Letter to a Friend

Letter to a Friend - (Skt. Suhṛllekha, Wyl. bshes pa'i spring yig), by Nagarjuna.

Nagarjuna (1st - 2nd century A.D.) wrote his celebrated poem Letter to a Friend as a letter of advice to his friend King Gautamiputra/Satavahana.

This advice gives a concise and comprehensive introduction to the entire path and practice of Buddhism. It guides both householders and the ordained onto the path leading to liberation and enlightenment. The instructions are of special interest to those who wish to take up spiritual activity while continuing to live and work in society. The instructions are meant to convey the whole meaning of the Dharma to the ordinary person in a language and style that are easy to understand.

Despite its short length (only 123 verses), it covers the whole Mahayana path with unusual clarity and memorable imagery, and it is for this reason that it is widely quoted by Tibet's great masters and scholars in the many commentaries they have written on the Buddhist path.

This text belongs to Nagarjuna’s Collection of Advice.

Translations

• Nāgārjuna's Letter with Commentary by Venerable Rendawa Zhön-nu Lo-drö, translated by Geshe Lobsang Tharchin and Artemus B. Engle, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1979
• Nāgārjuna's Letter to King Gautamīputra, with Explanatory Notes Based on Tibetan Commentaries, tr. by Ven Lozang Jamspal, Ven. Ngawang Samten Chophel and Peter Della Santina, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1996

External Links

• Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend: with Commentary by Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications

• Text of Letter to a Friend, translated by Alexander Berzin