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THE KARMAPA'S MIDDLE WAY: Feast for the Fortunate

by the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje, trans. by Tyler Dewar

Marked by eloquent poetry, vigorous and extensive analysis, and heart instructions on breaking through the veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of things, The Karmapa's Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje's comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakirti's seminal text, the Madhyamakavatara, or Entrance to the Middle Way. This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate, is the Ninth Karmapa's abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje's masterpiece, the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyu Siddhas. In it readers will find previously unavailable material on the Karmapa's Middle Way view and a rare window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan Buddhism.

In this book, Chandrakirti and the Karmapa present in precise detail the vital Buddhist concept of emptiness, through which the Mahayana path of compassionate altruism becomes complete. Introductory material, copious footnotes, appendices, and a reader-centric approach to the language will make this volume equally accessible to the seasoned scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and the newly curious nonspecialist alike.

This book contains Chandrakirti's root text to the Entrance to the Middle Way and its commentary by the Ninth Karmapa, entitled Feast for the Fortunate; an informative Introduction detailing the history of the Middle Way, key Middle Way philosophical principles, and the main points of each chapter of the text; a thoroughly annotated translation of a famous excerpt of Chandrakirti's Lucid Words; and other useful appendices and reference materials.

"The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje's succinct commentary on the Madhyamakavatara is one of the finest masterpieces of the Kagyu tradition. The remarkable translation by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Tyler Dewar does superb justice to this text. This is the way an authentic translation should sound: a partnership of the pandit and the lotsawa, both working with love of their mother tongues."--E. Gene Smith, author of Among Tibetan Texts and founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center

"Anyone wishing to understand the special teachings of Middle Way philosophy taught in the Kagyu tradition of Tibet should read The Karmapa's Middle Way. Tyler Dewar has spend many  years studying this subject with several Kagyu masters. His intimate familiarity with the tradition's literature and history deeply informs his introduction and enriches his marvelous translation of Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's (1556-1603) Feast for the Fortunate. This book is an indispensable contribution to the study of Buddhist philosophy in Tibet."--Cyrus Stearns, author of Taking the Result as the Path and King of the Empty Plain

"It is important for our meditation to develop certainty in emptiness. In order to gain certainty, studying the Entrance to the Middle Way helps up completely comprehend the Prasangika view. The Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje, wrote an important and extensive commentary on the Entrance to the Middle Way called the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyu Siddhas. The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje, then distilled the key spiritual instruction of the Eighth Karmapa's text into this book. I think it is wonderful that his work is now available in English."--Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, author of Essential Practice

"Of all the philosophical traditions that claim to be the Middle Way, it is only the view of Nagarjuna, the Middle Way tradition’s progenitor, that is universally accepted as the Middle Way. Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara, moreover, is renowned in all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism as the supreme commentary on Nagarjuna’s approach to emptiness and is considered mandatory reading in all Tibetan Buddhist colleges. The Karmapa’s Middle Way is a presentation of the full text of the Madhyamakavatara along with an illuminating and at times controversial commentary by the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje of Tibet’s Karma Kagyü lineage. By elucidating the intention of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje’s Chariot of the Takpo Kagyü Siddhas, this book will provide a great contribution to the field of Middle Way studies and enlighten English language readers as to a unique and relatively unexplored presentation of the vital concept of emptiness."—Dzogchen Ponlop, author of Mind Beyond Death

Chandrakirti (ca. seventh century CE) is a revered figure from the tradition of Nalanda University, the most celebrated Buddhist educational institution of all time. His writings have been held by the majority of Tibetan lineages to proclaim the most profound approach to the teachings of Nagarjuna, founder of the Middle Way philosophical tradition. In particular, the Entrance to the Middle Way, his most renowned text, is taught in all major Tibetan monastic colleges as the authoritative introduction to Middle Way studies.

The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1556-1603), was born in the Trewo region of eastern Tibet and is one of the most important figures of Tibetan Buddhism's Kagyu lineage. Most renowned for his powerful writings on the meditation system known as Mahamudra, he also played a vital role in ensuring the continuity of the Kagyu lineage's longstanding tradition of academic studies. His authorship of the text translated in this book in particular is considered to be a very special contribution because of his ability to condense the extensive writings of the Eighth Karmapa into a more readily digestible format while still retaining all of the Eighth Karmapa's unique approaches to philosophy.

Tyler Dewar (translator) is a student of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and lives with his wife and daughter in Seattle, Washington. A founding member of the Nitartha Translation Network, he serves both as an oral and literary translator and as a teacher for Nalandabodhi, an international organization of Buddhist centers, and Nitartha Institute, an educational organization devoted to preserving and making accessible to the West the vibrant tradition of Buddhist intellectual studies.

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