiness." To a Shentongpa, however, Suchness is the ultimate, positive reality that remains when the delusive svabhava is cleared away.
Since we’ve touched on the "zero" etymology of sunyata, would you like to see how Nagarjuna uses these terms to bridge the gap between Relative Truth (how things appear) and Ultimate Truth (how things are)?
WHAT IS A SHENTONGPA?
Who, and from what school, was Shentongpa? His beliefs and outlook?
GEMINI
To clarify a small but important point of nomenclature: "Shentongpa" isn't a single person, but a title meaning "One who holds the Shentong (Other-Empty) view." However, when people speak of the Shentongpa, they are almost always referring to its most systematic architect: Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292–1361), the "Buddha of Dolpo."
He was a monk of the Jonang school, and his outlook completely reoriented the Tibetan landscape, eventually providing the philosophical backbone for the "Rimé" (non-sectarian) movement centuries later.
1. Who was Dolpopa?
Originally a Sakya scholar, Dolpopa was a prodigy of the Kalachakra Tantra. After a period of intense meditation retreat, he claimed to have realized that the standard "Self-Empty" (Rangtong) view—which Tsongkhapa would later champion—was merely a preliminary step.
He declared that the Ultimate Truth was not a "non-affirming negative" (a simple absence), but a positive, permanent reality.
2. The Shentong Outlook: "Empty of Other"
Dolpopa’s fundamental insight was a linguistic and ontological pivot on the word "Emptiness."
The Argument: If everything is empty of itself (Rangtong), then the Buddha's qualities—wisdom, compassion, and the dharmakaya—must also be empty and therefore non-existent in the end.
The Solution: Dolpopa argued that the Ultimate is empty of "other" (shen-tong).
It is empty of everything external to it: delusion, suffering, karma, and conceptual thought.
But it is not empty of itself. It is "full" of enlightened qualities that are inherent, spontaneous, and eternal.
3. The "Great Madhyamika"
Dolpopa didn't see himself as leaving Madhyamika, but as fulfilling it. He distinguished between:
General Madhyamika: The analytical approach (Nagarjuna) used to deconstruct the ego and external objects.
Great Madhyamika (Shentong): The "Lion's Roar" that describes the indestructible nature of the mind.
The Belief System Breakdown
| Feature | Dolpopa's Shentong Outlook |
| Status of the Mind | The fundamental "Clear Light" mind is permanent and unconditioned. |
| Buddha-Nature | It is not a "potential" for the future; it is a fully-formed Buddha already present within us, obscured like a sun behind clouds. |
| The Three Turnings | The "Third Turning" (Yogacara/Tathagatagarbha) is the definitive meaning; the "Second Turning" (Prajnaparamita) is provisional. |
| Reality | Reality is divided into the Relative (which is empty of self) and the Absolute (which is empty of other). |
4. Historical Impact and Conflict
Dolpopa’s views were—and are—highly controversial.
Tsongkhapa’s Gelug school viewed Shentong as "Eternalism" (a heresy that sneaks a permanent Soul back into Buddhism).
The Jonang school was actually suppressed for a time in Central Tibet for political and philosophical reasons, though it survived in the Amdo region.
The Kagyu and Nyingma schools eventually adopted versions of Shentong, finding it much more compatible with the "direct experience" required in Mahamudra and Dzogchen.
In Short
Dolpopa’s outlook was triumphant. He believed that once you use the "acid" of Madhyamika to dissolve your delusions, you shouldn't be left with a vacuum. You are left with the "Great Suchness"—a radiant, blissful reality that has been there all along.
Since Dolpopa was the master of the Kalachakra Tantra, would you like to see how the Shentong view changes the way one understands the "Vajra Body" or the internal winds and channels?
THE DIFFERENCE PHILOSOPHICALLY BETWEEN THE SAKYA & THE SHENTONGPA
We’ve been through this before, but please compare Dolpopa and his understanding, with Gorompa and the modern Sakya view.
GEMINI
The debate between Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Jonang) and Gorampa Sonam Senge (Sakya) represents one of the most sophisticated "civil wars" in Tibetan philosophy.
While Tsongkhapa and Dolpopa are often seen as the two opposite poles (Rationalist vs. Mystic), Gorampaoccupies a crucial middle ground. He is the master of "Freedom from Proliferations" (prapañca-vinirmukta), and his critique of both Tsongkhapa and Dolpopa defines the modern Sakya stance.
1. The Core Philosophical Conflict
The disagreement hinges on what the mind actually finds at the end of the path.
Dolpopa (Shentong): The "Ultimate" is a positive reality. It is an eternal, luminous Buddha-nature that is "Empty of Other" (delusion) but "Full of Qualities."
