The Dalai Lama opens The Middle Way with an elegant argument for the power of compassion in cultivating a happy life. From there, he connects core ideas of Buddhist philosophy to the truths of our shared condition. His Holiness delivers a sparklingly clear teaching on how the Buddhist ideas of emptiness and interdependency relate to personal experience and bring a deeper understanding of the world around us.
In down-to-earth style, His Holiness sets forth a comprehensive explanation of the Mahayana tradition based on two of Buddhisms most revered figures and their renowned works: Nagarjuna's Middle Way and Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path. Both works are rooted in the ancient Indian scholastic tradition of Nalanda Monastery, which approached Buddhism not just through faith and devotion, but through critical inquiry.
Through these beautifully complementary teachings, His Holiness urges us to strive with an objective mind, endowed with a curious skepticism, to engage in careful analysis and seek the reasons behind our beliefs, for only faith grounded in reason is truly unshakable.
The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason, Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 184 pages, $17.95
Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was born in northeastern Tibet in 1935. He is widely recognized as both the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. In 1950, Tibet was invaded by China, leading to His Holiness's flight into India in 1959. Since then, His Holiness has resided in Dharamsala, India, the site of the Tibetan-government-in-exile. In recognition of his tireless work for the liberation of Tibet, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Geshe Thupten Jinpa (translator) has been a principal English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for nearly two decades and has translated and edited numerous books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and Ethics for the New Millennium. His own works include Songs of Spiritual Experience (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Philosophy. He is currently the president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics and lives in Montreal with his wife and two daughters.
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Translator's Preface
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vii
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Prologue
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1
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| Part I |
An Exploration of Nagarjuna's Fundamental Stanzas on the Middle Way
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| 1. |
Approaching the Profound
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13
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| 2. |
Twelve Links of Dependent Origination
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29
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| 3. |
The Analysis of Self and No-Self
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65
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| 4. |
Establishing Conventional Truth
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93
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| Part II |
An Exploration of Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path
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| 5. |
Practicing the Profound
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119
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| Appendix 1 |
Three Principal Aspects of the Path
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149
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| Appendix 2 |
Praise to Seventeen Nalanda Masters
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153
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Notes
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163
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Bibliography
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169
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Index
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173
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