Sakya Chokden

Serdok Penchen Shakya Chokden (1428–1507) was a prominent religious thinker within the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a student of renowned scholars like Rongtön Shecha Kunrig. Shakya Chokden is particularly noted for his departure from strict Sakya orthodoxy, evidenced by his critical commentary on Sakya Pandita's "A thorough differentiation of the three vows." This work, which posed over 100 questions to Sakya scholars, led to controversy, and Chokden subsequently answered his own questions in his "Golden lancet." His philosophical contributions include a critique of Tsongkhapa's Madhyamaka views, which he found too focused on language and conceptualization. In his later years, Shakya Chokden adopted a Shentong (emptiness of other) perspective, influenced by the works of Asanga, Vasubandhu, and Maitreya-nātha. He sought to reconcile the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools, viewing them as complementary paths to understanding Ultimate Truth. He argued that the Yogacara "Alikakaravada" view was compatible with Madhyamaka's Nihsvabhavavada (emptiness of inherent existence), seeing Madhyamaka as correcting the error of mistaking the unreal for the real, and Yogacara as correcting the denial of reality. He also viewed Shentong and Rangtong as complementary, with Rangtong negating clinging to wrong views and Shentong enhancing meditative experience. Shakya Chokden's controversial assertion that Ultimate Reality or Primordial Mind is an impermanent phenomenon, supported by Yogacara, Sutra, and Tantra, further alienated him from the Sakya school. Due to these views and their conflict with Sakya Pandita's teachings, his writings were proscribed by the dominant Gelug school in the 17th century, and the printery holding his works was shut down.