“It is thrilling at long last to have a complete translation of the Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Tsongkhapa’s great, late-life summation of his views on a wide range of issues in Buddhist cosmology, ethics, meditation theory, and—perhaps most importantly—Madhyamaka philosophy. Philip Quarcoo’s accurate and readable translation brings alive for both scholars and practitioners of Buddhism Je Rinpoche's lucid presentation of the entire non-tantric path to awakening, from initial devotion to the spiritual master all the way to the transformative realization of emptiness. This is an indispensable work for anyone who wants to appreciate the mature thought of one of Tibet’s—and the world’s—true religious and philosophical geniuses.”
Description
The first complete English translation of renowned scholar-saint Tsongkhapa's Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path.
Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), the author of the well-known Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and the teacher of the First Dalai Lama, is renowned as one of the greatest scholar-saints that Tibet has ever produced. A dozen years after writing the Great Treatise, he wrote the Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path, presented here in its first complete English translation.
Half the length of the well-known Great Treatise, this work similarly presents a systematic overview of the Buddhist path. Tsongkhapa begins by abridging the longer work, distilling its explanations for quicker integration. He presents a series of meditations, beginning with recognizing the rarity of our human existence and the great opportunities it affords, followed by reflections on impermanence, suffering, and the promise of liberation from our past actions, until proceeding to the path of bodhisattvas, whose universal compassion seeks to free every being from suffering. Tsongkhapa gives especially detailed instructions on samatha, the deep meditative concentration that is a precondition for the highest insight into the nature of reality. The final and largest section, on that very insight, is unique to this work, particularly Tsongkhapa’s presentation of conventional truth and ultimate truth.
Those new to Tibetan Buddhist teachings will benefit from the approachable style of this classic handbook for enlightenment, and beginners and longtime practitioners alike will cherish the clear guidance from one of Tibet’s great luminaries.
Reviews
“Tsongkhapa’s Middle-Length Treatise offers precious personal instruction for practice. It is a beautiful letter from our teacher. I am grateful to everyone involved in producing this excellent translation!”
“An authentic source for the deep and extensive teachings of one of the greatest Buddhist masters of Tibet. The profound words of Je Tsongkhapa come through clearly and precisely in this welcome addition to the growing lamrim graded-path literature.”
“The Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, composed by Je Tsongkhapa at Ganden Monastery in 1415 as a summary of all the scriptures containing the Buddha’s words, counts among the early outstanding works of his printed oeuvre, a Central Tibetan xylograph from the year 1465 being a significant witness. This work is now available in an elegant English translation, refined in a long process of immersion in the text and ably capturing the tone of the master’s voice as he presents a complete course to enlightenment in an accessible step-by-step approach.”