Download or read book Nagarjuna s Advice for Buddhists written by Lhundub Sopa and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2023-03-14 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A modern commentary by a beloved Tibetan teacher on a classical Indian Buddhist text and an introduction to Buddhism by one of the tradition’s most famous authors. A teaching on how to live a Buddhist life in contemporary society. Letter to A Friend, by the great Indian philosopher Nagarjuna, is one of the best-known introductions to Buddhism in classical Indian Buddhist literature. In this warm and generous commentary, one of the twentieth century’s most beloved teachers, Geshe Lhundup Sopa, shows how Nagarjuna’s advice on how to follow Buddhist ethics while living fully in the world speaks just as clearly to us today as it did to the Indian king for whom it was composed. Nagarjuna maintained that all Buddhists can embody the full teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, this book covers topics from simple virtues to the most profound truths of emptiness. Expertly compiled by his student, scholar Beth Newman, from talks given over a number of years, the commentary brings this ancient Buddhist teaching to a modern audience.
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Advice for Buddhists written by Lhundub Sopa and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2023-03-14 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Letter to a Friend stands out among Nāgārjuna's works because of its minimal philosophical content and limited discussion of Mahayana practices. A Letter to a Friend is a comprehensive yet brief summary of the basic ideas and practices that form the substrate for all forms Buddhism: in other words, the text outlines the practices common to the Hinayana-more respectfully called the Śrāvakayāna-and the Mahayana in both its Sutrayana and Vajrayana forms. In that regard, it can be seen as a very early precursor of the presentation of the graduated path to awakening in a single text developed centuries later by Atiśa (circa 982-1055), and expanded in Tibet by the master Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419). Geshe Sopa was an exemplary Buddhist monk practitioner as well as a superlative scholar. His quiet and compassionate traditionalism drew people in; he did not blast people with charisma. He was a recognized master of his tradition and also knew how to reach a contemporary audience. His teachings on A Letter to a Friend roughly follow the commentary written by Rendawa Shonu Lodro (1349-1412). However, he added much, much more. He brought in additional material from many sources: the sutras, other texts by Nāgārjuna, works by great Indian masters such as Śāntideva, Āryadeva, Candrakīrti, Vasubhandu and others, and from multiple works by Je Tsongkhapa.15 Although Nāgārjuna's text primarily teaches the common path with little emphasis on philosophy, Geshe Sopa's explanation supplements it to teach the Mahayana path and Madhyamaka philosophy"--
Download or read book Buddhist Advice for Living Liberation written by Nāgārjuna and published by Snow Lion. This book was released on 2007-01-26 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this foundational text of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, Nagarjuna offers intimate counsel on how to conduct one's life so as to improve one's condition and to gain release from all types of suffering, culminating in Buddhahood.
Download or read book Living Wisely written by Sangharakshita and published by Windhorse Publications. This book was released on 2013-06-14 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we live wisely? This is the question Sangharakshita seeks to answer in this commentary on Precious Garland of Advice for a King. In the companion volume, Living Ethically, Sangharakshita showed us that to live a Buddhist life we need to develop an ethical foundation, living in a way motivated increasingly by love, contentment and awareness. However, from a Buddhist viewpoint, 'being good' is not good enough. We need to use our positive ethical position to develop wisdom, a deep understanding of the true nature of existence.
Download or read book Advice from a Spiritual Friend written by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and published by . This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Letter to a Friend by the great master Nagarjuna contains very practical advice and detailed instructions for all generations. It has been kept close to the heart and actualized by many practitioners across the centuries in India and Tibet. The main topic is how to be a good, decent, and responsible person in samsara. These principles are important and valuable for anyone, no matter where they live or what they believe. Dharma is based on cultivating a good character and ethical conduct combined with a deep understanding of interdependence. There is a profound relationship between one's mind, motivation, and how they interact with natural systems and human societies. Nagarjuna is inviting us to take a deeper look at this relationship, and the renowned master Mipham Rinpoche expands these points even further. Nagarjuna wrote this letter directly to his friend, but his advice applies to everyone. It explains how to be strong and conduct ourselves with courage and confidence in the world. It offers clear instructions on how to expand our human kindness and the precious qualities of morality, concentration, wisdom, and an open heart. We can work through difficult experiences and learn to meet all the challenges in samsara without a lot of hardship and struggle. Instead of collapsing and giving up, we can continue moving forward with good energy toward a bright future.