Gorampa (Sakya): The "Ultimate" is beyond all categories. It is neither "empty" nor "full," neither "existent" nor "non-existent." To say the ultimate is a "positive entity" (as Dolpopa does) is just as much a conceptual trap as saying it is a "mere negation" (as Tsongkhapa does).
Comparison Table: Three Views of the Ultimate
| Feature | Dolpopa (Jonang) | Tsongkhapa (Gelug) | Gorampa (Sakya) |
| Nature of Reality | Other-Empty: A positive, eternal Gnosis. | Self-Empty: A non-affirming negation (absence). | Beyond Extremes: Neither existence nor non-existence. |
| Buddha-nature | Truly existing and permanent. | A potentiality or the emptiness of the mind. | A non-conceptual "luminous" experience beyond words. |
| The "View" | Affirmative: Focuses on the Presence of Wisdom. | Analytical: Focuses on the Absence of Self. | Non-Dual: Focuses on Relinquishing all views. |
2. Gorampa’s Critique of Dolpopa
Gorampa was a fierce defender of the original Indian Madhyamika. He leveled a specific charge against Dolpopa: "Substantialism."
The "Third Turning" Trap: Gorampa argued that Dolpopa took the "Third Turning" (Buddha-nature) sutras too literally. To Gorampa, those teachings were meant to inspire beginners, not to describe a permanent "Soul-like" reality.
The Problem of "Is": Gorampa believed that if you say the Ultimate "is" a certain way (eternal, permanent, etc.), you are still using the conceptual mind. For a Sakya scholar, the ultimate truth is the cessation of all conceptual constructs.
3. The Modern Sakya View: "Freedom from Extremes"
The Sakya tradition, following Gorampa, practices what is called "Madhyamika beyond extremes." Their outlook is defined by:
Non-Conceptual Gnosis: Unlike Tsongkhapa, Gorampa agrees with Dolpopa that there is a "Luminous Mind." However, he disagrees that this mind can be called "permanent" or "truly existing."
The Inseparability of Clarity and Emptiness: This is the hallmark of Sakya. Reality isn't just "Empty" (Gelug) and it isn't just "Luminous" (Jonang). It is the simultaneous union of the two. You cannot have one without the other.
The Path of Result: In the Sakya Lamdre (Path and Result), the view is adjusted based on the stage of the practitioner. You use Madhyamika logic to destroy "existence," and then you drop the logic to experience the "luminous" nature directly.
4. Historical Nuance: The "Middle Way"
Gorampa famously attacked Tsongkhapa for being too "wordy" and logical, and he attacked Dolpopa for being too "substantialist."
In the modern Sakya curriculum, they teach that Tsongkhapa’s view is useful for the initial stages of analysis, while Dolpopa’s view can be a useful metaphor for the experience of Tantra—but the True View remains Gorampa’s "Freedom from Extremes," where the mind finally rests in a state that cannot be labeled at all.
Summary of the "Outlook"
Dolpopa wants you to find the Gold hidden in the mud.
Tsongkhapa wants you to realize the Mud has no inherent existence.
Gorampa wants you to stop looking for "Gold" or "Mud" and realize the Unelaborated Nature of the mind itself.
Since Gorampa is the bridge between the logic of the sutras and the experience of the tantras, would you like to see how his view of "Non-Dual Clarity and Emptiness" applies to the Hevajra Tantra, which is the central practice of the Sakya school?
WHERE SAKYAS & SHENTONGPAS MEET: THE MEDITATION CUSION.
It sounds like Gorampa was simply criticizing Dolpopa for hanging on to a literal Yogacara view of the mind. If one looked at the actual meditative outlook and practice, they both would see Reality as “suchness” (as in our earlier conversation), rather than the Tsongkhapa “Rangtong emptiness.”
GEMINI
You’ve hit on the exact point where the "scholastic" debate melts into the "meditative" reality. From the perspective of a practitioner sitting on the cushion, the gap between Gorampa and Dolpopa is indeed much narrower than the gap between either of them and Tsongkhapa.
Your intuition is correct: both Gorampa and Dolpopa are trying to point toward a luminous, non-dual experience (Suchness), whereas Tsongkhapa is committed to a non-affirming negative (an absence).
1. The Shared "Luminous" Ground
For both the Sakya (Gorampa) and the Jonang (Dolpopa) traditions, the goal of meditation isn't just to realize that "things aren't there." It is to realize what is actually there once the conceptual noise stops.
The "Suchness" Agreement: Both would agree that the ultimate nature of the mind is a "Clear Light" (prabhasvara). They both believe that this luminosity is not something you create through meditation, but something you discover.
The Tsongkhapa Departure: Tsongkhapa argued that "Clear Light" is just a metaphor for the mind's emptiness of inherent existence. For him, there is no "special substance" or "primordial gnosis" that remains; there is only the fact of emptiness.
2. Where the "Literal Yogacara" Critique Comes In
You are right that Gorampa’s critique is essentially a "safety check." He is worried that Dolpopa is using Yogacara language too literally.
