Introduction to the Middle Way: Difference between revisions
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''Madhyamaka'' refers to the texts which express the meaning of the middle way beyond extremes, both the Buddha's teachings of the [[second turning]] and the commentaries that further elucidate their meaning. Specifically here it refers to [[Nagarjuna]]'s [[Mulamadhyamaka-karika]]. | ''Madhyamaka'' refers to the texts which express the meaning of the middle way beyond extremes, both the Buddha's teachings of the [[second turning]] and the commentaries that further elucidate their meaning. Specifically here it refers to [[Nagarjuna]]'s [[Mulamadhyamaka-karika]]. | ||
''Avatara'' means entry or introduction. This text is an introduction in the sense that it clearly brings out the meaning of Nagarjuna's text by means of both scriptures from the sutras as well as the pith instruction passed down through the lineage of | ''Avatara'' means entry or introduction. This text is an introduction in the sense that it clearly brings out the meaning of Nagarjuna's text by means of both scriptures from the sutras as well as the pith instruction passed down through the lineage of masters from [[Nagarjuna]] to [[Chandrakirti]]. It expresses both the profound aspect of Nagarjuna's text, namely emptiness, as well as the vast aspect, the paths and bhumis. | ||
==Structure== | ==Structure== | ||
Revision as of 14:52, 7 January 2010
Introduction to the Middle Way (Skt. Madhyamakāvatāra; Tib. Uma la Jukpa; Wyl. dbu ma la 'jug pa) — Chandrakirti's classic commentary on the meaning of Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamaka-karika. It is also a commentary on the Sutra of the Ten Bhumis (Dashabhumika-Sutra).
Meaning of the Title
Madhyamaka refers to the texts which express the meaning of the middle way beyond extremes, both the Buddha's teachings of the second turning and the commentaries that further elucidate their meaning. Specifically here it refers to Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamaka-karika.
Avatara means entry or introduction. This text is an introduction in the sense that it clearly brings out the meaning of Nagarjuna's text by means of both scriptures from the sutras as well as the pith instruction passed down through the lineage of masters from Nagarjuna to Chandrakirti. It expresses both the profound aspect of Nagarjuna's text, namely emptiness, as well as the vast aspect, the paths and bhumis.
Structure
The text has eleven chapters, corresponding to the ten bhumis and the state of buddhahood.
Translations
English
- Geshe Rabten, Echoes of Voidness, translated and edited by Stephen Batchelor, Wisdom, 1983
- Huntington, C.W., The Emptiness of Emptiness, University of Hawaii Press, 1989
- Introduction to the Middle Way with Mipham Rinpoche's Commentary, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, Shambhala, 2002
- Introduction to the Middle Way: Chandrakirti's Madhyamakavatara with commentary by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, edited by Alex Trisoglio, Khyentse Foundation, 2003
French
- Louis de la Vallée Poussin: Madhyamakavatara par Candrakirti, Bibliotheca Buddhica IX. Osnabrück, Biblio Verlag, 1970. Available for free download here
Commentaries
In Tibetan
- Khenpo Shenga, dbu ma la 'jug pa'i 'grel mchan legs par bshad pa zla ba'i 'od zer
- Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, dbu ma 'jug pa'i 'bru 'grel blo gsal dga' ba'i me long
In Translation
- Jeffrey Hopkins, Compassion in Tibetan Buddhism, Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1980 (first five chapters based on Tsongkhapa’s commentary)
- Rendawa Shonnu Lodro, Commentary on the Entry into the Middle, Lamp which Elucidates Reality, translated by Stotter-Tillman & Acharya Tashi Tsering, Sarnath, Varanasi, 1997.