Introduction To The Middle Way: Chandrakirti's Madhyamakavatara With Commentary By Ju Mipham

Book Summary

"Introduction to the Middle Way combines the timeless devotional-scholarly poetry of Indian master Chandrakirti (ca. seventh century) with the exhaustive explanation of its meaning by Jamgon Mipham (1846-1912), whose commentary was composed eleven centuries after Chandrakirti lived. Chandrakirti is one of several Indian thinkers whose treatises were brought to Tibet and whose realized teachings about the nature of the mind are the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist thought. Hidden in his verses are the guideposts to enlightenment, composed in this way to help those students who have received instruction to commit it to memory. Mipham's commentary, presented in thorough outline form, offers a point-by-point explanation of Chandrakirti's meaning. "Introduction to the Middle Way " presents an adventure into the heart of Buddhist wisdom through the "Madhyamika," or "middle way," teachings, which are designed to take the ordinary intellect to the limit of its powers and then show that there is more. This book includes a verse translation of the "Madhyamakavatara" by the renowned seventh-century Indian master Chandrakirti, an extremely influential text of Mahayana Buddhism, followed by an exhaustive logical explanation of its meaning by the modern Tibetan master Jamgon Mipham, composed approximately twelve centuries later. Chandrakirti's work is an introduction to the Madhyamika teachings of Nagarjuna, which are themselves a systematization of the "Prajnaparamita," or "Perfection of Wisdom" literature, the sutras on the crucial but elusive concept of emptiness. Chandrakirti's work has been accepted throughout Tibetan Buddhism as the highest expression of the Buddhist view on the sutra level. With Jamgon Mipham's commentary, it is a definitive presentation of the wisdom of emptiness, a central theme of Buddhist teachings. This book is a core study text for both academic students and practitioners of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.

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