[Buddha-l] The Reflexive Nature of Awareness

[curt]

As long as people are offering insights on books - anyone have thoughts 
on Paul Williams' "The Reflexive Nature of Awareness"? It used to be 
very pricey - but is now available as a fairly inexpensive reprint from 
an Indian publisher (Vedams books, or something like that).

For those unfamiliar with the book here's a blurb I was able to find online:

Contents: Preface. 1. Introducing svasamvedana--and its two types. 2. 
Santaraksita on the reflexive nature of consciousness. 3. 
Madhyamakalamkara 16-17 in Prajnakaramati's Bodhicaryavatarapanjika on 
BCA 9: 21. 4. The verse. 5. Mi pham on Bodhicaryavatara 9:26 (Tib. 25). 
6. The response of tre bo brag dkar sprul sku bLo bzang dpal idan bstan 
'dzin. 7. Mi pham's reply. 8. Concluding note--why all the fuss?. 
Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

"According to the Tibetan Tsong kha pa one of the eight difficult points 
in understanding Madhyamaka philosophy is the way in which Prasangika 
Madhyamaka does not accept even conventionally that reflexivity is an 
essential part of awareness--that in being aware there is also an 
awareness of being aware (rang rig). One of the most systematic and 
detailed refutations of Tsong kha pa's approach to this issue can be 
found in the commentary to the ninth chapter of the Bodhicaryavatara by 
the rNying ma lama Mi pham (1846-1912), together with Mi pham's own 
replies on his subsequent critics. In the course of this Mi pham reveals 
a vision of what is going on in Madhyamaka which is rather different 
from the more familiar Tibetan approach of Tsong kha pa.

"Paul Williams places this controversy in its Indian and Tibetan 
context. He traces in detail Mi pham's position in his commentary on the 
Bodhicaryavatara, the attack of one of his opponents, and his response, 
as well as indicating ways in which this controversy over the nature of 
awareness may be important within the context of Mi pham's rNying ma 
heritage of rDzogs chen thought and practice.

"This book is the first book length study of its subject, and also 
includes a reprint of a previous paper by Williams on the reflexive 
nature of awareness, as well as the relevant Tibetan texts from Mi pham. 
The book will be of interest to all students of Indian and Tibetan 
Madhyamaka, as well as associated areas of Buddhist thought such as 
Yogacara and the philosophy of Dharmakirti. It will also be of value to 
those concerned with the intellectual foundations of rDzogs chen." (jacket)

[Dr. Paul Williams is Reader in Indo-Tibetan Studies, and Codirector of 
the Centre for Buddhist Studies, University of Bristol.]

- Curt