The first English translation of Mipham Rinpoche's commentary on the "wisdom" chapter of Shantideva's classic text, in which Mipham explains Madhyamaka philosophy from the perspective of the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Shantideva's guide to the training of a Bodhisattva is one of the most important and beloved texts in the Tibetan tradition. The ninth chapter, however, dealing with Madhyamaka, the Middle Way, the most profound wisdom view of Mahayana Buddhism, has always posed unique challenges to readers.

This commentary by the great scholar Mipham Rinpoche presents in quite straightforward terms Shantideva's exposition of emptiness, the essential foundation of all Buddhist doctrine, demonstrating that it is not only compatible with, but in fact crucial to, the correct understanding of other important Buddhist teachings such as karma, rebirth, and the practice of compassion. Mipham interprets Shantideva according to the view of the Nyingma school, which in some respects was at variance with the religiously and politically dominant interpretation of the text in Tibet at that time. As a result, his commentary stirred up a furious debate. With the addition of a critique of Mipham Rinpoche's view by a prominent scholar of the time, along with Mipham's response, that debate is beautifully captured in this volume.

The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgon Mipham's Commentary on the Ninth Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva, Jamgong Mipham, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 400 pp, $29.95

Jamgon Mipham (1846-1912) is one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of Tibetan Buddhism of the modern age. An important member of the nonsectarian movement of nineteenth-century Tibet, he was a scholar of outstanding brilliance whose writings are eagerly sought after by present-day teachers and students of the practice of Dzogchen and the Nyingma tradition.

Textual Outline of the Ketaka Jewel	xiii
Translators' Preface	xvii
Translators' Introduction	1
The Ketaka Jewel by Jamgon Mipham	77
The Light of the Day Star by Jamgon Mipham	195
Question 1: Are Conventional Phenomena No More Than Mental Imputations?	201
Question 2: The Two Kinds of Self-Clinging	209
Question 3: The Liberation of the Shravakas	215
Question 4: The State of Arhatship	223
Question 5: The Two Kinds of Self-Clinging and the Two Obscurations	233
Question 6: The Two Truths	261
Question 7: The Self-Knowing Mind	279
Question 8: The Eight Great Difficult Points of the Prasangika School, according to Tsongkhapa	291
Appendix: A Pleasurable Discourse for Those of Clear Understanding by Drakar Tulku	295
Notes	319
Bibliography	359
Index	365