On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med):

From Non-Sectarianism to the Great Perfection*

Marc-Henri Deroche
(Kyōto University)

Introduction: Impartiality and the History of Buddhism

The Terms phyogs/ris med in the History of Tibetan Buddhism

T
he Tibetan expression phyogs ris su med pa (including abbre-
viations or variations like: phyogs ris med, phyogs med, ris med,
etc.) has come to describe an important Buddhist contempla-
tive revival in 19th century Khams. In a famous article, the late E.
Gene Smith (1970, 2001) introduced scholars to what he termed the
“nonsectarian movement,” with its great saints and cultural heroes.
“Nonsectarian” was Smith’s translation of ris med, while other schol-
ars have used also a variety of terms like “ecumenical,” “eclectic,” or
even “universalist,” the latter describing the intent to encompass all
Buddhist lineages or teachings. More generally, phyogs/ris med can be
translated as “impartial,” the most literal and inclusive translation.
This rendition has also the advantage to highlight the fundamental
Buddhist notion behind –and beyond– the so-called ris med move-
ment: the virtue of impartiality.
In previous works, I have made my own modest contribution to
the political and religious history of the so-called ris med approach in
Tibet, focusing on the period of the intensification of sectarianism,
the 16th century. Here, the intent of this paper is rather to illuminate
this external history by focusing on the transformative power of ide-
als and related praxis, as well as the symbolic web of resources for
the making of meaning and guidelines for action. Rather than etic,

* Among many mentors, I am especially grateful to Samten Gyaltsen Karmay for

encouraging me first to look back in India about the concept of ris med; to Nobu-
mi Iyanaga for our many discussions over many years about Buddhist forms of
universalism, eclecticism or (non-)sectarianism, from India to Japan; as well as to
Jean-Noël Robert, Akihiko Akamatsu, Peter Skilling, Matthew T. Kapstein and all
participants of the conference on “Bouddhisme et universalisme” (bukkyō to
fuhenshugi「仏教と普遍主義」), held in Kyōto, 3-5 October 2014, during which an
earlier version of this article was presented. Many thanks also to Kazuo Kanō for
his kind help in order to identify some Sanskrit materials and to Jeremy Rappleye
for kindly checking my English.

Marc-Henri Deroche, “On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med): From Non-Sectarianism to the Great
Perfection”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 44, Mars 2018, pp. 129–158.
130 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

the perspective here will be emic. Moreover, the ideal of impartiality

is not a mere product of social conditions but it can actually trans-
form or reform them. As a prescriptive ideal, it is an injunction to
exercise one’s own freedom and an effort to free oneself from partiali-
ty. In this way, I hope thus to offer a perspective avoiding both the
extreme of “naïve idealism,” taking impartiality for granted and ig-
noring the actual inner transformation it takes, as well as the com-
plexity of its implications in a given singular historical context (with
the problem of “disguised ideology” or the attempt, conscious or not,
to hide selfish interests behind supposed universal values); and the
other extreme of “naïve realism,” according to which all philosophi-
cal and religious ideas could/should be explained externally by the
sole terms of their supposed social causes and conditions of origina-
tion. Stated simply, impartiality is a dynamic process along the con-
templative life that cannot be reduced simply to a form of social di-
plomacy, negotiation of alliances or feigned tolerance (even if it has
also been and can still occasionally be). By showing the contempla-
tive dimension of the terms of phyogs/ris med, with special reference
to the Great Perfection (rDzogs chen), we will see that at the heart of
this ideal of impartiality actually lies the notion of intrinsic freedom
(rang grol): the innate and mysterious1 capacity to free oneself from
the power of external conditions and oppositions, while becoming
simply and fully aware of their dynamic play.

The Notion of Impartiality in East and West

In a seminal paper, Paul Demiéville discussed the importance of the

“impartial benevolence” in Asian civilizations.2 Indeed, the notion of
impartiality or the neutrality of the sage appears to be a common
ideal in Asia, Buddhism being here especially credited by Demiéville
for its emphasis on a universally positive attitude including friends,
neutral persons, enemies, and ultimately all sentient beings through

1
While referring to a different context, the Pāli tradition, Bikkhu Anālayo (2003, p.
60), makes the interesting comment which is significant here as well: “This ‘bare
attention’ aspect of sati [mindfulness] has an intriguing potential since it is capa-
ble of leading to a ‘de-automatization’ of mental mechanisms [including reactions
of attraction, aversion or ignorance].” And by the capacity of changing one’s own
reaction, it is possible to change the whole relational system.
2
In his article entitled “L’esprit de bienfaisance impartiale dans les civilisations
anciennes de l’Extrême-Orient.” He wrote (Demiéville 1973 p. 113): “La notion de
l’impartialité ou de la neutralité du sage est fort ancienne et assez générale dans
ces civilisations, en particulier dans les deux principales d’entre elles, celle de
l’Inde et de la Chine, d’où les pays voisins ont tiré les leurs. Quand au principe
de la sympathie ou de la pitié, il y est surtout le fait du bouddhisme.”
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 131

the praxis of the four immeasurables (P. appamaññā; Sk. apra-

māṇa): loving-kindness (mettā, maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), altruistic
joy (muditā) and equanimity (upekkhā, upekṣā).3
In the West, Pierre Hadot’s far-reaching redefinition of ancient
philosophia as a “spiritual exercise,” has allowed us to re-envision the
common quest of its various schools: the transcendence of passions
and egocentrism, and the attainment of what he has called “a univer-
sal perspective” beyond partisan and partial points of view.4 In a se-
ries of contributions, Matthew T. Kapstein (2000, 2013a, 2013b) has
shown the relevance of Hadot’s definition of philosophy for the
study of Buddhism. Hadot himself also noted some striking parallels
between ancient philosophia and Asian wisdom traditions. In this re-
gard, he noted specifically the common importance of “indiffer-
ence.”5 Here of course, it is not the negative type of indifference dis-
cussed in Buddhism, but rather the equanimity, the transcendence of
self-centered judgments. Im-partiality is thus to adopt a universal per-
spective, that is to say, etymologically and philosophically, the per-

3
Those practices might not have been restricted to Buddhism in India, but it is
certainly through Buddhism that they were propagated and cultivated in the rest
of Asia.
4
Hadot 1995, pp. 291-292: “Presque toutes les écoles proposent des exercices
d’ascèse (le mot grec askesis signifie précisément ‘exercice’) et de maîtrise de soi
[…]. [Leurs différentes méthodes d’ascèse] supposent toutes un certain dédou-
blement, par lequel le moi refuse de se confondre avec ses désirs et ses appétits,
prend de la distance par rapport aux objets de ses convoitises et prend conscience
de son pouvoir de s’en détacher. Il s’élève ainsi d’un point de vue partial et par-
tiel à une perspective universelle, qu’elle soit celle de la nature ou de l’esprit.”
(For an English translation, see Hadot 2002, pp. 189-191.) See also this passage, p.
415: “Vue de cette manière, la pratique de la philosophie dépasse donc les oppo-
sitions des philosophies particulières. Elle est essentiellement un effort pour
prendre conscience de nous–mêmes, de notre être-au-monde, de notre être-avec-
autrui, un effort aussi pour ‘réapprendre à voir le monde,’ comme disait Mer-
leau-Ponty, pour atteindre aussi à une vision universelle, grâce à laquelle nous
pourrons nous mettre à la place des autres et dépasser notre propre partialité.”
(English translation, Hadot 2002, p. 276.)
5
Op. cit., pp. 419-420: “Il est très intéressant de constater que dans la Grèce, l’Inde
et la Chine, une des voies qui mènent à la sagesse consiste dans l’indifférence,
c’est-à-dire dans le refus d’attribuer aux choses des différences de valeur qui ex-
primeraient le point de vue de l’individu, égoïste, partial et limité, le point de vue
de la ‘grenouille au fond de son puits’ ou de la ‘mouche au fond d’une cuve,’
dont parle Tchouang-tseu […]. Ce désintéressement et cette indifférence
ramènent ainsi à un état originel : la quiétude, la paix, qui au fond de nous, existe
antérieurement à l’affirmation de notre individualité contre le monde et contre
autrui, antérieurement à cet égoïsme et cet égocentrisme qui nous séparent de
l’univers […].” (English translation, Hadot 2002, pp. 278-279.)
132 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

spective of universe, i.e. of the totality.6 Such a state, Hadot tells us, is
actually our original condition, prior to the affirmation of the ego
against the world and the fragmentation of conscious experience.
And a whole life following the “love of wisdom” is thus dedicated to
regain and re-access it as much as it is possible. The important point
is that it demands not simply wholesome intention, but actually a
lifelong askesis, or “spiritual exercises,” involving in many ways the
transformation of the whole subject practicing them.

