Abstract:

In the period of further development of Mahāyāna Buddhism (in particular in its Esoteric form), specifically between the eighth and tenth century, connections were established between some Buddhist masters who lived in the Konkan region and those who were active under the Pāla empire in Northeastern India; these interrelations contributed to the thriving of a specific tradition of Tantric Buddhism, namely the Jñānapāda school of exegesis of the Guhyasamāja. This tradition, whose main exponent is indeed a master named Jñānapāda or Buddhaśrījñāna, represents one of the most influential developments within the mature phase of Esoteric Buddhism and has remained virtually unstudied, with a few exceptions. The importance of this school is also connected to its legacy that was significant for later developments of Esoteric as well as non-Esoteric Buddhism in India, such as in the case of Jitāri (10th cent.), a key exponent of a later phase of the logico-epistemological school. 
The eighth-to-tenth centuries represent a very important period for further elaborating the two traditions within Mahāyāna. The non-Esoteric Mahāyāna finds its fullest expression in the mainstream inspired by the systematization by Śāntarakṣita (ca. 725–788) and Kamalaśīla (ca. 740–795). They drew on works and views of the logico-epistemological tradition, elaborated on them in a specific way, and integrated them with an ultimate Madhyamaka standpoint. This could be called the Madhyamaka-Dharmakīrtian-Vijñānavāda synthesis. According to Tibetan tradition, they both were active at the monastic university of Nālandā, an institution that flourished thanks to the support of the Pāla emperors and was visited by Jñānapāda. They are also traditionally associated with the diffusion of Buddhism from India to Tibet at the end of the 8th century.
This lecture will show the ways in which Jñānapāda and one of his commentator, Samantabhadra, appropriate Śāntarakṣita's and Kamalaśīla’s doctrinal legacy by drawing on their works and views, share their doctrinal system in its entirety, especially the so-called “Yogācāra-Madhyamaka synthesis”, and combine it with tantric pursuits.