Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. Integrating competing and complementary perspectives on the nature of mind and reality, Douglas Duckworth reveals the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice in various Tibetan traditions. Duckworth draws upon a contrast between phenomenology and ontology to highlight distinct starting points of inquiries into mind and nature in Buddhism, and to illuminate central issues confronted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.

This thematic study engages some of the most difficult and critical topics in Buddhist thought, such as the nature of mind and the meaning of emptiness, across a wide range of philosophical traditions, including the "Middle Way" of Madhyamaka, Yogacara (also known as "Mind-Only"), and tantra. Duckworth provides a richly textured overview that explores the intersecting nature of mind, language, and world depicted in Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Further, this book puts Tibetan philosophy into conversation with texts and traditions from India, Europe, and America, exemplifying the possibility and potential for a transformative conversation in global philosophy.

Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature, Douglas S. Duckworth, Oxford University Press, Paperback, 324 pages, $24.95

Douglas S. Duckworth is Associate Professor in the Department of Religion at Temple University. He is the author of Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition and Jamgon Mipam: His Life and Teachings. He also introduced and translated Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies: Illuminating Emptiness in a Twentieth-Century Tibetan Buddhist Classic by Botrul. He serves as the co-editor of the Journal of Buddhist Philosophy.

CONTENTS: Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature
Acknowledgments			ix
Introduction			1
1.	Between Construction and Immediacy		9
		Introduction	9
		Emptying Emptiness	10
		Emptiness Enframed and Uenframed	13
		Emptiness as Performative and Propositional	17
		Conclusion	24
2.	Nonduality of Madhyamaka and Yogacara		27
		Introduction	27
		Ontology and Phenomenology	28
		Critical Ontology in Madhyamaka Arguments	39
		Prasangikga-Madhyamaka and Radical Deconstruction	43
		Phenomenological Analyses in Mind-Only	49
		Cognitive Grounds	54
		Conclusion	64
3.	Self-Awareness and the Subject-Object		67
		Introduction	67
		Types of Self-Awareness	68
		Mind and Gnosis	74
		The Critical Gaze of Geluk Prasangika	80
		Conclusion	86
4.	Concepts and the Nonconceptual		89
		Introduction	89
		Language and the Roots of Knowledge	90
		Conception and Perception	95
		Prasangika-Madhyamaka and Conventional Foundations	103
		Cultivation	109
		Conclusion	114
5.	Radical Phenomenology		117
		Introduction	117
		And the Flesh Became Word: On the Inversion and Creation of Values in Tantra	118
		Mahamudra Phenomenology	126
		The Great Perfection	140
		The Ground as Fruition	146
		Conclusion	150
Conclusion			153
Appendices			155
		Appendix A: Prologue to Roar of the Fearless Lion	157
		Appendix B: Excerpt from A Lamp Completely Illuminating the Profound Reality of Interdependence	187
		Appendix C: The Buddhist Philosophies Section from the Concise Summary of the Philosophies of the "Wish-Fulfilling Treasury"	215
		Appendix D: "Mahamudra Meditation: The Essential Nature of the Completion Stage"	259
Bibliography			287
Index			305