The Founding Gesture of the Historical Buddha:

Impartiality in the Aṭṭhakavagga

The attitude of impartiality is a key element in the founding gesture

of Śākyamuni’s teachings, with deep implications in terms of peda-
gogy, ethics, psychology, epistemology and soteriology. It is also a
clearly defined topic in the Pāli collection of the Suttanipāta, and es-
pecially in its fourth part, the Aṭṭhakavagga7, which is considered to
belong to the oldest strata of texts that we currently have. As shown
by Bikkhu Bodhi (2017), we find in the Suttanipāta the recurrent use
of the term tādī in order to express the ideal of impartiality. It can be a
simple term of reference or have an elevated meaning to express the
idea of impartiality.8 In this last sense, as Bikkhu Bodhi explains ac-
cording to the Pāli commentarial literature, “one might be called tādī:
because one is impartial toward the desirable and the undesirable;
impartial because one has renounced; impartial because one has
crossed over; impartial because one is freed; and impartial as a de-
scriptive term.”
Especially, the unifying theme of the Aṭṭhakavagga can be de-
scribed “as the detached stance the sage takes toward debates and
doctrinal views” (Bodhi 2017, pp. 138-144). These ancient sources
describe a historical context plagued by all sorts of conflicts, includ-
ing those among ascetics debating, arguing the superiority of their
own doctrinal views and trying to defeat each other. This idea of im-
partiality is thus both descriptive of the state of the sage, and pre-

6
The Latin universum came with Ciceron to translate the Greek to holon, the totali-
ty. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine. Histoire des mots, par A. Ernout et
A. Meillet. Paris: Librairie C. Klinckesieck, 1951, pp. 1322-1323.
7
This text has also a Chinese parallel (Yizu-jing, 義足経, T. 198) and thus can also
be understood in a way as a common heritage of Indian Buddhist schools.
8
Bikkhu Bodhi 2017, pp. 60-61: The usual sense of tādī is a “simple term of refer-
ence, a demonstrative meaning ‘such a person, a person like that,’ referring to
one previously described.” And for the translator of these Pāli texts, “it is not al-
ways easy to determine in any particular instance whether tādī is being used with
[the] elevated meaning [of impartiality] or as a simple term of reference.”
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 133

scriptive for those who aspire to peace and serenity, freedom and
wisdom. It has also deep epistemological and psychological implica-
tions: the identification of oneself to one’s own doctrinal views or
faction, together with the opposition to others, is seen as the very
hallmark of delusion.9
Such Pāli texts magnify a heroic spiritual effort and radical choice
of life: the ethos of complete detachment concerning all possessions
and places, with the insistence on solitary wandering or retreat, con-
trol of sense perceptions, as well as constant vigilance. The Buddha
teaches to avoid any dispute: the sage is said to be without prejudice
and free, to own no school or sect, and to hold no views (Aṭṭhakavag-
ga, 800). The eighth sutta of the Aṭṭhakavagga (Pasūrasutta, 824-834) is
entirely dedicated to the total discard of sectarian positions, consid-
ered to be the sole expressions of passions and attachment. The next
(Magāndiyasutta, 835-847) further insists on the eradication of any
“view” (diṭṭhi) and “ideation” (sañña). Thus is found the “peace of
mind” (ajjhattasanti, 838).10 Similar statements are also found in the
overall Aṭṭhakavagga, showing eloquently how the Buddhist sage
avoids any position and “sees security everywhere” (khemaṃ passati
sabbadhi, 953). We shall see below in this paper how the latter state-
ment has eloquent parallels in the literature of the Great Perfection.

Features of the Historical Development of Buddhism:

Ideals and Their Periodic Revivals

These Pāli sutta-s elevate the ideal of the forest-dwelling monks

9
Such attachment interplays with feelings of insecurity, compulsive thinking,
anxiety, and leads to conceit and conflicts. It is clear and eloquently said in nu-
merable Buddhist scriptures that the identification of concepts of self and others
with notions of right vs. wrong, good vs. bad, represents the very knot of the
three poisons (attraction, aversion and ignorance), entangling human beings to
countless sufferings. In The Sutta of the Brahma Net (Brahmajāla Sutta, Dīgha Nikāya
1, translated in Walshe 2012, pp. 67-90), the Buddha has even classified all the
main doctrinal views of his time according to their perceived underlying atti-
tudes in terms of craving for existence or for non-existence, presenting in a sense
a proto-psychoanalysis of dogmatism.
10
But as Bikkhu Bodhi (2017, p. 144) rightly points out, there is still the need to
establish the “right view” of the Buddhist path. “Right view differs from the kind
of views repudiated in the Aṭṭhakavagga in that it is offered not as an object of
intellectual consent but as a guideline to experiential insight. […] Thus the en-
lightened sage, unlike the philosophical skeptic, is not committed to a perpetual
aporia. What distinguishes the munis of the Aṭṭhakavagga is that, having fulfilled
the function of right view, they do not grasp upon views and thus they abide in
peace and equanimity.” And as shown below in Tibetan contemplative literature,
the supreme view is said to be phyogs ris med, “without bias.”
134 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

(āraññika/āraṇyaka) or rag robe-wearing monks (paṃsu-/pāṃsu-kūlikā),

that came to be differentiated to town-dwelling monks (gāma-vāsin),
monks residing in monasteries and who devote a more considerable
part of their time to scholastic exegesis and rituals for the laity. This is
why the epistemological distinction between scholastic study and
contemplative insight can be paralleled respectively with the socio-
logical difference of status between town-dwelling monks and forest-
dwelling monks. Nevertheless, these are not exclusive activities or
roles, and at both individual and collective levels, what matters most
is to elucidate the transformative power of their dynamic interplay.
According to Rupert Gethin:

The history of Buddhist monasticism can be seen in the light of a

continued interplay, and sometimes tension, between the town-
dwelling monks and the forest monks, between the scholar monks
and the practitioners. Although the former may have been numeri-
cally more significant, the ideal of the forest saint has continued to
exercise a considerable power over the imaginations of both the
Saṅgha and the laity down to the present day, with the consequence
that there have been significant attempts to put that ideal into prac-
tice.11

Gethin also points out that the tension between the Indian Buddhist
philosophical schools of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra seem to follow
this same pattern, since we can see them as respectively emphasizing
analytical investigation on one hand, and the “practice of yoga,” i.e.
the direct exploration of deep psychological and meditative states, on
the other hand. Gethin even goes on by considering some of the de-
bates in Tibet as the continuation of this tension, illustrated by the
philosophical debate on intrinsic/extrinsic emptiness (rang/gzhan
stong), in connection with the sociological differences between
schools emphasizing scholasticism (especially the dGe lugs pa and Sa
skya pa) or yogic practices (especially bKa’ brgyud pa and rNying
ma pa).12

11
Gethin 1998, p. 105. He also writes, p. 99 : “the ideal of the wanderer intent on the
Buddhist monk’s traditional spiritual quest continued to be seen as embodied in
the forest-dwelling or rag robe-wearing monk, and the periodic attempt to re-
establish the ancient ascetic ideal is one of the defining features of the history of
Buddhist monasticism. But […] it is the spirit of that ancient ideal that inspires
the tradition, not the letter.”
12
This idea is actually coming from Tibetan authors themselves, as Kong sprul
shows in his Shes bya mdzod about the reception of Indian Buddhism in Tibet (SK,
vol. 1, p. 504): phyis nas bshad bka’ gtso bor sa dge gnyis / / sgrub brgyud bka’ rnying
dag la babs ltar snang / Auto-commentary: bstan pa phyi dar chos lugs tha dad du gyes
pa nas brtsams thams cad la bshad sgrub gnyis ka yod mod kyang / bshad bka’ ni gtso bor
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 135

Phyogs/ris med as Tibetan Contemplative Terms and Ideals

From the general history of Buddhism, the 19th century so-called ris
med movement may also be seen as another attempt to come back to
this ancient ideal of contemplative life, within the specific historical
context of 19th century sDe dge kingdom in Khams. To illustrate this,
we will show here that the terms phyogs/ris med belong actually rather
to contemplative literature from where they draw their main inspira-
tional power and spiritual guidance. Such terms are actually canoni-
cal since we find them already in the bKa’ ’gyur and bsTan ’gyur. I will
also show that they play an important role in the Tibetan contempla-
tive indigenous literature, with special reference to the Great Perfec-
tion (rDzogs chen), because of its importance for 19th century ris med
teachers. While the various contexts and meanings are not homoge-
nous and must be distinguished, elucidating a wider semantic web
for such terms shall enable us to get a deeper understanding of the
notion of impartiality as a symbolic resource in the intellectual back-
ground of the ris med luminaries of Tibet.
But before envisioning the possibility to overcome gravity thanks
to the wings of contemplation, and to enjoy even for brief moments
the “view from above,” so to speak, we shall first firmly ground our
investigation on the very land of Tibet and the socio-historical reali-
ties of the context-based singularity of the 19th century ris med
movement, its specific responses and achievements.

