This is an essential work of Tibetan Buddhist thought written by an influential scholar of the twentieth century. Drawing upon the Nyingma tradition of the great Tibetan visionary Mipam, Btrl provides a systematic overview of Mipam's teachings on the Middle Way. Presenting the Nyingma school within a rich constellation of diverse perspectives, Btrl contrasts Nyingma views point by point with positions held by other Tibetan Buddhist schools. Btrl's work addresses a wide range of complex topics in Buddhist philosophy and doctrine in a beautifully structured composition in verse and prose. Notably, Btrl sheds light on the elusive meaning of "emptiness" and presents an interpretation that is unique to his Nyingma school.

Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies exemplifies a vigorous tradition of Tibetan Buddhist scholarship that is widely practiced in contemporary monastic colleges in Tibet, India, and Nepal. Douglas Samuel Duckworth's translation will make this work widely available in English for the first time, and his thoughtful introduction and annotations will provide insight and context for readers.

David R. Loy is Besl Family Chair Professor of Ethics/Religion and Society at Xavier University. He is the author of several books, including A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack, also published by SUNY Press, and Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Myth Broken and Unbroken

1. Awareness Bound and Unbound: On the Nature of Attention

2. Language Against Its Own Mystifications: Deconstruction in Nagarjuna and Dogen

3. Dead Words, Living Words, Healing Words: The Disseminations of Dogen and Eckhart

4. Zhuangzi and Nagarjuna on the Truth of No Truth

5. CyberBabel

6. Dying to the Self that Never Was

7. The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg

8. The Karma of Women

9. The West Against the Rest? A Buddhist Response to The Clash of Civilizations

10. Terrorism as Religion: On the Identity Crisis of Secularism

Notes
References
Index