Chandragomin (Skt. Candragomin) was an Indian Buddhist lay scholar and poet from the
Varendra
Varendra ( bn, বরেন্দ্র), also known as Barind ( bn, বারিন্দ, link=no), was a region of North Bengal, now mostly in Bangladesh and a little portion in the Indian state of West Bengal.
It formed part of the Pundrav ...
region of Eastern
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...
. The Tibetan tradition believes challenged
Chandrakirti
Chandrakirti (; ; , meaning "glory of the moon" in Sanskrit) or "Chandra" was a Buddhist scholar of the madhyamaka school and a noted commentator on the works of Nagarjuna () and those of his main disciple, Aryadeva. He wrote two influential w ...
. According to the Nepalese tradition, Chandragomin's student was Ratnakīrti. Chandragomin was a teacher at
Nalanda
Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India. It is unclear when Chandragomin lived, with estimates ranging between 5th to 6th-century CE, but his position at Nalanda signifies he lived during the 5th century.
In the Buddhist records, Chandragomin is described as the one who debated Candrakīrti ( Devanagari: चन्द्रकीर्ति, Tib. ''Dawa Drakpa'') the
Arya
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ...
Khenpo
The term khenpo (Tib. མཁན་པོ། mkhen po), or khenmo (in the feminine) is a degree for higher Buddhist studies given in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, the title is awarded usually after a period of 1 ...
at
Nalanda
Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Mahāvihāra Monastery. Their debate was said to have continued for many years. Chandragomin held the
Chittamatra
Yogachara ( sa, योगाचार, IAST: '; literally "yoga practice"; "one whose practice is yoga") is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through ...
(consciousness-only or Yogachara) view, and Chandrakirti gave his interpretation of
Nāgārjuna
Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
's view, eventually creating a new school of
Madhyamaka
Mādhyamaka ("middle way" or "centrism"; ; Tibetan: དབུ་མ་པ ; ''dbu ma pa''), otherwise known as Śūnyavāda ("the emptiness doctrine") and Niḥsvabhāvavāda ("the no ''svabhāva'' doctrine"), refers to a tradition of Buddhis ...
known as Prasangika. This Nalanda tradition school is known as or rendered in English as the "Consequentialist" or "Dialecticist" school.
According to Thrangu Rinpoche, Chandragomin was slow in the debate but always had the right answers because each time a question was posed by Chandrakirti, Chandragomin would insist on giving the answer the next day after praying to Avalokiteshvara who would tell him the right answer.
The description of Nalanda Monastery's seven-year debate between Candrakīrti and Candragomin should be Tāranātha's biggest academic mistake in his life. It is believed that with his erudition, he should have read the Commentary on "Mañjuśrī-Nāma-Saṃgīti" of Candragomin for sure. In the 135th verse of the commentary, it is an analysis of the Mādhyamaka and Yogācāra of the Mahāyāna schools. It should not be difficult for Tāranātha to conclude that Candragomin is a Mādhyamika according to Candragomin's commentary on the 135th verse of "Mañjuśrī-Nāma-Saṃgīti". The seven-year debate between Candragomin and Candrakīrti is not a debate between Mādhyamaka and Yogācāra school, but a debate on the nuanced differences of view of the Mādhyamaka school.
Major works
* Chadragomin's writings include ''Shisyalekha'' or 'Letter to a Disciple' (published by Dharma Publishing as 'Invitation to Enlightenment' )
* 'Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow'.
* Translated from the original
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) is a modern linguistic category applied to the language used in a class of Indian Buddhist texts, such as the Perfection of Wisdom sutras. BHS is classified as a Middle Indo-Aryan language. It is sometimes called "Bu ...
into Tibetan is Chandragomin's '
Shurangama Mantra
The Shurangama or Śūraṅgama mantra is a dhāraṇī or long mantra of Buddhist practice in East Asia. Although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, there are several Śūraṅgama Mantra texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It has strong ass ...
Tibetan canon
The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to sutrayana texts from Early Buddhist schools (mostly Sarvastivada) and Mahayana sources, the Tibetan canon incl ...
Tengyur
The Tengyur or Tanjur or Bstan-’gyur (Tibetan: "Translation of Teachings") is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or "Translated Treatises".
The Buddhist Canon
To the Tengyur were assigned commentaries to b ...
Karchag Phangthangma The Karchag Phangthangma (dkar-chag 'Phang-thang-ma) is one of three historically attested Tibetan imperial catalogues listing translations mainly of Sanskrit Buddhist texts translated to Tibetan. The title, in Tibetan ''dkar-chag 'phang-thang-ma' ...
Toh 3096, Toh 593/2/1). It is titled Sarvatathāgataoṣṇīṣaśitātapatrā-nāmāparājitā-mahāpratyangirā-mahāvidyārājñī-nāma-dhāraṇī; Tibetan name is phags paDe bshin gshegs pa'i gtsug tor nas byung ba'i gdugs dkar po can gshan gyi mi thub pa phir bzlog pa chen mo mchog tu grub pa shes bya ba'i gzungs.
Quote
Praise in Confession (http://www.bodhicitta.net/Chandragomin%27s%20Praises.htm)
See also
*
Chandrakirti
Chandrakirti (; ; , meaning "glory of the moon" in Sanskrit) or "Chandra" was a Buddhist scholar of the madhyamaka school and a noted commentator on the works of Nagarjuna () and those of his main disciple, Aryadeva. He wrote two influential w ...
*
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
*
Shurangama Mantra
The Shurangama or Śūraṅgama mantra is a dhāraṇī or long mantra of Buddhist practice in East Asia. Although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, there are several Śūraṅgama Mantra texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It has strong ass ...
References
Further reading
*Geshe Sonam Rinchen, The
Bodhisattva Vow
The Bodhisattva vow is a vow (Sanskrit: ''praṇidhāna,'' lit. aspiration or resolution) taken by some Mahāyāna Buddhists to achieve full buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. One who has taken the vow is nominally known as a bodhi ...
, translated and edited by Ruth Sonam, Snow Lion, 2000
*Candragomin, Difficult Beginnings: Three Works on the
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...