I. The “Impartial” (ris med) Approach in Tibet

The so-called “impartial” (ris med) movement was a trans-sectarian13

activity of collection, revelation, compilation and transmission of
various Tibetan lineages and teachings, mainly led by the spiritual
trio named mKhyen Kong mChog sde gsum, composed by ’Jam dbyangs
mKhyen brtse’i dbang po (1820-1892), ’Jam mgon Kong sprul blo
gros mtha’ yas (1813-1899) and mChog ’gyur bde chen gling pa
(1829-1870), supported by the network of Sa skya, bKa’ brgyud, rNy-
ing ma, Jo nang, Bon po monasteries and even dGe lugs figures of
sDe dge kingdom, in Khams, Eastern Tibet.

sa dge gnyis la babs pa dang / sgrub brgyud kyi bka’ ni gtso bor bka’ brgyud dang rnying
ma dag la babs pa ltar snang ngo /
13
“Trans-sectarian” rather than “non-sectarian” in the sense that key actors still
belonged to their own “sects” (chos lugs), had to deal with sectarian issues, and
did so especially by establishing communications and exchanges “across sects,”
through the transmission of “lineages” (brgyud), and while not mixing them but
maintaining coherent and distinct systems of exegesis and practice.
136 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

Considering his literary production (his “five great collections,”

mdzod chen lnga), Kong sprul may be arguably considered as the main
compiler of the “movement” which is not to be understood as any
institution whatsoever, but as the activity of a network of people. With
this reservation in mind, I decide to keep the word “movement,” in
order to bear in mind the very fact that something specific happened
in 19th century, something of which the literary production of Kong
sprul is a concrete and singular outcome. When I use the term “ap-
proach,” it is to refer to similar tendencies that are found in the over-
all history of Tibetan Buddhism and form antecedents of the 19th
century “movement” or “activity.” Kong sprul in his autobiography
chooses the terms phyogs med and ris med to designate himself14 and
he is also the author of a short historiographical and doxographical
work of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Bon, called The Im-
partial History of Buddhism (Ris med chos ’byung).15

14
As my colleague Dr. Michael Sheehy has investigated (personal communication,
Vienna, August 2014), the use of these terms for self-designation by Tibetan au-
thors began to appear quite frequently in the 15th century onwards, and mainly
in the colophons of their works.
15
Kong sprul was actually following a long tradition of Tibetan authors who were
able to approach various lineages and teachings beyond the progressive solidifi-
cation of the borders of the instituted schools. In this context, the term ris med
could refer for example to an absence of bias concerning either the ancient school
(rnying ma) tracing its origins back to the first diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet
(7th-8th c.) or the new schools (gsar ma) of the second diffusion (10th-11th). Kong
sprul’s eclecticism includes as well both Buddhism and Bon, like others did be-
fore, especially treasure-revealers (gter ston). Regarding traditions in Tibet, The
Impartial History of Buddhism is arguably a work transcending the opposition of
one’s own camp (svapakṣa, rang phyogs) and the other camp (parapakṣa, gzhan phy-
ogs).The crystallization of Tibetan Buddhist sectarian identities became most sali-
ent from the 15th century onwards, where Tibet entered in a period of two centu-
ries of recurrent civil wars, in which religious orders aligned themselves with
their rival patrons, until the establishment of the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama
Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho (1617-1682) who reunified Tibet in 1642 with
Mongol support and established the hegemony of the dGe lugs school. In a sense
the Ris med movement can be seen as the revival of non-dGe lugs traditions that
were able to reaffirm and reorganize themselves in the more pluralist context of
sDe dge kingdom. But, it seems exaggerated to reduce the ris med movement only
as an anti-dGe lugs pa coalition. If it is so to some extent and in some cases (even
today), it is more largely because this trend is reminiscent of the time when those
non-dGe lugs schools were almost all aligned in political opposition to the rising
school of the dGe lugs pa, or dGa’ ldan pa, who eventually triumphed politically
over all. Geoffrey Samuel (1993) used to refer to dGe lugs power and ris med syn-
thesis in order to describe the dialectic between what we could also term two op-
posite kinds of “universalism”: imperialism/hegemony in the first case, eclecti-
cism/ecumenism in the second case. And the factors differentiating the two are
rather of socio-political nature. Samuel made also the distinction between clerical
and shamanic tendencies in Tibetan Buddhism. We shall see them as the key fea-
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 137

A very significant pluralist compilation of Tibetan contemplative

traditions is shown by Kong sprul in his Treasury of Spiritual Instruc-
tions (gDams ngag mdzod) which Smith (1970, 2001) considered espe-
cially important to understand the intentions of Kong sprul and his
colleagues. Following Kapstein (1996, 2007), I have shown elsewhere
(2009, 2011a, 2011b, 2013, forthcoming) that the classificatory model
of this exceptional collection is the “Eight Great Lineages of Practice,”
originally authored by the eclectic figure Prajñāraśmi (’Phreng po gter
ston Shes rab ’od zer, 1518-1584), living historically and geographical-
ly in the very midst of the intensification of sectarianism in central
Tibet. In his epistles of the Ambrosia of Study, Reflection and Meditation
(Thos bsam dang sgom pa ’chi med kyi bdud rtsi), he encompasses all
exegetic and yogic lineages. In this work, we often find the expres-
sion phyogs lhung med pa (literally “not to fall into partiality”) exhort-
ing his people to embrace without bias the whole Indian Buddhist
legacy transmitted and kept alive in Tibet.16 For Prajñāraśmi, the
Eight Lineages represent the quintessence of the 84 000 collections of
the Dharma. Moreover, he makes the following claim about their uni-
ty in terms of ultimate view and intent:

This gnosis which is knowledge, clear, vivid, and non-conceptual,

Introduced as the primordial gnosis itself,
Free from all the elaborations of the subject/object duality made by
the mind,
Is the main teaching of all the lineages of practice.17

ture of Buddhist history again at play: the dynamic relation between monastics
living in monasteries and ascetics-yogins dwelling in retreat places.
16
The progression of study (thos pa = śruta), reflection (bsam pa = cintā) and medita-
tion (sgom pa = bhāvanā), the three steps of the development of wisdom, insists of
the conjunction of logical reason and contemplative insight. On the basis of the
so-called “Ten Pillars of Exegesis,” the model of the “Eight Lineages of Practice”
encompasses all the esoteric lineages (brgyud) at the source of Tibetan Buddhist
orders (chos lugs), and through the notion of spiritual exercise or practice (sgrub)
emphasizes their original soteriological aim. As remarked by David Snellgrove,
in Tibet, in contradistinction with China and Japan, Buddhist orders did not es-
tablish themselves around a specific scripture or set of scriptures, but around var-
ious lineages who systematized tantric practice, the so-called “practice lineages”
or “lineages of attainment” (sgrub brgyud). Thus the model of the Eight lineages
of practice forms a remarkable trans-sectarian genealogy of Tibetan Buddhism.
See Snellgrove 1987, pp. 486-487: “Tibetan religious orders developed [...] based
upon the transmission of particular late Indian Buddhist tantric traditions, which
happened to have been favoured by certain renowned teachers, who in retrospect
may be regarded as their ‘founders.’”
17
GCD, 254.2-3: blos byas gzung ’dzin spros pa kun bral ba’i // gnyug ma’i ye shes rang
ngo ’phrod pa yi // shes pa gsal d[w]angs rtog med ye shes de // sgrub rgyud kun gyi
bstan pa’i gtso bo yin [/]/
138 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

