Gateway to Knowledge, Volume 4: The Treatise Entitled The Gate for Entering the Way of a Pandita

The Gateway to Knowledge is a condensation of the Tripitaka (the traditional term used to describe Buddhist canons of scriptures) and its accompanying commentaries by the Tibetan Buddhist master Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche.Consolidating the intent of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni's teachings into a unified body of textbooks, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche elucidates the philosophical backbone of the living tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This rich source book embodies the basics of Prajnaparamita and Madhyamika as well as the Abhidharma from both Mahayana ("greater vehicle") and Hinayana ("lesser vehicle") perspectives. Every volume in this series includes the Tibetan text and the English translation on facing pages, permitting side-by-side textual study. Volume 4 elucidates "The Four Seals of the Dharma" (all conditioned things are impermanent, everything defiling is suffering, nirvana is peace, and all phenomena are empty and devoid of self-entity). It also includes the four right discriminations (meaning, Dharma, definitive words, and ready speech) as well as the four reasonings that have been taught in the sutras (the principle of efficacy, the principle of dependence, the principle of reality, and the principle of valid proof) and the four reliances (do not rely on the individual, but on the Dharma; do not rely on the words, but on the meaning; do not rely on the provisional meaning, but on the definitive meaning; and do not rely on the ordinary mind, but rely on wisdom). The Gateway to Knowledge is a condensation of the Tripitaka and its accompanying commentaries. Consolidating the intent of Buddha Shakyamunis teachings into a unified body of textbooks, it is the philosophical backbone of the living tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Volume IV of this rich source book elucidates, The Four Seals of the Dharma, which are that all conditioned things are impermanent, everything defiling is suffering, nirvana is peace, and all phenomena are empty and devoid of self-entity. It also includes the four right discriminations, which are meaning, Dharma, definitive words, and ready speech as well as the four reasonings that have been taught in the sutras: 1) the principle of efficacy, 2) the principle of dependence, 3) the principle of reality, and 4) the principle of valid proof and the four reliances. Every volume in this series includes the Tibetan text and the English translation on facing pages. The Tibetan master, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912) is an exceptional treasure of wisdom, compassion and scholarship. His accomplishments in practice, learning, composition and teaching are immense. The student of the Gateway to knowledge can begin to comprehend the meaning of the major works on Buddhist philosophy and of the traditional sciences. When you want to extract their meaning you need and expert system, a key. The gateway to Knowledge is like that key, a magical key it opens up the treasury of precious gemstones in the expansive collection of Buddhist scriptures.