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Letter to a Friend written by Nagarjuna and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2013-09-10 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exposition of the entire Buddhist path in only 123 verses. A Buddhist classic. Nagarjuna's poetic presentation of the fundamental teachings of the Great Vehicle, or Mahayana, is remarkable for its concise style and memorable imagery, making it one of the most widely quoted sources in other commentaries on the Mahayana path. The great Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna (first-second century C.E.) wrote his celebrated poem "Letter to a Friend" as a gift of advice to a South Indian king, and it has since become a monument in the Indian shastra tradition. Despite its short length (only 123 verses), Nagarjuna's "Letter to a Friend" covers the entire Mahayana path, combining a practical approach to daily conduct with a theoretical exposition of the different stages leading to enlightenment. It has thus been an ideal source for many of Tibet's great scholars seeking a scriptural authority to enhance their own descriptions of the Buddhist path. Any difficulties in understanding the poem are overcome here by Kangyur Rinpoche's commentary, which turns Nagarjuna's sometimes cryptic poem into straightforward prose, expanding on each topic and ordering the different subjects in such a way that on returning to the original poem, the reader can easily make sense of the advice it contains. It includes headings to explain Nagarjuna's frequent changes in subject and full explanations of the ideas introduced in each verse. In addition to the commentary, this book presents the original poem in the Tibetan and in a new English translation that attempts to emulate Nagarjuna's lines of metric verse. Also included are Kangyur Rinpoche's structural outline (sa bchad), a Tibetan line index to enable students to locate quotations used in other Tibetan works, full notes, and a glossary.
Download or read book The Precious Garland written by Nāgārjuna and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Buddhist Advice for Living Liberation written by Nāgārjuna and published by Snow Lion Publications, Incorporated. This book was released on 1998 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nagarjuna is renowned for his penetrating anaylsis of reality.
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Middle Way written by Mark Siderits and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-04-22 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2014 Khyenste Foundation Translation Prize. Nagarjuna's renowned twenty-seven-chapter Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamakakarika) is the foundational text of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. It is the definitive, touchstone presentation of the doctrine of emptiness. Professors Siderits and Katsura prepared this translation using the four surviving Indian commentaries in an attempt to reconstruct an interpretation of its enigmatic verses that adheres as closely as possible to that of its earliest proponents. Each verse is accompanied by concise, lively exposition by the authors conveying the explanations of the Indian commentators. The result is a translation that balances the demands for fidelity and accessibility.
Download or read book The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way written by Nagarjuna and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1995-11-09 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Buddhist saint N=ag=arjuna, who lived in South India in approximately the second century CE, is undoubtedly the most important, influential, and widely studied Mah=ay=ana Buddhist philosopher. His many works include texts addressed to lay audiences, letters of advice to kings, and a set of penetrating metaphysical and epistemological treatises. His greatest philosophical work, the Mūlamadhyamikak=arik=a--read and studied by philosophers in all major Buddhist schools of Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea--is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy. Now, in The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Jay L. Garfield provides a clear and eminently readable translation of N=ag=arjuna's seminal work, offering those with little or no prior knowledge of Buddhist philosophy a view into the profound logic of the Mūlamadhyamikak=arik=a. Garfield presents a superb translation of the Tibetan text of Mūlamadhyamikak=arik=a in its entirety, and a commentary reflecting the Tibetan tradition through which N=ag=arjuna's philosophical influence has largely been transmitted. Illuminating the systematic character of N=ag=arjuna's reasoning, Garfield shows how N=ag=arjuna develops his doctrine that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, that is, than nothing exists substantially or independently. Despite lacking any essence, he argues, phenomena nonetheless exist conventionally, and that indeed conventional existence and ultimate emptiness are in fact the same thing. This represents the radical understanding of the Buddhist doctrine of the two truths, or two levels of reality. He offers a verse-by-verse commentary that explains N=ag=arjuna's positions and arguments in the language of Western metaphysics and epistemology, and connects N=ag=arjuna's concerns to those of Western philosophers such as Sextus, Hume, and Wittgenstein. An accessible translation of the foundational text for all Mah=ay=ana Buddhism, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way offers insight to all those interested in the nature of reality.