If we understand the Treasury of Spiritual Instructions (gDams ngag

mdzod) as the exemplifier of the Ris med movement, this key instruc-
tion on its core paradigm —the Eight Lineages of Practice—, indi-
cates the central value of “direct introduction” (ngo sprod) for Tibetan
eclectic or non-sectarian approaches, specially connected to the
methodology of the Great Seal (in the bKa’ brgyud traditions) and the
Great Perfection (of the rNying ma pa and Bon po). This indicates the
heartfelt presentation done by a teacher to his students and aimed at
the recognition of “mind itself” (sems nyid, cittatva) or “gnosis” (ye
shes, jñāna). The interesting point is that in the contemplative litera-
ture of such direct introduction, the terms phyogs/ris med are mainly
used to describe the state of pure awareness itself. But before focus-
ing on this aspect, we shall first trace back some significant uses of
phyogs/ris med in Tibetan Buddhist canonical literature, with no claim
to be exhaustive.

II. The Terms phyogs/ris med

in Tibetan (Indic) Canonical Literature

In the context of Buddhist soteriology, we shall first remark that the

terms phyogs/ris med, as a negation, belongs to the Buddhist via nega-
tiva or apophatic way to describe the absolute and its realization. In
this line of thought, an interesting passage of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā
Prajñāpāra-mitā states that the perfection of wisdom is to be observed
according to the fact that, through the analysis of the five aggregates,
all phenomena are by the essence of their nature “non-existent as
objects” (adeśa, yul med) and “without directions” (apradeśa, phyogs
med).18 These two expressions are rather synonymous, here character-

18
Sanskrit text by P. L. Vaidya, Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1960, p. 235:
sarvadharmādeśāpradeśataḥ prajñāpāramitā anugantavyā / tat kasya hetoḥ ? rūpaṃ hi
subhūte adeśam apradeśaṃ prakṛtisvabhāvataḥ / evaṃ vedanā saṃjñā saṃskārāḥ /
vijñānaṃ hi subhūte adeśam apradeśaṃ prakṛī[sic]tisvabhāvataḥ sarvadharmani-
rodhaprahlādanatvād iti prajñāpāramitā anugantavyā /. [D. 258a6] chos thams cad yul
med cing phyogs med pa’i phyir shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin par rjes su rig par bya’o //
de ci’i phyir zhe na / rab ‘byor gzugs ni rang bzhin gyi ngo bo nyid kyis yul dang phyogs
med pa’o // rab ‘byor [D. 258a7] de bzhin du tshor ba dang ‘du shes dang ‘du byed rnams
dang rnam par shes pa ni rang bzhin gyi ngo bo nyid kyis yul dang phyogs med pa’o //
chos thams cad ‘gog pa rab tu sim par byed pa’i phyir shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin par
rjes su rig par bya’o //. “The perfection of wisdom is to be observed according to
the fact that all phenomena are non-existent as objects and without direction [or
atomic individuality]. What is the reason of this? Ô Subhūti, form is by the es-
sence of its nature non-existent as an object and without direction [or atomic in-
dividuality]. Ô Subhūti, similarly, feelings, thoughts, volitional factors and con-
sciousness are by the essence of their nature non-existent as objects and without
direction [or atomic individuality]. The perfection of wisdom is to be observed
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 139

izing the Great Vehicle’s philosophical view and contemplative in-

sight of emptiness or universal insubstantiality.
In the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, the term phyogs med is the Tibetan
translation for the Sanskrit apakṣapāta (Ch. wu pian 無偏): “impartiali-
ty.” It is used in reference to the notion of the “sameness of mind”
(samacittatā, sems mnyam pa, ping deng sin平等心) of the bodhisattva and
specifically how it is applied to the six perfections. Impartiality here
refers specifically to the sameness of mind in the virtue of giving.19
Like in the śloka mentioning that for bodhisattvas, love or affection
(sneha, byams pa, ai 愛) is bestowed universally to all beings, the terms
phyogs/ris med are also found in Tibetan translations of different śās-
tra-s, particularly commentaries of the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti to ex-
press the idea of universal love and compassion. For example, it is
said: “what is called great love is an impartial and immeasurable
love.”20 The same terms applied also to the metaphor of the sun, par-

according to the fact that all phenomena are [by the essence of their nature the
truth of] cessation and the source of great joy.”
19
Translation and Sk. ed. by Sylvain Lévi, 19.5-7; Ch. T. 1604, 650b17-25; Tib. Tg
sems tsam phi 240b1-3:
na tathātmani dāreṣu sutamitreṣu bandhuṣu |
satvānāṃ pragataḥ sneho yathā satveṣu dhīmatāṃ || 5 ||
(17)菩薩愛衆生 不同生五愛
(18)自身與眷屬 子友及諸親
ji (2) ltar blo ldan sems can la || rab tu byams par gyur pa ltar ||
sems can bdag dang chung ma dang || bu bshes gnyen la de lta min ||

arthiṣv apakṣapātaś ca śīlasyākhaṇḍanā dhruvaṃ |

kṣāntiḥ sarvatra satvārthaṃ sarvārthaṃ vīryārambho mahān api || 6 ||
(24)無偏及無犯 遍忍起善利
don gnyer ba la phyogs med dang || tshul khrims rtag tu mnyams dang ||
kun tu bzod cing thams cad phyir || brtson ’grus chen po (3) rtsom pa dang ||

dhyānaṃ ca kuśalaṃ nityaṃ prajñā caivāvikalpikā |

vijñeyā bodhisatvānāṃ tāsv eva samacittatā || 7 ||
(25)禪亦無分別 六度心平等
rtag tu bsam gtan dge ba dang || shes rab rnam par mi rtog nyid ||
byang chub sems dpa’ de dag la || de ltar sems mnyam shes par bya ||

French translation:
“5. L’affection des êtres ne va pas à soi, à l’épouse, au fils, à l’ami, au parent,
comme l’affection des Sages va aux êtres.
6. Point de partialité en fait de solliciteur, respect intégral de l’Idéal toujours,
Patience partout, grande entreprise d’Énergie dans le Sens des créatures,
7. extase perpétuellement bonne, et Sapience sans différenciation, voilà en quoi
consiste l’égalité de Pensée des Bodhisattvas.”
20
Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti-nāma-māhaṭīkā: (D. 179b3) byams chen zhes pa ni phyogs ris med
(D. 179b4) pa ste dpag tu med pa’i byams pa’o //
140 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

ticularly connected to love and compassion,21 and to the metaphor of

space that can express emptiness or the state of total liberation when
all veils and passions have been removed.22
Kong sprul uses also in the catalogue (dkar chag) of his Treasury of
Spiritual Instructions a quotation from the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti23
which describes the primordial Buddha qualified in the Tibetan
translation with the term ris med:

Buddhahood is without beginning or end.

