Emptiness and dependent-arising are two core concepts within Buddhism. An understanding of their integral relationship allows us to see how the Madhyamika school, the preeminent school of Buddhist philosophy in Tibet, can completely deny any inherent ontological status to the world around us while maintaining a valid presentation of reality based on ethical principles. The brilliant scholar and yogi Dzong-kha-ba, founder of the Ge-luk-ba lineage, demonstrated how these two core concepts are not only compatible, but are actually mutually contingent.
Along with a translation of the special insight (vipasyana) section of Dzong-kha-ba's Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (lam rim chen mo), Napper provides an extensive introduction that contrasts the Ge-luk-ba view of emptiness to that of Western scholars and a translation of four interwoven commentaries on the text.


Dependent Arising and Emptiness, Elizabeth Napper, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 847 pages, $29.95