In fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Tibet there was great ferment about what makes enlightenment possible, since systems of self-liberation must show what factors pre-exist in the mind that allow for transformation into a state of freedom from suffering. This controversy about the nature of mind, which persists to the present day, raises many questions. This book first presents the final exposition of special insight by Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of the Ge-luk-pa order of Tibetan Buddhism, in his medium-length Exposition of the Stages of the Path as well as the sections on the object of negation and on the two truths in his Illumination of the Thought: Extensive Explanation of Chandrakirti's Supplement to Nagarjuna's "Treatise on the Middle." It then details the views of his predecessor Dol-po-pa Shay-rap Gyel-tsen, the seminal author of philosophical treatises of the Jo-nang-pa order, as found in his Mountain Doctrine, followed by an analysis of Tsong-kha-pa's reactions. By contrasting the two systems—Dol-po-pa's doctrine of other-emptiness and Tsong-kha-pa's doctrine of self-emptiness—both views emerge more clearly, contributing to a fuller picture of reality as viewed in Tibetan Buddhism. Tsong-kha-pa's Final Exposition of Wisdom brilliantly explicates ignorance and wisdom, explains the relationship between dependent-arising and emptiness, shows how to meditate on emptiness, and explains what it means to view phenomena as like illusions.

Since the Buddha did not fully explain the theory of persons that underlies his teaching, in later centuries a number of different interpretations were developed. This book presents the interpretation by the celebrated Indian Buddhist philosopher, Candrakīrti (ca. 570–650 C.E.). Candrakīrti’s fullest statement of the theory is included in his Autocommentary on the Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatārabhasya), which is, along with his Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatāra ), among the central treatises that present the Prāsavgika account of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy. In this book, Candrakīrti’s most complete statement of his theory of persons is translated and provided with an introduction and commentary that present a careful philosophical analysis of Candrakīrti’s account of the selflessness of persons. This analysis is both philologically precise and analytically sophisticated. The book is of interest to scholars of Buddhism generally and especially to scholars of Indian Buddhist philosophy.

What is real? What is the foundation of right and wrong? How can we know? There are many ways to answer these questions--Western religious views in which humanity is part of God's creation, Eastern religious views in which delusion traps humanity in a cycle of reincarnation, and secular views in which humanity evolved as part of the material universe driven by nothing other than the impersonal forces of evolution. Each of these views paints unique and comprehensive pictures of the world to convey their vision. These pictures are as different from each other as if they were of three different lands separated from each other by patrolled borders. The border between Eastern and Western religions is guarded by arguments over the nature of the divine and rational versus experiential approaches to salvation. Both of these territories are separated from the land of scientific atheists who deny the existence of any supernatural reality and see the scientific method as the sole valid arbiter of truth. This book presents all three views for non-specialists, enabling readers to enter them imaginatively. It then compares these approaches on different contemporary topics. This book is for anyone who wonders why people believe what they do.

Study and Practice of Meditation gives a vivid and detailed account of the meditative practices necessary to develop a calm, alert mind that is capable of penetrating the depths of reality. The Buddhist meditative states known as the concentrations and formless absorptions are best known in the West from Theravada scriptures and from Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Manifest Knowledge. In this book the reader is exposed to Tibetan Buddhist views on the mental states attained through meditation as described by three contemporary Tibetan lamas. The book discusses the ways in which certain meditative states act as bases of the spiritual path as well as the nature of meditative calm and the prerequisites for cultivating and attaining it. In addition to reviewing and translating Tibetan sources, the author considers their major Indian antecedents and draws comparisons with Theravadin presentations.

Tsongkhapa's A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages (1419) is a comprehensive presentation of the highest yoga class of Buddhist tantra, especially the key practices - the so-called five stages (pancakrama) - of the advanced phase of Guhyasamaja tantra. Beginning with a thorough examination of the Indian sources, Tsongkhapa draws particularly from the writings of Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Candrakirti, and Naropa to develop a definitive understanding of the Vajrayana completion stage. Whereas in the generation stage, meditators visualize the Buddha in the form of the deity residing in a mandala palace, in the completion stage discussed in the present volume, meditators transcend ordinary consciousness and actualize the state of a buddha themselves. Among other things, Tsongkhapa's work covers the subtle human physiology of channels and winds along with the process of dying, the bardo, and rebirth. This definitive statement on Guhyasamaja tantra profoundly affected the course of Buddhist practice in Tibet.

"Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature is a philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. Charting the different ways Buddhist traditions in Tibet configure the relationship between Madhyamaka and Mind-Only, Duckworth shows how these configurations inform the shape of distinct contemplative practices"--

This book offers an organised summary of my philosophy of the transpersonal, referring to experiences, processes, and events transcending the egology of the coarse mind and involving a sense of connection to, or participation with, a larger, more meaningful existence transforming consciousness. In the past, transpersonal philosophy developed Perennial, Empiricist and Participatory models to explain the holotropic, or altered states of consciousness calling for wholeness. This book integrates these views to accommodate a critical model, encompassing Criticism, Process Philosophy, Piaget's Genetic Epistemology, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the Eastern Chakra system, the Qabalah, Psychedelica and Depth Psychology, in casu Assagioli's Psychosynthesis. The distinction between self-actualization (the vision of totality) and self-realization (mystical experience touching the infinite) is pertinent and informs this critical and eclectic transpersonal philosophy.

In this innovative book, S. Niggol Seo investigates the intrinsic and intriguing relationship between the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the principles of economics and happiness. Offering a unique perspective on the topic, Seo delves deep into the theoretical foundations of economics and Buddhist teachings, highlighting how these seemingly polar opposite thought systems cross paths.