The primordial Buddha is without bias (ris med).24

The Sanskrit is here niranvaya, “unconnected,” “unrelated,” “without

retinue,” “unaccompanied” according to Monier Williams Sanskrit-
English Dictionary. Other Tibetan versions give different translations:
rigs med, “without lineage/generation” (Pekin) or according to Way-
man, rgyud med, “without cause” (modern version of Dharamsala). In
the Tibetan translation of the Vimalaprabhā, commentary of the
Kālacakratantra and ascribed to Kalkin Śrī Puṇḍarīka, ris med is also
sometimes used to translate the term niranvaya, a negative definition
of the primordial buddha.25
A ḍākinītantra found in bKa’ ’gyur,26 and for which I have not found
a Sanskrit original, contains interesting passages including phyogs ris
med. This expression is here an epithet for the supreme view, ex-
plained to be inconceivable (bsam gyis mi khyab, *acintya), like the su-

21
Āryamaṇjuśrīnāmasaṃgītyupadeśavṛtti-nāma: (D. 138b3) des ’gro ba drug la nyi ma
bzhin du phyogs ris med pas na ’gro na gdugs gcig yangs pa ste / byams dang snying (D.
138b4) rje’i dkyil ’khor can tshad med bas gang ba’o //
22
Idem: (D135a6) des na sgrib pa kun nas nyon mongs pa la sogs pa spangs nas phy-
ogs ris med pa nam mkha’ ltar gnas so //
23
Mañjuśrī-jñānasattvasya-paramārtha-nāmasaṃgīti (’Jam dpal ye shes sems dpa’i don
dam pa’i mtshan yang dag par brjod pa), P. Otani n° 2, vol. 1, pp. 117.1.1-124.3.6. See
also Davidson 1981, Wayman 1985.
24
Kong sprul, DNgDzK, p. 385.1: sangs rgyas thog ma tha ma med / dang po’i sangs
rgyas ris med pa / Pekin, op. cit., 120.4.6-5.1: rigs med. Wayman, op. cit., p. 93:
anādinidhano buddha ādibuddho niranvayaḥ (chap. VIII, st. 24).
25
For example: Ed. p. 45
uddhṛtam mañjuvajreṇa ādibuddhāt niranvayāt|
lakṣaṇam buddhakāyānām caturṇām tat vitanyate||
(D. 212b1) dang po’i sangs rgyas ris med las // ’jam pa’i rdo rjes rab phyung ba //
sangs rgyas rnams kyi sku bzhi yi // mtshan nyid de ni dgrol bar bya //
“Mañjuvajra explains these defining characteristics of the four buddha-bodies
extracted from the Ādibuddha which is niranvaya.”
26
Ḍākinīsarvacittadvayācintyajñānavajravārāhitantra. (L. 539a4) mkha’ ’gro ma thams
cad kyi thugs gnyis su med pa bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i ye shes rdo rje phag mo mngon
par ’byung ba’i rgyud (L. 539a5) kyi rgyal po zhes bya ba /.
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 141

preme conduct.27 Then view, meditation and conduct are all qualified
through negations, of respectively bias, reference points and prefer-
ences:

This view without bias (phyogs ris med),

See it with the primordial mind!
The meditation without reference points
Is to be meditated with the primordial intellect.
The supreme conduct without disapproval or approval
Is to be conducted with the primordial intellect.28

What next follows in the text is an interesting explanation of the su-

preme view, each dimension of its quality being compared first with
the five elements, then with natural elements (mountain, ocean, rain-
bow, etc.) and animals. Here is the description through the five ele-
ments:

Know the supreme view without bias (phyogs ris med) to be like
space!
Know the supreme view supporting everything to be like the basis
of earth!
Know the supreme view collecting everything to be like the water
element!
Know the supreme view burning all passions to be like the fire ele-
ment!
Know the supreme view, ungraspable, to be like the wind element!29

This quotation indicates thus a useful comparison about how we

should understand the terms phyogs ris med in this context. The ex-
ample is like space, which is all-pervading, neutral, equal, or iso-
tropic. This use is a characteristic of literature of direct introduction
that we shall examine now in further detail. In the oral practice line-
age of the Shangs pa (which Kong sprul strongly revitalized), dating
back to the Tibetan yogin Khyung po rnal ’byor (circa 1050-circa 1140),
we find a special instruction of one of the teachers he met in India,
the ḍākinī Sukhasiddhi, in a text called The Direct Introduction to

27
(L. 540a2) phyogs ris med pa lta ba’i mchog / [b]sam gyis mi khyab bshad du gsol //
dgag sgrub med pa spyod pa’i mchog / bsam gyis mi (L. 540a3) khyab bshad du gsol //.
28
(L. 540b1) phyogs ris med pa’i lta ba de // gnyug ma’i sems kyis blta bar gyis // dmigs
gtad med pa’i sgom pa ni // gnyug (L. 540b2) ma’i yid kyis bsgom par bya // dgag sgrub
med pa spyod pa’i mchog / gnyug ma’i yid kyis spyad par bya //.
29
(L. 540b6) phyogs ris med pa lta ba’i mchog / nam mkha’ lta bu shes par gyis // thams
cad (L. 540b7) ’dogs pa lta ba’i mchog / sa gzhi lta bu shes par gyis // thams cad sdud pa
lta ba’i mchog / ’byung ba chu ltar shes par gyis // nyon mongs sreg pa lta ba’i mchog
/ ’byung (L. 541a1) // ba me ltar shes par gyis // ngos bzung med pa lta ba’i mchog
/ ’byung ba rlung ltar shes par gyis //.
142 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

Mahāmudrā by Sukhasiddhi.30 Here, ris med also defines the supreme

view, the empty aspect of the nature of mind, similar to space:

This is the ḍākinī’s direct introduction to pure awareness (rig pa):

In the empty space without bias (ris med),
Focus on the root of mind which is aware.
Focusing on the root, rest naturally.31

Like the Mahāmudrā of the bKa’ brgyud pa, the Mahāmudrā of the
Shangs pa is not understood to be solely the final phase or resultant
experience of tantric gradual meditation (as it is for the Sa skya pa
and the dGe lugs pa). It is rather a non-gradual path of self-
recognition through direct introduction. This pure enlightened state
to be discovered is here expressed by the term rig pa, “pure aware-
ness.” It transcends completely the mind (citta, sems) based on the
duality of subject and object, self and others, and the discursive intel-
lect (buddhi, blo) judging by means of opposite conceptual categories.
The only tantra of rDzogs chen kept in the bKa’ ‘gyur, the tantra of
the All-Accomplishing King (*Kulayarājatantra, Kun byed rgyal po’i
rgyud) displays three occurrences of phyogs ris med. The “All-
Accomplishing King” is this enlightened mind, source of everything,
to be recognized and cultivated. Speaking in the first person in this
tantra, this universal king proclaims that from his ultimate perspec-
tive, there are no more sacred commitments (samaya, dam tshig) to
keep or not, and nobody to keep them or not. The expression phyogs
ris med is here used to describe a state beyond dualistic alternatives.32
It serves thus to express the transcendence of all pairs of opposite, as
well as the limitations of lower vehicles. In another passage Sattvava-
jra praises the All-Accomplishing King as the ultimate enlightened
state which compassion is said to be phyogs ris med, without bias or
universally caring, never leaving cyclic existence.33 Finally the same

30
Su kha ma siddhi’i phyag rgya chen po’i ngo sprod. In DNgDz, vol. 12: pp. 329-330.
31
Op. cit., 329.1: mkha’ ’gro rig pa’i ngo sprod ni // nam mkha’ ris med stong pa la // rig
bcas sems kyi rtsa ba gcun // rtsa ba gcun nas rang sor [>sar] zhog /.
32
“This sacred commitment of the All-Accomplishing King
Is taught to be without the bias (phyogs ris med pa) of protecting or not protecting.
To realize that there is nobody who protects or does not protect,
Is the realization of the sacred commitment of I, the All-Accomplishing King.”
(L. 96a3) kun byed rgyal po’i dam tshig ’di // bsrung dang mi srung phyogs ris med par
bstan //gang gis bsrung dang mi srung med (L. 96a4) rtogs pa // kun byed nga yi dam
tshig rtogs pa yin //.
33
“Then, Sattvavajra praised with respect the Enlightened Mind which is the All-
Accomplishing King:
Kye, master of the masters, you, All-Accomplishing King,
Are the Nature of the Victorious of the three times, Dharmadhātu,
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 143

expression is used to explain the absence of obscuration and the en-

tirely clear nature of self-originated gnosis, without bias, partiality or
limitation.34
As we have seen through this brief survey of Tibetan canonical lit-
erature, the terms phyogs/ris med:

(1) do not deal with the level of religious tolerance;

(2) render a variety of Sanskrit terms;
(3) apply as epithets to different soteriological ideas;
(4) and through the negation of bias express non-dual, transcen-
dental or “universal” perspectives.