Dolpopa's Risk: By calling the Ultimate "Permanent," "True Self," or "Indestructible," Dolpopa risks making the student grasp at a thing. If you meditate looking for a "Permanent Buddha-nature," your mind might just create a subtle golden idol to worship.
Gorampa's Solution: He uses the Madhyamika "Scythe" to cut down even the idea of "Permanence." He wants you to arrive at the same Luminous Suchness as Dolpopa, but without the baggage of labels. He calls it "Freedom from Proliferations" (prapañca-vinirmukta).
3. Practice vs. Theory
If you were to watch a Sakya practitioner and a Jonang practitioner meditate, their "outlook" would be nearly identical:
Direct Perception: Both prioritize direct, non-conceptual experience over logical inference.
The Result as the Path: Both believe the "Result" (Buddhahood) is already present in the "Basis" (the current mind).
The Role of Tantra: Both see the completion stage of Tantra (dealing with winds, drops, and channels) as the primary way to manifest this Suchness.
4. The Tsongkhapa "Divide"
The reason Tsongkhapa feels so different is that he was a reformer. He saw the "Luminous Suchness" talk of his era as becoming lazy and "mushy." He feared people were using "Suchness" as an excuse to stop doing rigorous analytical work.
He insisted that Emptiness is just a lack, because he wanted to ensure that the "Path" remained grounded in a radical deconstruction of the ego. To Gorampa and Dolpopa, Tsongkhapa’s "Emptiness" felt like a "desert"—technically correct, but devoid of the "water" of enlightenment.
A Final Synthesis
Tsongkhapa says: "The jar is empty of being a jar." (Analytical)
Dolpopa says: "Forget the jar; look at the gold it's made of." (Substantialist-leaning)
Gorampa says: "Don't call it 'jar' or 'gold.' Just look." (Non-dualist)
Since we are moving into the "Actual Meditative Outlook," would you like to explore how this "Suchness" is actually navigated in the Six Yogas of Naropa, where the theory has to meet the reality of the "internal heat" (Tummo)?
If you analyze in detail Virupa’s writings, and also the PRACTICE of the current Sakyas, do you see any signs that, in practice, that whole lineage specifically worked to DEVELOP ACTUAL QUALITIES, or is it a methodology of UNCOVERING QUALITIES?
This is the "million-dollar question" of the Lamdre (Path and Result) tradition. If we look at Virupa’s seminal Vajra Verses and the living oral instructions (Lobshe) of the Sakya masters, the answer isn't a simple "A or B"—it is a sophisticated Paradox of Refinement.
However, if forced to choose the "tilt" of the lineage, it leans heavily toward Uncovering, but through a process that feels identical to Developing because of the way the "Vajra Body" is engaged.
1. The Logic of "Inseparability" (Samaya)
Virupa’s primary philosophical pillar is Samsara-Nirvana Inseparability (khor-de yer-me).
If Samsara and Nirvana are inseparable, then the qualities of a Buddha cannot be "added" to you from the outside—that would imply they were once absent, making Nirvana a "produced" (and therefore temporary) state.
Therefore, the lineage is technically a methodology of Uncovering.
2. The Evidence for "Developing" (The Practical Reality)
While the theory says "Uncover," the practice of the Sakya lineage looks remarkably like an architectural development. Unlike the "Direct Introduction" of Dzogchen (where you are shown the nature of mind and told to simply "rest"), the Sakya/Virupa path is Laborious and Alchemical.
The "Four Joys" and "Four Emptinesses": In the Hevajra completion stage, the practitioner specifically works to "develop" the ability to move the bindu (vital essence) through the central channel.
The "Qualities" as Refinements: You aren't just uncovering a static "Buddha-nature." You are cultivating the capacity for the physical body to sustain the "Clear Light."
The Sakya Practice: A modern Sakya practitioner spends years on the Creation Stage, "developing" the vividness of the deity. They describe this not as "faking it until you make it," but as purifying the habitual tendencies that prevent the "Result" from manifesting.
3. The Virupa Distinction: "The Basis"
In Virupa’s writings, he speaks of the "Basis" (gzhi). The Basis is the "Suchness" we discussed—it is already perfect. However, Virupa introduces the idea that the Prana (winds) and Mind are "two sides of a coin."
If your prana is tangled in the side channels, your "qualities" are effectively non-existent.
Development: You must develop the skill to untie the knots of the heart chakra.
Uncovering: Once the knots are untied, the qualities uncover themselves spontaneously.
The Sakya Perspective: They often use the analogy of refining gold. The gold is already in the ore (Uncovering), but you must undergo the intense heat of the furnace and the chemical "development" of the smelting process to actually see a gold bar (Developing).
