All lineages of Tibetan Buddhism today claim allegiance to the philosophy of the Middle Way, the exposition of emptiness propounded by the second-century Indian master Nagarjuna. But not everyone interprets it the same way. A major faultline runs through Tibetan Buddhism around the interpretation of what are called the two truths--the deceptive truth of conventional appearances and the ultimate truth of emptiness. An understanding of this faultline illuminates the beliefs that separate the Gelug descendents of Tsongkhapa from contemporary Dzogchen and Mahamudra adherents. The Two Truths Debate digs into the debate of how the two truths are defined and how they are related by looking at two figures, one on either side of the faultline, and shows how their philosophical positions have dramatic implications for how one approaches Buddhist practice and how one understands enlightenment itself.

A Namgyal Monastery Institute Textbook & Studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism Series The persistent problem of Buddhist philosophy has been to find the middle way—an ontology sturdy enough to support a coherent ethical system that does not betray Buddha's original vision of no-self or emptiness (sunyata). Buddhist perspectives on ethics and emptiness center on the distinction between two truths—the conventional and the ultimate. Newland's work lays out the Madhyamika philosophy of two truths as seen through the eyes of Tibetan scholar-yogis of the Gelugpa order. Linking the classical Buddhist philosophy of Nagarjuna with the living tradition of monastic courtyard debate, the authors explain the two truths without resort to mysterious trans-rational paradoxes. Newland exposes their extraordinary efforts to clear away the sense of contradiction between emptiness and conventional reality and thus to build a Madhyamika system that is both ethically salutary and rationally coherent.

An insightful and illuminating survey of key insights into one of the most foundational and profound topics in Buddhist thought. In this clear and exemplary approach to one of the core philosophical subjects of the Buddhist tradition, Sonam Thakchoe guides readers through the range of Indian Buddhist philosophical schools and how each approaches the two truths: ultimate truth and conventional truth. In this presentation of philosophical systems, the detailed argumentations and analyses of each school’s approach to the two truths are presented to weave together the unique contributions each school brings to supporting and strengthening a Buddhist practitioner’s understanding of reality. The insights of the great scholars of Indian Buddhist history—such as Vasubandhu, Bhavaviveka, Kamalashila, Dharmakirti, Nagarjuna, and Chandrakirti—are illuminated in this volume, with profound implications for the practice and views of modern practitioners and scholars. The Vaibhashika, Sautrantika, Yogachara, and Madhyamaka schools provide a framework for a continuum of philosophical debate that is far more interrelated, and internally complex, than one may presume. Yet we see how the schools build upon the findings of one another, leading from a belief in the realism of external phenomena to the relinquishment of any commitment to realism of either external or internal realities. This fascinating movement through philosophical approaches leads us to see how the conventional and ultimate—dependent arising and emptiness—are twin aspects of a single reality.

Jnanagarbha on the Two Truths is a concise and lucid introduction to the issues and personalities that dominated Indian Madhyamaka thought on the eve of its introduction to Tibet. As an example of the influential but little-known Svatantrika branch of the Madhyamaka School, Jnanagarbha's works shows quite vividly how the commitment to reason in the search for ultimate truth shaped not only the dialogue between Madhyamaka thinkers and members of other Buddhist schools, but also the evolution of the Madhyamaka tradition itself. David Eckel has translated Jnanagarbha's text in its entirety and provided an introduction that situates the text clearly in its historical and philosophical context. Extensive notes, a transliterated version of the Tibetan translation and a reproduction of the original Tibetan block-prints make this volume useful to scholars as well as to the interested general reader.

The Mādhyamaka School of Indian Buddhist thought has had tremendous influence in the Buddhist world, particularly in Tibet, China and Japan: in the West it has become the subject of intense interest in the fields of comparative religion and philosophy. Many aspects of Mādhyamaka thought, however, remain obscure, especially during the period when Buddhist thought was first introduced to Tibet. Jñānagarbha's Commentary on the Distinction between the Two Truths is a concise and lucid introduction to the issues and personalities that dominated Indian Mādhyamaka thought on the eve of its introduction to Tibet. As an example of the influential but little-known Svātantrika branch of the Mādhyamaka School, Jñānagarbha's work shows quite vividly how the commitment to reason in the search for ultimate truth shaped not only the dialogue between Mādhyamaka thinkers and members of other Buddhist schools, but also the evolution of the Mādhyamaka tradition itself. David Eckel has translated Jñānagarbha's text in its entirety and provided an introduction that situates the text clearly in its historical and philosophical context. Extensive notes, a transliterated version of the Tibetan translation, and a reproduction of the original Tibetan blockprints make this volume useful to scholars as well as to the interested general reader.

It would be a bulky and intricate volume indeed that treated adequately of the problem of two truths in Buddhism and Vedanta: the present volume is slim and unpretentious. Not the less incisive, for that, it is hoped, but certainly neither systematic nor complete, and this in several senses. Not all schools of Buddhism are dealt with: Theravada, Indian Y ogacara, and the Logicians are missing among the Indian schools and there is no refer ence to Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. The Vedanta discussed is only Advaita (non-dualist), and that virtually limited to Sankara. Nor does the volume as a whole take up the problem of two truths thematically, though each paper raises the philosophical questions its author.thinks appropriate. The title 'The Problem of Two Truths in Buddhism and Vedanta' prom ises more than the book itself contains. The reason for this is given in the prefatory 'Note': each chapter is a paper read and discussed at a working conference. All the papers from the conference are here published, and no others. The book has thus the contours dictated by the availability of scholars at the time of the conference.

The Madhyamika philosophy of Nagarjuna articulates the basic Mahayana insights in two themes: the identity of emptiness-dependent co-arising, and the two truths. In The Foundational Standpoint of Madhyamika Philosophy, Gadjin M. Nagao, one of the foremost Buddhist scholars in the world, presents an in-depth interpretation of this foundational philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism. In this book, the author has culled data from Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and Western sources, a rare feat which only a few scholars are capable of accomplishing. The translation is faithful, readable, and masterful.

Golden Garland of Eloquence (Legs bshad gser phreng) is the famous Perfection of Wisdom (prajnaparamita) commentary written by the influential Tibetan writer Tsong kha pa (1356-1419). It is Tsong kha pa's first major work, written before his better known works on Madhyamaka. It is greatly respected and much studied by all schools of Buddhism in Tibet.The Golden Garland supplements the two main Indian Perfection of Wisdom commentaries, Arya Vimuktisena's Vrtti and Haribhadra's Aloka, on which it is based. It explains the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and earlier commentaries in detail, glossing difficult words and going into detailed explanations of difficult points. It introduces the reader to some twenty works by the most important Indian Perfection of Wisdom writers, and to the earlier Tibetan traditions of Ngok and Dolpopa, and the traditions of Buton and Nyaon. This translation makes available, for the first time in English, an example of the rich Tibetan Perfection of Wisdom commentarial tradition and will be of interest to both scholars and informed general readers alike. This is the fourth of four volumes.