III. Impartiality in the Soteriology of the Great Perfection:

an Analysis of the Treasury of the Dharmadhātu

Klong chen rab ’byams’ (1308-1364) Treasury of the Dharmadhātu (Chos

dbyings mdzod), with its auto-commentary of the Treasure Trove of
Scriptural Transmission (Lung gi gter mdzod), shows a remarkable
number of occurrences of the terms phyogs/ris med from the point of
view of pure noetics and soteriology. It is an indigenous Tibetan
work highly revered in the Ancients’ (rNying ma) tradition, and rep-
resents the essence of the view of rDzogs chen according to its three
series (“mind,” sems sde; “space,” klong sde; and “special instructions,”
man ngag sde), with special relevance to the contemplative praxis of
khregs chod, the recognition and cultivation of the state of pure
awareness in which all “bonds are cut.” In itself, this text is thus an
extensive “direct introduction,” to which the auto-commentary adds
a richness of quotations from the tantra-s of rDzogs chen, only remain-
ing available to us in Tibetan language. We shall explore in this text

Great compassion without bias (phyogs ris med) who do not abandon cyclic exist-
ence.
To you, master All-Accomplishing King, I pay homage.”
(L. 119a6) de nas byang chub (L. 119b1) kyi sems kun byed rgyal po la sems dpa’ rdo rjes
gus pa’i tshul gyis bstod pa / kye / ston pa’i ston pa kun byed rgyal po khyod // dus gsum
rgyal ba’i rang bzhin chos kyi dbyings // (L. 119b2) ’khor ba mi spong thugs rje phy-
ogs ris med // ston pa kun byed rgyal po khyod la ’dud //.
34
“Within reality (dharmatā, chos nyid) which is primordially established without
origination,
This essence, without cause or effect, without effort,
Being unobscured and illuminating all without bias (phyogs ris med),
Is taught to be the “natural gnosis.”
(L. 122a2) skye med gdod nas grub pa’i chos nyid la // rgyu dang rkyen med btsal med
snying po 'di // ma bsgribs (L. 122a3) kun la phyogs ris med gsal bas // rang ’byung ye
shes zhes su bstan pa yin //.
144 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

the semantic network of the terms phyogs/ris med and the role they
play in such a “direct introduction” (ngo sprod) to the enlightened
mind, that is for Prajñāraśmi the common ultimate view of all the
contemplative lineages of Tibet, and from the perspective of the
Great Perfection, the essence of all spiritual paths.
Among the various uses of these terms, two refer to the qualifica-
tion of either emptiness or compassion, compared respectively to the
space and the sun. The particularity of the rDzogs chen view is to in-
tegrate these two levels through the so-called conjunction of (1) pri-
mordial purity (ka dag), corresponding to emptiness; and (2) sponta-
neous presence (lhun grub), i.e. the dynamism of manifestation to-
gether with the corresponding enlightened compassionate respon-
siveness. The conjunction of these two aspects defines the all-
including enlightened state of the Great Perfection. We shall thus
examine how the terms phyogs/ris med serve to express the various
facets of such “universal” or “impartial” perspective.

(a) Indeterminate/Infinite Space

According to this text, the enlightened mind is similar to space, with-

out restrictions or bias (rgya chad phyogs lhung med) and complete lib-
eration.35 The nature of this fundamental element (dhātu, dbyings) is
that it is primordially and spontaneously present. It is described to be
all-including and all-pervading without inside or outside. It is be-
yond limits of extremes, as well as all directions, up, down or inter-
mediates. This pure awareness is beyond the notions of large or nar-
row, it is empty space.36 This nature is thus similar to space encom-
passing all directions (phyogs ’byams).37 “Encompassing all directions”
(phyogs ’byams) or “without direction” (phyogs med) points to a similar
idea: infinite and total space beyond arbitrary, conventional distinc-
tions of directions and reference points.

(b) Timeless Presence

Primordially present or presence since the origin (gdod nas), must be

understood here as timeless. Ris med indicates especially the absence

35
ChByDz, 3.10-11: mkha’ bzhin rnam dag rgya chad phyogs lhung bral // ’di ni yongs
grol ka dag dgongs pa’o //.
36
3-17.19: dbyings kyi rang bzhin gdod nas lhun grub la // phyi dang nang med kun tu
khyab par gdal // mtha’ yi mu med steng ’og phyogs mtshams ’das // yangs dog gnyis
med rig pa mkha’ ltar dag //.
37
4.2: phyogs ’byams nam mkha’ ’dra ba’i rang bzhin la //.
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 145

of temporal succession: the space of the enlightened mind is without

the orientation or reference (ris med) to before or after, it does not
come or go, it includes all.38 Without bias (ris med) opposing before
and after, it is a spacious and vast equanimity.39

(c) Equanimity

This notion of equality or equanimity (mnyam nyid) is decisive here.

No parts can be found is the basis of suchness, it is without parts or
center (phyogs cha dbus med). It has no object or objectification, i.e.
separation, either. But it includes all manifestation while not inter-
rupting its continuity in any way but embracing it in an equal ex-
pense.40 All phenomena are said to have the nature of equality. There
is no one that does not remain in this equal expanse.41 If objects are
examined to be equal in their bias (ris mnyam), they simply leave no
traces in the enlightened mind.42

(d) Ultimate Fortress

Freedom, security or peace is not found by rejecting anything but by

transcending the very realm of opposition or conflict and embracing
the perspective of the totality. Because in the state of equanimity,
there is no interruption of the continuity of manifestation, it is the
“fortress spontaneously present, encompassing everything impartial-
ly (phyogs med),” “the fortress of the primordial infinite expanse,”
“the fortress of the dharmakāya.”43 Poetically, on the infinite basis all-
encompassing impartially (phyogs med), is built the stronghold of the
enlightened mind which has no bias (ris med) neither for cyclic exist-
ence nor extinction.44

38
4.5-6: snga phyi ris med byang chub sems kyi klong // ’gro dang ’ong med kun tu khyab
par gdal //.
39
20.20: snga phyi ris med mkha’ mnyam yangs pa nyid //.
40
4.9-10: phyogs cha dbus med de bzhin nyid kyi gzhi // dmigs med rgyun chad med de
mnyam pa’i klong //.
41
4.10-11: thams cad chos nyid mnyam pa’i rang gzhin las // mnyam pa’i klong na mi gnas
gcig kyang med //.
42
32.14-15: yul rnams ris mnyam gzhigs na rjes med tsam //.
43
4.13-16: mnyam nyid ngang la rgyun chad med pa’i phyir // lhun grub phyogs med kun
khyab gdal ba’i rdzong // steng ’og bar med ye klong yangs pa’i rdzong // phyogs med kun
shong skye med chos sku’i rdzong //.
44
4.17-18: phyogs med kun khyab gdal ba’i sa gzhi la // ’khor ’das ris med byang chub sems
kyi mkhar // . This may reminds us the idea seen above that the Buddhist sage
avoids any position and “sees security everywhere” (Aṭṭhakavagga, 953). We
146 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

(e) Non-Duality

Everything is included in the great equanimity without bias (ris med).

Equal and infinite, this is the very expanse without subject-object
duality.45 Vajrasattva has exposed that non-duality is realized when
there is no bias (ris med) distinguishing anything as “this,” that is to
say as something separate, and that everything is equal, without ob-
jectification.46 Because primordial gnosis is without partiality of bias,
it cannot be shown as “this.” Within it all concepts of a nature are
pacified.47 Everything is transcended in an equal state not subjected
to bias (ris med).48

(f) Beyond Oppositions or Extremes

In the essence of phenomena, there is no bias (ris med) of distinction

or negation.49 Pure awareness is not limited by the limitations or bias
(rgya chad phyogs lhung med) of oppositions such as spaciousness ver-
sus narrowness, high or low. The yogin is exhorted to abandon all
such reference points which function by affirming something in op-
position to something else.50 This state transcends all contraries: it is
beyond the opposition between appearance and emptiness. In har-
mony with the Middle Way (Madhyamaka), it is neither existent nor
non-existent; natural gnosis is unbiased by the extremes of eternity or
annihilation.51 Spontaneous and equal, the primordial element is not
partial or biased (phyogs dang ris med), without any basis, root or sub-

would also consider the notion of the “inner citadel” used by Pierre Hadot in his
interpretation of the Stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, in which the notion of
the hêgemonikon, the ruling faculty of the mind, through the rectification of its
own judgment has the capacity to remain unaffected by suffering. In the above-
mentioned paper of Paul Demiéville, it was recognized in both Daoism and Bud-
dhism that impartiality is what makes the sage invincible since he/she perceives
nothing as an enemy, but embraces everything equally.
45
6.20-7.1: ris med mnyam pa chen por ’ub chub pas // phyam gdal gzung ’dzin med pa’i
klong nyid do //.
46
19.2-4: gang tshe ’di zhes tha dad ris med cing // thams cad phyam mnyam dmigs gtad
med pa na // gnyis med rtogs zhes rdo rje sems dpas gsungs //.
47
28.2-3: rang ’byung ye shes phyogs dang ris med pas // ’di zhes mi mtshon rang bzhin
spros kun zhi //.
48
22.13-15: thams cad ris med mnyam par phyam ’das pa //.
49
23.16-17: chos nyid ngang du dbye bsal ris med pas //.
50
21.5-6: yangs dog mtho dman med pa’i rig pa la // rgya chad phyogs lhung med kyis
dmigs gtad shol //.
51
39.3: rang byung ye shes rtag chad phyogs lhung med //.
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 147

stance.52 Similar to space and pure, it has no birth or death, joy or

sorrow. It is not biased (ris med) by the grasping of substances, or
reified objects, and is free from the phenomena of cyclic existence or
extinction.53

