Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292–1361), often known simply as Dolpopa, was a pivotal Tibetan Buddhist master celebrated as "The Buddha from Dölpo." Born in Dölpo, a region now part of Nepal, he became the foremost proponent of the shentong teachings and a significant figure within the Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His philosophical contributions, particularly his nuanced interpretation of emptiness, profoundly influenced Tibetan Buddhist thought.

Biography and Teachings

Dolpopa embarked on his spiritual journey at seventeen, seeking Buddhist teachings in Mustang and Tibet. He received full monastic ordination in 1314 and made a vow to abstain from eating slaughtered meat. His intellectual development was shaped by his studies within the Sakya tradition and his interactions with prominent lamas, including Rangjung Dorje, the 3rd Karmapa Lama, who appears to have influenced some of Dolpopa's theories.

Dolpopa's most significant contribution was the systematization of the shentong teachings. He distinguished between the conventional 'emptiness of self-nature' (rangtong) and the ultimate 'emptiness of other' (shentong), which he identified with the clear, unchanging nature of mind. In this view, ultimate reality is not empty of its own uncreated truth but only of transient phenomena. He controversially employed terms like 'Self' or 'Soul' (atman) to describe this ultimate truth, drawing upon specific Mahayana sutras. Dolpopa emphasized that this ultimate truth, the Buddha-nature, is a permanent, eternal, and blissful state present within all beings, often obscured by ignorance. His teachings were deeply informed by his meditative experiences, particularly his practice of the Six-branch Yoga of the Kālacakra tantra.

Influence and Suppression

Dolpopa's teachings were highly influential, systemizing complex doctrines and offering a distinct perspective on emptiness. However, his shentong philosophy became a point of contention, particularly with the Gelug school, which viewed it as deviating from Mahayana Buddhism. This doctrinal opposition, coupled with political rivalries where the Jonang were allied with the Tsang kingdom against the Gelug, led to the severe suppression of Dolpopa's writings and the Jonang tradition itself. The Fifth Dalai Lama confiscated Jonang monasteries and converted them for Gelug use in the 17th century, resulting in the near-erasure of Dolpopa's corpus for centuries. Despite this suppression, his ideas were preserved and later advocated by figures like Taranatha, ensuring their survival and eventual re-examination.