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rGyal tshab in the postscript to his Tshad ma'i lam khrid mentions Red mda' ba, Blo bzan grags pa and Kun dga' dpal - in this sequence - as the ones he feels obliged to with regard to the tenets presented. Kun dga' dpal is known as one of rGyal tshab's teachers. 26 Whether he is the same as Ña dpon Kun dga' dpal, 27 who is mentioned as the author of a Prajñāpāramitā-commentary and Red mda' ba's and Tson kha pa's teacher in this subject, I cannot say. I found no hint in the biographical literature that would relate this Kun dga' dpal to tshad ma-studies. Quite clear, however, seems to be that Red mda' ba gzon nu blo gros' (1349-1412) played an important role in shaping the major theoretical ideas of Tson kha pa and his pupil rGyal tshab. Only eight years senior to Tson kha pa he is not only in high esteem as Tson kha pa's teacher in two subjects, dBu ma and Tshad ma, 28 he is also considered as one of his two most important (gtso bo) teachers. 29
G. Tucci has already inferred from biographical statements and the allusions of Tson kha pa's disciples that "it appears that he developed and gave greater depth to ideas already elaborated by a great master, at whose school he had his training: gzon nu blo gros of Red mda'". 30 This assumption can only be corroborated by the possible conclusions from the context of the tshad ma-tradition. Tucci notes (loc.cit. 120) that the exegetical tradition which "acknowledges Logic as a fundamental part of Religion" begins with Kumāramati, i.e. gzon nu blo gros, but in his note he only refers to Stcherbatsky's meagre remarks on p.46 of his Buddhist Logic I. As far as I can see, no further sources of such knowledge are indicated - evidently the circle of scholars around Stcherbatsky, particularly Vostrikov and Baradijn, had access to oral or other information.
I have no reasons to doubt that this information is correct. My reasons are: It is evident that Tson kha pa is not the creator of the "tshad ma'i lam"-system. If Red mda' ba had no part in its development, Tson kha pa's disciples would not have acknowledged such a part. The shift from studying the Pramāpaviniscaya to studying the Pramāņavārttika is attested by the Debther snon po for the first half of the 15 century. Red mda' ba wrote at least three works of relevance. 31 And finally - Tson kha pa
26 R. Kaschewsky, Das Leben des lama istischen Heiligen Tsongkhapa Blo-bzan-grags-pa
(1357-1419), dargestellt und erläutert anhand seiner Vita "Quellort allen Glücks".
1. Teil, Wiesbaden 1971, 216. 2 R.Kaschewsky, loc.cit. 24, 83.; G. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, Roma 1949, 119.
R.Kaschewsky, loc.cit. 24, 838., 86, 88. 29 R. Kaschewsky, loc.cit. 24. 30 Tucci, loc. cit. 118f.