(g) Continuous Contemplation

Without bias (ris med) opposing view and meditation, the intellect
with its fixations and desires is destroyed.54 This all-including state is
thus beyond formal spiritual practice, beyond the opposition (phyogs
ris med) between meditation and post-meditation,55 or beyond the
separation (ris med) between day and night: it is an equal overarching
state of unity. In this state, cyclic existence, defined as the fixation on
referential objects and characteristics of substantiality, is purified.56

(h) Shining Infinitely

But the expense of the enlightened mind is not only static, or simply
empty. It contains the potency (rtsal) of all manifestation. And from
the perspective of the enlightened mind, that is to say of the totality,
there is no opposition between manifestation and its absence: from
the very moment when appearances manifest due to this dynamic
power, there is no partiality or bias (phyogs dang ris med pa) opposing
such a manifestation to non-manifestation. This power is not an es-
sence whatsoever existing separately from the enlightened mind.
Using a separate word is just a linguistic convention we use to refer
to this intrinsic power. The enlightened mind is in itself a state not
subject to change but it includes all possibility of change: there is ac-
tually not even an atom straying from it.57 The essence is like the sun,
it is illuminating the expense of the Dharmadhātu. The dynamic pow-
er (rtsal) is like the rays, they shine manifest everywhere, without

52
8.18-19: yod med ma yin lhun mnyam gdod ma’i dbyings // phyogs dang ris med gzhi
rtsa dngos po med //.
53
6.2-4: sems nyid byang chud sems kyi rang bzhin ni // mkha’ ltar dag pas skye shi bde
sdug med // dngos po ris med ’khor ’das chos las grol //.
54
22.3-4: lta sgom ris med ched ’dzin ’dod blo zhig /.
55
18.3-4: nyams len ma shes thun mtshams phyogs ris med //.
56
18.10-12: nyin mtshan ris med mnyam par phyam gcig pas // dmigs gtad mtshan mar
’dzin pa’i ’khor ba sangs //.
57
8.10-13: rtsal las shar bar snang ba’i rang dus nas // shar dang ma shar phyogs dang ris
med pas // rtsal yang brda tsam ngo bo ’ga’ med pas // thams cad rtag tu ’pho ’gyur med
pa’i ngang // byang chub sems las g.yos pa rdul tsam med //.
148 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

bias (ris med).58 Without the recognition of emptiness, this display

produces the dualistic appearances. But as long as endures cyclic
existence, enlightened actions are performed as well. They are the
manifestation of an impartial compassion which is the dynamic pow-
er coming from the essence of the naturally settled state. This display
(rol pa) accomplishes the benefit of others and all what is excellent.59

(i) The Perspective of the Totality

or the Unique Sphere (thig le nyag gcig)

The rDzogs chen notion of the “unique sphere without edges or cor-
ners” (thig le nyag gcig grwa zur med pa) expresses perfectly this per-
spective of the totality. Everything, as it is, is circled in this expanse
which has no division or exclusion.60 The ultimate meaning of the
primordial gnosis which has no rival, no opposition is included in the
unique sphere without origination or cessation. It is without deter-
mination, all-including, the absence of all directions or extremes (phy-
ogs mtha’ yongs kyi med).61

(j) The Central Question of rDzogs chen Soteriology

The nature of phenomena, which is spontaneously present, has no

limitation and is not biased.62 People who are attached by their biased
perception of what is actually unbiased do not understand their own
nature and are exiled from it.63 Beyond the possibility of limitations
or biases, one rests in one’s own nature, as it is.64 Without partiality,
one is free. Spontaneous presence is free in the expanse.65
Finally, the following quotation brilliantly encapsulates all the vari-
ous facets explored here and it places the problem of partiality at the
very center of rDzogs chen soteriology: partiality is the self-created

58
38.2-3: ngo bo nyi bzhin chos dbyings klong na gsal // rtsal las zer bzhin kun shar ris med
pas [...].
59
38.16-19: ’khor ba ji srid mdzad pa nye bar ston // ’di ni rang bzhin babs kyi ngo bo las //
rtsal kyi thugs rje phyogs med shar ba ste // rol pas gzhan don phun sum tshogs pa yin //.
60
5.8-9: grwa zur med pa’i thig le zlum pas na // ji bzhin dbye bsal med pa’i klong du ’khyil
//.
61
9.1-3: rang byung ye shes ye zla med pa’i don // mi skye mi ’gag thig le gcig tu ’dus // ma
nges kun khyab phyogs mtha’ yongs kyi med //.
62
40.1-2: mi g.yo lhun gyis grub pa’i chos nyid la // rgya chad med cing phyogs lhung bral
bar gyur //.
63
35.3-4: phyogs med phyogs su ’dzin pas bcings pa rnams // rang bzhin ma shes [...].
64
36.14: rgya chad phyogs lhung mi srid rang bzhin babs //.
65
37.7: phyogs med grol lo lhun grub klong du grol //.
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 149

trap of the mind but the true nature of the mind is said to remain
impartial, infinite, all-encompassing and free. Klong chen pa writes
the following exhortations:

The unique sphere has no edges or corners (grwa zur med pa).
What perceives it as one or different is the deluded mind.
Natural gnosis is without causes or effects.
To perceive it in the path of cyclic existence is the obstacle to en-
lightenment.
Spontaneous presence is impartial (phyogs med) and free from ex-
tremes.
To fixate on the extremes of partial views (phyogs lta) is the demon of
pride.
Emptiness without the characteristics of substances is uninterrupt-
ed.
What imputes existence or nonexistence, appearance or emptiness is
the mistaken mind.
Thus, abandon the trap of whatever partiality or bias (phyogs ris)
you hold!
Know spontaneous presence without partiality (phyogs med) to be
like space!66

Conclusion:
The Inspirational Power of the Great Perfection

Returning to the general question of impartiality, Paul Demiéville

remarked that in Daoism, impartiality had a “metaphysical basis,”
the Dao itself.67 I would like to argue that similarly, in Tibetan Bud-

66
35.12-18: thig le nyag gcig grwa zur med pa la // gcig dang tha dad ’dzin pa ’khrul pa’i
sems // rang byung ye shes rgyu rkyen med pa la // ’khor ba’i lam du ’dzin pa byang chub
gegs // lhun grub phyogs med mtha’ dang bral ba la // phyogs lta’i mtha’ la zhen pa
snyems byed bdud // dngos mtshan med pa’i stong pa ’gag med la // yod med snang stong
’dogs pa log pa’i blo // des na gang ’dod phyogs ris gzeb bor la // lhun grub phyogs med
nam mkha’ ltar shes byos //.
67
Choix d’études sinologiques, p. 118: “Le Tao, l’absolu, est par définition une
synthèse en laquelle se résolvent les contraires, les oppositions, les mille diffé-
rences que constituent le monde. Il est tout ensemble l’un et le tout, comme l’axe
qui commande la roue, mais qui reste ce point immobile au centre du mouve-
ment. C’est en ce point axial que doit se placer le sage, qui doit rester impartial au
milieu des conflits et des antagonismes […].” In another insightful article about
the spiritual metaphor of the mirror in East and West, Paul Demiéville demon-
strated how the mirror expressed in Daoism the virtue of impartiality and non-
action. See in particular “Le miroir spirituel,” Demiéville 1973b, pp. 136-137:
“Tchouang-tseu recourt fréquemment à l’image du miroir pour illustrer
l’impassibilité, la passivité, l’apathie, le désintéressement du saint taoïste, qui ré-
agit à la nature, mais sans jamais agir pour son propre compte. ‘[…] Quiet est
l’esprit du Saint, miroir du Ciel et de la Terre, qui reflète toute la multiplicité des
150 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

