This is the first full study, translated and critically annotated, of the Essence of True Eloquence, by Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), universally acknowledged as the greatest Tibetan philosopher. The work is a study of the major schools of Mahayana Buddhism, known as Vijnanavada and Madhyamika, and an explanation of Prasangika ("Dialecticist") interpretation of
of Madhyamika ("Centrism"). The translation and introduction supplement our view of Buddhism as a contemplative and "mystical" religion and reveal a rigorous, critical philosophy. Robert Thurman emphasizes the relevance of "Dialectical Centrism" to our own time.
This book presents a strain of Indian Buddhist thought largely inaccessible outside Tibet until recently. Following Tsong Khapa, it shows that critical reason and contemplative realization are mutually indispensable for the attainment of enlightenment.
Speech of Gold, Robert Thurman, Motilal, Hardcover, 442 pp., $24.50