|
SNOW LION THE BUDDHIST MAGAZINE & CATALOG
794 pp., KAMIWA
$59.95 Snow Lion special $47.96
Order Now |
Two Types of Selflessness, Karmapa's Middle Way Book Excerpt
This excerpt from The Karmapa's Middle Way was written by the Ninth Karmapa, translated by Tyler Dewar.
So that beings of various dispositions may gain liberation, the Buddha taught emptiness in two ways: the selflessness of phenomena and the selflessness of persons. For the liberation of the hearers and solitary realizers the selflessness of persons was taught; for the liberation of those with the Mahayana disposition the Buddha taught the selflessness of phenomena.
One may wonder why personal selflessness was taught separately for the hearers and solitary realizers, since it is the Karmapa's position that they equally realize the selflessness of phenomena. It is true that the hearers and solitary realizers possess equal realization of the selflessness of phenomena, but their cultivation of familiarity with selflessness is limited mostly to the aggregates, sense sources, and constituents of their own personal continua. Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, cultivate familiarity with selflessness in relation to the limitless excellent phenomena of the two types of bodhichitta, relative and ultimate. Due to the differences regarding familiarity, the hearers and solitary realizers enter the absorption of one-sided peace, whereas the bodhisattvas attain the vast and profound dharmakaya of buddhahood.
|
|
Tyler Dewar
|
* * *
More about the book . . .
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.
"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
* * *
More about the authors . . .
Chandrakirti (ca. seventh century C.E.) 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.
Books by Tyler Dewar
© 2009 Snow Lion: The Buddhist Magazine & Catalog
|
 |
