Haribhadra, also known asShizi Xian (simplified Chinese:狮子贤;traditional Chinese:獅子賢;pinyin:Shīzixián) orSengge Zangpo (Tibetan:སེང་གེ་བཟང་པོ་,Wylie:seng-ge bzang-po; both names mean "righteous lion") was an 8th-century CE Buddhist philosopher and commentator.[1] He was one of the founding monks of theVikramashila monastery in modern-dayBihar,India and he was also the preceptor[2] of thePala Emperor,Dharmapala.[3][4]
A notable student of his was the monkBuddhajñānapāda who also played a role in founding Vikramashila.[5]
Details of Haribhadra's life are known both through his writings and through the writings of laterTibetan writers includingTaranatha andButon Rinchen Drub. Most scholars place Haribhadra in the second half of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th century butMano Laohavanich places him around 735–795 CE. What is known for certain is that he was active during the reign ofEmperor Dharmapala as Taranatha noted that he died 20 years after the ascension of Dharmapala to the throne.[1]Buton states that Haribhadra belonged to aKshatriya family while Taranatha states that he was a prince. A story exists detailing that he received his name after his mother was attacked and killed by alion while he was still in her womb. He survived; hence,Hari refers to the lion andBhadra refers to being fortunate.[1]
The colophon of the Ālokā details that he was staying at the Trikaṭuka monastery which has yet to be identified but was probably located in the northeast of India aroundBihar andBengal. Buddhism during Haribhadra's lifetime, was flourishing in the territory of thePala Empire with new monasteries being established includingVikramashila,Odantapuri andSomapura.[1]
Over the course of his monastic career, he garnered a reputation as a specialist in thePrajñāpāramitā.[1]
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Haribhadra's commentary on theAbhisamayalankara was one of the most influential of the twenty-one Indian commentaries on that text, perhaps because of its author's status as Shantarakshita's student. Like his master, Haribhadra is retrospectively considered by Tibetandoxographical tradition to represent theYogācāra-Svatantrika-Mādhyamaka school.
Haribhadra's interpretation of theAbhisamayalankara, particularly his four-kaya model, was controversial and contradicted the earlier normative interpretation popularised byVimuktasena. Haribhadra claims, that Abhisamayalamkara chapter 8 is describing Buddhahood through four kayas: svabhavikakaya, [jnana]dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.[6] Haribhadra's position was in turn challenged byRatnākaraśānti andAbhayakaragupta. In Tibet the debate continued, withJe Tsongkhapa championing Haribhadra's position andGorampa of theSakya school promoting the other.[7]
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Haribhadra is not associated with any popular practice ofTantra during this period. He does however reference the tantric text,Vajrapāṇyabhiṣekamahātantra, in his Ālokā.[1]
Haribhdra's works were popular inTibet where he held an almost "uncontested" status. His commentaries were translated intoTibetan relatively early by the 11th century and one of these translators was Rngog Blo ldan shes rab.[1]
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