| Religious discourse, like other forms of discourse, is never fully separated from its social, political, as historical contexts. It may be that each of these forms of discourse is mutually constitutive of the others and represents an intersection of, or dialogue between, different, and often competing, discourses and vocabularies. Religious rhetoric is ubiquitous throughout almost all other forms of cultural discourse, and it should be clear to even the casual observer that religious ideas and beliefs are often used in pursuit of other, not necessarily related, personal, social and political agendas.; The Treasury of Abiding Reality (gNas Lugs mdzod ) represents the intersection of several religious, philosophical, historical, biographical, political, and even legal discourses. It also may well represent the culmination of its author Longchenpa's mature thought, as it was likely his last major work. The Treasury of Abiding Reality is thus informed by a lifetime of experience, conflict, and reflection. The present thesis argues that in it, these various currents crystallize for a moment before moving on.; Using rhetoric as its principal interpretive rubric, the thesis addresses various questions not often raised in a strictly philosophical textual interpretation. In addition to being a presentation of a philosophical position, the distinctive "rhetoric of naturalness" articulated by Longchenpa and other followers of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism is a response to contemporaneous social, political and cultural trends. Moreover, elements found in The Treasury of Abiding Reality derive from specific details of Longchenpa's biography. Using historical and literary critical methods, the thesis interprets the bold, often paradoxical, language used in The Treasury of Abiding Reality as an instantiation of the broader social, political and religious conflicts in Tibet at that time. |