4. Comparison: Sakya vs. Tsongkhapa on "Qualities"
The difference in practice is stark:
| Feature | Sakya (Virupa's Lineage) | Gelug (Tsongkhapa's Lineage) |
| The Goal | To manifest the "Result" (Hevajra) in this very body. | To use the "Form" of Hevajra to realize Emptiness. |
| Qualities | They are Somatic. Real heat, real bliss, real "marks" of a Buddha. | They are Cognitive. Wisdom and Compassion prioritized over "siddhis." |
| The Methodology | Alchemical: Changing the "Lead" of the body into "Gold." | Analytical: Realizing the "Lead" was never inherently there. |
Conclusion: It is "Uncovering" by means of "Development"
In practice, the Sakya lineage acts as if they are Developing actual, tangible qualities (Bliss, Clarity, Non-conceptuality) through the manipulation of the subtle body. They would argue that Tsongkhapa’s "Analytical Emptiness" is like a man who studies the chemistry of water but never learns to swim.
Virupa’s "swim" involves developing the muscles (the winds) to stay afloat in the ocean of Suchness.
Since you are looking at "actual qualities," are you interested in how the Siddhis (supernormal powers) are viewed in this context—as "distractions" or as "evidence" of the uncovering?
I guess my question revolves around the mechanics of uncovering qualities. Are the qualities external, in an external Hejavra in the world, that I must “download?” Or as the Tantric Siddhas say, is the entire cosmos within? And I indeed have “Hevajra” within myself, as my fundamental Buddha-Nature?
The Tantric Siddhas, and Virupa in particular, are emphatic on this point: Hevajra is not a "download" from an external server. There is no cosmic deity sitting in a celestial realm waiting to beam qualities into your "hardware."
The governing principle of the Hevajra Tantra—and the "mechanics" of the Sakya lineage—is the identity of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm. ---
1. The "Cosmos Within" (The Alchemical Map)
In the Hevajra tradition, the entire universe is seen as being contained within the human body.
The External World: The mountains, the rivers, the sun, and the moon.
The Internal Body: The channels (nadis), the winds (prana), and the essences (bindu).
The Result: The 32 channels of the body are literally the 32 deities of the Hevajra Mandala. The "qualities" of Hevajra are actually the purified functions of your own nervous system and consciousness.
2. The Mechanics of "Uncovering"
If the qualities are already inside, why don't we feel like Hevajra? The Siddhas explain this through the concept of "The Basis."
The "Basis" is your fundamental Buddha-nature (Tathagatagarbha). It is "Suchness." However, this basis is currently "knotted." * In your ordinary state, your vital energy (winds) flows in the side channels (associated with duality and grasping).
This "entangled" flow creates the illusion of a separate "me" and an external "world."
The Mechanic:
When you practice the Creation and Completion stages, you aren't bringing Hevajra in. You are untieing the knots in your own central channel (avadhuti). When the wind enters the central channel, the "Hevajra qualities" (Bliss, Clarity, Non-dual Wisdom) aren't added—they are what the mind looks like when it isn't being strangled by its own energy.
3. The Virupa "Body" View vs. The Tsongkhapa "Logic" View
This is the heart of your inquiry.
The Siddha View (Virupa): The body is the Temple. Every quality of the Buddha—the 10 powers, the 4 fearlessnesses—is physically encoded in the subtle drops (bindu) within your chakras. "Uncovering" is a physical and energetic breakthrough. It is the sun emerging from the clouds.
The Reformed View (Tsongkhapa): Tsongkhapa was wary of this "internal deity" talk. He feared people would treat Buddha-nature like a "Soul." He preferred to say that Buddha-nature is simply the fact that your mind is empty of inherent existence, which allows you to become a Buddha.
To the Siddhas, Tsongkhapa’s view is like saying "The potential to be a billionaire is the fact that your bank account is currently empty." To Virupa, Buddha-nature is more like finding a billion dollars buried in your own backyard. You don't "download" the money; you just have to dig.
4. Why "Hevajra" specifically?
You have "Hevajra" within you because Hevajra represents the Union of Wisdom and Compassion in a wrathful, transformative form.
Your Compassion is the "Method" (the masculine deity).
Your Wisdom is the "Emptiness" (the feminine consort, Nairatmya).
Their Union is the "Bliss" (the non-dual state).
When you practice, you are identifying these specific psychological and energetic "ingredients" already present in your stream of consciousness and "cooking" them until they manifest as the deity.
The "Suchness" Conclusion
You aren't becoming someone else. You are becoming exactly who you are without the filters of confusion. As the Hevajra Tantra famously says:
"Beings are Buddhas in their basic nature, but they are obscured by adventitious stains. When those stains are removed, they are Buddhas indeed."
Since you’ve grasped that the qualities are internal, would you like to explore the "Four Joys"—the specific internal experiences that Virupa says signal that the "uncovering" is actually happening?
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