This dissertation is a study and partial translation of the Entryway into Scholarship (Mkhas pa 'jugs pa'i sgo) by the great philosopher and polymath of the Sa-skya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Sa-skya Pandita Kun-dga' rgyal-mtshan (1182–1251, Sa-pan for short). The Entryway, is Sa-pan's introductory textbook on the basic skills of a scholar, and the dissertation focuses on its first two chapters, which discuss composition and exposition. An English translation of these chapters is provided in an appendix. The dissertation analyzes Sa-pan's ideal of scholarship for what it can tell us about the methods and goals of Buddhist scholasticism. The Entryway is shown to be both a practical guide to becoming a scholar and a Buddhist philosophical treatise on the nature of scholarship. As Sa-pan describes the various skills of the ideal scholar, he ties them together with his own distinctive Buddhist views on epistemology, philosophy of language, translation studies, hermeneutics and literary theory. Overall, Sa-pan's ideal is conservative; he envisions the scholar as a protector of the true dharma against change and fabrication. Chapter I of the dissertation provides a sketch of Sa-pan's intellectual circle and introduces the basic principles and rhetoric of his scholarly ideal. Chapter II examines Sa-pan's views on translation, whereby he shows that knowledge of Sanskrit language and literature can assist the Tibetan scholar in decoding difficult points in the translated scriptures. Chapters III and IV analyze Sa-pan's argument that because language is conventional, the language of the Buddhist dharma needs a community of experts to act as its conservators. Sa-pan makes this point through a subtle intertwining of terms in linguistics, Buddhist epistemology, and Buddhist hermeneutics. Chapter V focuses on scholarly conventions and protocols that Sa-pan describes and advocates, such as standard ways of opening and analyzing texts. These methods are intended to provide rule, regularity and order that help the scholarly community preserve the true dharma. Chapter VI, finally, shows how Sa-pan impresses his scholarly readers with the sophistication and majesty of the Indian tradition of poetics as he assimilates the terms of Sanskrit literary theory into a Tibetan Buddhist worldview.
