Academic studies of nonduality tend to focus on the phenomenology of what is called “nondual experience” or “nondual awareness” that is universal to a wide range of diverse spiritual traditions...Show moreAcademic studies of nonduality tend to focus on the phenomenology of what is called “nondual experience” or “nondual awareness” that is universal to a wide range of diverse spiritual traditions such as Mahāyāna Buddhism, Advaita Vedānta, Daoism, as well as Christianity and Sufism among others. A popular way of approaching nonduality from a philosophical perspective is to assume or argue that these contradictory metaphysical systems are grounded in the same or similar phenomenological experience, which is then taken as a basis for the resolution of ontological differences between these diverse systems to arrive at a conclusion proclaiming a single absolute truth or reality revealed by all of them. This work challenges such an understanding of nonduality by engaging with an influential study in the field of intercultural comparative philosophy authored by David Loy and showing how this type of interpretation leads to epistemologically dualistic consequences, which render it untenable. What follows is a presentation of an alternative way of approaching nonduality based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen. By tracing its origins in the Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thought, this work presents how two fundamental kinds of nonduality are understood in Dzogchen: the relative-ultimate nonduality, based on Madhyamaka, and the subject-object nonduality, based on Yogācāra. The conclusion this study aims to establish is that the most philosophically cogent presentation of nonduality is one where the negations of duality are understood to be nonimplicative, revealing the inseparable identity of any two poles under consideration. Nonduality as inseparability means that neither of the given two poles is reducible to the other, as a negation of duality is not seen to imply a unified or singular absolute reality.Show less
This thesis explores a hermeneutical method of Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka of using the negative Catuṣkoṭi as the key conceptual pivot. Developed by the Sakya school of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and...Show moreThis thesis explores a hermeneutical method of Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka of using the negative Catuṣkoṭi as the key conceptual pivot. Developed by the Sakya school of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and systematized by Gorampa Senge, this method, "freedom from extremes," clarifies emptiness and ultimate truth. The study investigates how the negative phenomenology of Madhyamaka is implicitly enunciated through its logic, emphasizing the collapse of intentionality, the mind, and phenomena before the mind. A middle way between transcendent and semantical interpretations is proposed, with the Prajñāpāramitāsūtras playing a crucial role. The thesis establishes a framework based on the negative Catuṣkoṭi's logic, examines its structure, and explores its final negation following Gorampa's resolute reading. The phenomenological exploration delves into the intentional dimension of the negative Catuṣkoṭi's grammar, drawing upon principles of Buddhist phenomenology.Show less