Download or read book N g rjuna s Letter to King Gautam putra written by Nāgārjuna and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. This book was released on 2004 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nagarjuna's Letter to King Gautamiputra is a concise and comprehensive explanation of the fundamentals of the Buddha's teaching and of the Buddhist path to liberation. Written by the renowned sage Nagarjuna for his friend and patron Gautamiputra the then King of Andhra in the South of India, the work which contains one hundred and twenty three verses achieved great popularity first in India and then in Tibet. Though the Sanskrit original of the work is lost, the present English translation has been made from the Tibetan collection. Explanatory notes based on three authoritative Tibetan commentaries have been added to the text. The Tibetan text of the verses of Nagarjuna's letter is also included to assist students and scholars who wish to consult the Tibetan version.
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Wisdom written by Barry Kerzin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the Mulamadhyamakakarika the way the Dalai Lama teaches it. Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way, or as it’s known in Tibetan, Root Wisdom, is a definitive presentation of the doctrines of emptiness and dependent arising, and a foundational text of Mahayana Buddhism. In this book, Barry Kerzin, personal physician to the Dalai Lama, presents this fundamental work in a digestible way, using a method favored by His Holiness: focusing on five key chapters, presented in a specific order. First we explore the twelve links of dependent origination, in Nagarjuna’s chapter 26, to learn why and how we cycle through sa?sara. Then we examine the self that cycles to discover that, in fact, there is no inherently existent self, based on Nagarjuna's chapter 18. We then enter an analysis of the four noble truths, based on chapter 24, to understand how conventional reality is understood. Next, an investigation of the Tathagata shows the reader that even emptiness is empty in chapter 22. Finally, Nagarjuna re-emphasizes the pervasiveness of emptiness in his first chapter. Thus, Dr. Kerzin walks us through Nagarjuna’s masterwork and lets the great teacher introduce us to Buddhist philosophy, step by step—deepening our understanding, enhancing the way we practice.
Download or read book Nagarjuna Buddhism s Most Important Philosopher written by and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DescriptionNagarjuna stands second only to the Buddha in his importance in Buddhist thought. The concept of "emptiness (shunyata)" became the central ontological concept in Mahayana Buddhism thanks to his effort. Not only did he found the Madhyamaka tradition in India, understanding his philosophy is needed to understand the Zen tradition and the Dalai Lama's Tibetan tradition. Included here are translations from the Sanskrit of his most important philosophical works into plain English, so that the general educated public interested in Buddhism or philosophy can understand his thought. Also included are separate commentaries and a bibliography of further readings. The works presented here collectively constitute what the Tibetans call Nagarjuna's "analytic corpus." Translated from the original Sanskrit are the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way (the Mula-madhyamaka-karikas), Overturning the Objections (the Vigraha- vyavartani) with Nagarjuna's own commentary, and the philosophical portions of the Jewel Garland of Advice (the Ratnavali). Three works that are no longer extant in Sanskrit are summarized here: Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shunyata-saptati-karikas), Sixty Verses on Argument (Yukti-shashtikas), and Pulverizing the Categories (Vaidalya-prakarana). This book now has a second edition that revises all in this edition and adds more.
