Middle Beyond Extremes: Maitreya's Madhyantavibhanga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham

A classic exposition of the Mind-Only School of Mahayana Buddhism is now made available to a wider public for the first time. Included are two commentaries which flesh out the terse root text and explore the underlying philosophical issues. Middle Beyond Extremes Contains A Translation Of The Buddhist Masterpiece Distinguishing The Middle From Extremes. This Famed Text, Often Referred To By Its Sanskrit Title, Madhyantavibhaga, Is Part Of A Collection Known As The Five Maitreya Teachings. Maitreya, The Buddha's Regent, Is Held To Have Entrusted These Profound And Vast Instructions To The Master Asanga In The Heavenly Realm Of Tushita. In Pithy Verses, Distinguishing The Middle From Extremes Employs The Principle Of The Three Natures To Explain The Way Things Seem To Be, As Well As The Way They Actually Are. Unraveling The Subtle Processes That Condition Our Thinking And Experience, Maitreya's Teaching Reveals A Powerful Path Of Compassionate Vision And Spiritual Transformation. Distinguishing The Middle From Extremes Is Here Presented Alongside Commentaries By Two Outstanding Masters Of Tibet's Nonsectarian Rime Movement: Khenpo Shenga And Ju Mipham.^ Maitreya And Asanga, Who Lived During The Fourth Century C.e., Are The Progenitors Of The Approach Of Vast Activity, One Of Two Great Currents Of Mahayana View And Practice. Their Works Have Achieved The Status Of Unique Spiritual Classics. Maitreya Describes The Multifaceted Interdependent Processes Whereby Consciousness Manifests And Expresses Itself. When On This Path Of Experience We Equally Acknowledge The Expressions Of Mind And Their Intrinsic Nature, We Will, He Promises, Discover A Flawless And Bountiful Perspective--a Discovery Of Unlimited Resources. Maitreya's Terse Instructions Are Accompanied Here By Two Commentaries. The First, By Khenpo Shenga (1871-1927), Intersperses Glosses And Explanatory Remarks Between The Words Of The Root Text. Unique To Shenga's Approach Is That He Literally Never Adds A Word Of His Own--all Of His Comments Are Extracted Verbatim From The Classical Commentary Of Vasubandhu.^ The Second Commentary, By Ju Mipham (1846-1912), Seeks To Explain And Provide Clear Solutions By Taking Up The Issues Set Forth In The Verses And Offering His Understanding Of Them.--publisher's Website. The Characteristics -- The Obscurations -- Reality -- The Path Of Practice -- The Unsurpassable Vehicle. With Commentaries By Khenpo Shenga And Ju Mipham ; Translated By The Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [203]-205) And Index. Maitreyanātha's Work Translated Into English From The Tibetan Translation Of The Original Sanskrit Text. Unraveling the subtle processes that condition our thinking and experience, Maitreya's teaching reveals a powerful path of compassionate vision and spiritual transformation. Middle Beyond Extremes contains a translation of the Buddhist masterpiece Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes. This famed text, often referred to by its Sanskrit title, Madhyāntavibhāga, is part of a collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings. Maitreya is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions to the master Asaṅga in the heavenly realm of Tuṣita.Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes employs the principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as well as the way they actually are. It is presented here alongside commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibet's nonsectarian Rimé movement, Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham. "This book contains a translation of the Buddhist masterpiece Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes. The work employs the principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as well as the way they actually are. Unraveling the subtle processes that condition our thinking and experience, Maitreya's teaching reveals a powerful path of compassionate vision and spiritual transformation. Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes is here presented alongside commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibet's nonsectarian Rime movement, Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham."--BOOK JACKET Table of Contents ......Page 6 FOREWORD by Trulshik Rinpoche......Page 10 FOREWORD by Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche......Page 12 INTRODUCTION......Page 14 Maitreya’s Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes......Page 20 1 The Characteristics ......Page 26 2 The Obscurations ......Page 48 3 Reality ......Page 70 4 The Path of Practice ......Page 104 5 The Unsurpassable Vehicle ......Page 124 Conclusion ......Page 162 Appendix ......Page 168 Notes ......Page 174 English-Tibetan Glossary ......Page 180 Tibetan-English-Sanskrit Glossary ......Page 190 Bibliography ......Page 204 Index ......Page 208