dhism, the religious tolerance or eclecticism of the so-called ris med

movement has its soteriological and epistemological foundation in
the “proof of the great equanimity which is impartial” (ris med mnyam
pa chen po’i gtan tshigs, LTDz, p. 84.6-7), the all-encompassing enlight-
ened mind described in the Great Perfection as the “unique sphere
without edges or corners” (thig le nyag gcig grwa zur med pa). Karmay,
Samuel, Petit and others have remarked that rDzogs chen with its em-
phasis on an all-including state, provided the basis for the synthetic
orientation and development of the ris med movement.68 I have tried
to show in this study that the same terms phyogs/ris med actually
qualify in classical rDzogs chen literature this pure contemplative
state. We may use thus the following categories to distinguish differ-
ent levels of definition of being impartial (ris med): absolute or rela-
tive, view or conduct, internal or external. In this paper, I have thus
focused mainly on the first aspects of those pairs, since we may say
that the view comes first, and this is especially true in the Great Per-
fection: it introduces directly to the ultimate wisdom, the cultivation
of which is then taken as the path. Its modus operandi thus transcends
the dualistic/partial/partisan mind at the very outset.
As such, the Great Perfection is thus considered as the highest ve-
hicle (in rNying ma and Bon po doxographies), the essence of all
paths, the perspective embracing all other teachings and levels of
realization.69 Often intertwined with the Great Seal of the bKa’

choses!’” (Tchouang-tseu, XIII A). In his time, if Demiéville had been more famil-
iar with rDzogs chen, he would certainly have included it too in his discussion,
given the centrality of the metaphor of the mirror for this tradition: like the mir-
ror, the nature of mind is said to be empty and clear. It has the capacity to reflect
everything, but in itself, is never affected by its reflections.
68
Karmay 2007 (1988), pp. 13-14: “In spite of the aloofness of the rDzogs chen phi-
losophy, it always had a leaning toward eclecticism, perhaps due to the positive
character of its philosophical outlook. A number of Tibet’s great luminaries and
eclectic figures are to be found within this tradition. [...] This universal tendency
was further enhanced by the nineteenth century Eclectic movement led by such
great masters, ’Jam-dbyangs mkhyen-brtse (1820-1892) and Kong-sprul Yon-tan
rgya-mtsho (1813-1899) and on the Bonpo side, Shar-rdza bKra-shis rgyal-mtshan
(1859-1934).” Samuel 1993, p. 538: “It can be seen why Dzogch’en appealed to the
Ris med masters; its emphasis on an unlimited, all-embracing Enlightened state
within which all partial teachings could find their goal provided the basis for
their synthetic orientation”. Petit 1999, p. 99: “Traditionally, it is said that the
Great Perfection is the pinnacle of vehicles, providing a unified vista of all philo-
sophical systems and spiritual attainments of the various paths. It would seem to
be in this spirit that the Ris med tendency developed.”
69
This idea is poetically expressed by Klong chen pa in the work studied here:
When one attain the summit of a majestic mountain, one can contemplate all the
valleys below at the same time, while from the valleys, one is deprived from the
vision of the nature of the summit. Similarly, the Great Perfection, the inde-
structible heart essence, is the pinnacle vehicle and sees clearly the meaning of all
 On Being ‘Impartial’ (ris med) 151

brgyud pa or of the Shangs pa, the Great Perfection represents in Ti-

bet an epitome of the contemplative ideal of impartiality70 with a con-
stant emphasis on direct introduction, heartfelt instructions and di-
rect experience. It is this way that we must also acknowledge its in-
spirational power for the spiritual revival in 19th century Khams. In
Buddhist epistemology and soteriology, direct perception, and in-
deed especially yogic direct perception (yogi-pratyakṣa, rnal ’byor
mngon sum), is considered as supreme, being directly in touch with
reality, life itself, a life felt from within, always fresh, new, moment
by moment.71 Such experiences may be seen as giving access to a cre-
ative, nurturing, and regenerative spiritual power, reviving constant-
ly the tradition and its transmission. Following the view of the Great
Perfection, the nature of mind is not simply empty; it is also endowed
with all qualities shining spontaneously. Thus, if we have insisted
here on the “neutral” contemplative attitude of impartiality, it would
be mistaken to see it simply as a passive state. To the contrary, it
must be finally said that such an attitude seems to have been the
source of a considerable dynamism and energy in the history of Bud-
dhism, not to mention the itinerant life and teaching activity of the
historical Buddha himself. It is in this way that we may consider the
very active and dynamic aspects of the 19th century ris med move-
ment not specifically addressed here, but of crucial importance: the

[…]” Op. cit.: 15.11-14: ji ltar ri rgyal rtse mor phyin pa na // dma’ ba’i lung rnams dus
gcig mthong ba ste // lung gi rtse mo’i rang bzhin mthong dang bral // de bshin a ti rdo
rje snying po ni // theg pa’i yang rtse don kun gsal bar mthong /.
70
Even if its elevated role of the ninth and supreme vehicle can indeed also give
rise to discourses of superiority, if not of sectarianism. On the other hand, even if
ris med discourses (in the external sense of “non-sectarian”) can be associated
with an emphasis on the unity of the ultimate intent of Madhyamaka, Mahāmudrā
and rDzogs chen (a theme which has a long history in itself), it is also clear that
rDzogs chen is practically given the highest position in those associated trends, as
it is evident in the context of their contemplative retreat programs (with a pro-
gression following actually the order Madhyamaka, Mahāmudrā and rDzogs chen).
Thus, we have focused here on rDzogs chen as providing the unified vista and in-
spiration, or “ultimate ris med.” The paradox between, on one hand, the right
view (leading to a hierarchy of vehicles and their respective views, up to the ul-
timate view of rDzogs chen for rNying ma pa and Bon po), and on the other hand,
the “absence of grasping at a view” is only apparent. The progression of views is
precisely defined as a progressive disappearance of grasping (i.e. of using the
dualistic mind). And on the way of this progression, the methodology of the
Madhyamaka is particularly eloquent and sophisticated.
71
The contemplative life in the tradition of the Great Perfection may lead to em-
bracing solitude in mountain hermitages, opening one’s self to the immensity of
the sky; or retreating into the dark, revealing the secret luminosity of the nature
of mind; but beyond fixed roles, places or activities, the fundamental retreat place
of the Great Perfection, “the fortress of the dharmakāya,” the place of intrinsic
freedom, appears to be always accessible here and now, anytime and anywhere.
152 Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines

intense collaborative activity of revealing the treasures of Pad-

masambhava (gter ma) and the huge collective effort to collect and
revitalize the various ancient lineages and traditions of Tibet for fu-
ture generations.

ABSTRACT

The Tibetan expression phyogs/ris med (“impartial”) and its variations have come to describe a
Tibetan Buddhist revival in 19th century Khams with E. Gene Smith’s translation as “non-
sectarian.” In an effort to avoid both naïve idealism and naïve realism, this paper argues that
so-called non-sectarianism in Tibet, as a ethical attitude and social response to the limitations
inherent to the institutionalization of Buddhist traditions, draws its inspiration from a more
fundamental and inner Buddhist value: impartiality. While this represents a core element of the
teachings of the historical Buddha, it is not only descriptive of the state of the sage but also
prescriptive for the aspirants to freedom and wisdom. In this way, such a prescription is actual-
ly deeply rooted in the exercises of contemplation, with major psychological and epistemologi-
cal implications. This fact is illustrated here by showing how the terms phyogs/ris med play
actually an important role in the phenomenological descriptions and injunctions of Tibetan
contemplative lineages and literature, with special reference to the Great Perfection (rDzogs
chen). If a distinctive feature of the general history of Buddhism has been the periodic revivals
of the ideal of contemplative life and impartiality, in Tibet, the Great Perfection, emphasizing
direct perception and instantaneous realization of an all-encompassing state, represented a
major resource for the eclectic luminaries of 19th century Khams, empowering their vast activi-
ty of revitalization of Tibetan traditions.

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