Download or read book Nagarjuna Second Edition written by Richard H. Jones and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-10-09 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nagarjuna stands second only to the Buddha in his importance in Buddhist thought. The concept of “emptiness (shunyata)” became the central ontological concept in Mahayana Buddhism thanks to his effort. Not only did he found the Madhyamaka tradition in India, understanding his philosophy is needed to understand the Zen tradition and the Dalai Lama's Tibetan tradition.Included here are translations from the Sanskrit of his most important philosophical works into plain English, so that the general educated public interested in Buddhism or philosophy can understand his thought. Also included are separate commentaries and a bibliography of further readings.The works presented here collectively constitute what the Tibetans call Nagarjuna's “analytic corpus.” Translated from the original Sanskrit are the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way (the Mula-madhyamaka-karikas), Overturning the Objections (the Vigraha-vyavartani) with Nagarjuna's own commentary, and the philosophical portions of the Jewel Garland of Advice (the Ratnavali). Three works that are no longer extant in Sanskrit are summarized here: Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shunyata-saptati-karikas), Sixty Verses on Argument (Yukti-shashtikas), and Pulverizing the Categories (Vaidalya-prakarana).The expanded edition revises the entire text and adds material to the earlier essays and adds two new essays.
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Seventy Stanzas written by David Ross Komito and published by Snow Lion. This book was released on 1987 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For almost two thousand years Nagarjuna's teachings have occupied a central position in Mahayana Buddhism.
Download or read book The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment Volume 2 written by Tsong-kha-pa and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2015-04-28 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second volume of the 15th-century spiritual classic that condenses Buddhist teachings into one easy-to-follow meditation manual The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Tib. Lam rim chen mo) is one of the brightest jewels in the world’s treasury of sacred literature. The author, Tsong-kha-pa, completed it in 1402, and it soon became one of the most renowned works of spiritual practice and philosophy in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Because it condenses all the exoteric sūtra scriptures into a meditation manual that is easy to understand, scholars and practitioners rely on its authoritative presentation as a gateway that leads to a full understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. Tsong-kha-pa took great pains to base his insights on classical Indian Buddhist literature, illustrating his points with classical citations as well as with sayings of the masters of the earlier Kadampa tradition. In this way the text demonstrates clearly how Tibetan Buddhism carefully preserved and developed the Indian Buddhist traditions. This first of three volumes covers all the practices that are prerequisite for developing the spirit of enlightenment (bodhicitta).
Download or read book Nagarjuna s Precious Garland written by Sara McClintock and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2024-03-05 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the eloquence and insight of the philosopher Nagarjuna, held by tradition to be a second Buddha, in this concise instruction for a king that is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist literature. In this profound work of five hundred verses, we encounter a presentation of Buddhism that integrates both the worldly and the transcendent. The clear and sagacious advice laid out on every page serves as a road map to one’s highest goal—whether that goal is a better life, here called the Dharma of ascendance, or the ultimate one of spiritual freedom, the Dharma of the highest good. The verses, written for an unnamed ruler, touch on questions of statecraft, but their broader themes speak to us today because they tackle the difficulty of integrating one’s spiritual journey with the social and political demands of daily life. Nagarjuna was an Indian Buddhist teacher, probably of the second century CE, who was renowned for his astute articulation of the philosophy of the Middle Way (Madhyamaka). His thoroughgoing critique of all forms of essentialism became a touchstone for Mahayana Buddhism in India, Tibet, and throughout East Asia, and his importance for the development of the Mahayana tradition can scarcely be exaggerated. The translators here first rendered Nagarjuna’s letter for the Dalai Lama’s teachings on the work in Los Angeles in 1997. While that commemorative edition was translated from the Tibetan, the present volume prioritizes the surviving Sanskrit verses along with the only known Indian commentary, by the eleventh-century scholar Ajitamitra. This is the first complete translation in English of the Precious Garland that takes the Indian text and commentary as its primary authorities. In addition, the translators provide rigorous working editions of the Sanskrit and Tibetan verses they translate. This elegant and precise rendering of Nagarjuna’s work is certain to become the touchstone translation of this celebrated Buddhist text.
