The Karmapa's Middle Way: Feast for the Fortunate, A Commentary on Chandrakirti's Madhyamakavatara

Marked by eloquent poetry, vigorous and extensive analysis, and heart instructions on breaking through the veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of things, The Karmapa's Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakirti's seminal text, the Entrance to the Middle Way. This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate, is the Ninth Karmapa's abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorje's masterpiece, the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyu Siddhas. In it readers will find previously unavailable material on the Karmapa's Middle Way view and a rare window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan Buddhism. In this book, Chandrakirti and the Karmapa present in precise detail the vital Buddhist concept of emptiness, through which the Mahayana path of compassionate altruism becomes complete. Contents......Page 6 An Aspiration by His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje......Page 8 A Verse on the Essence of the Middle Way by Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche......Page 12 Foreword by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche......Page 14 Translator’s Acknowledgments......Page 18 Technical Notes......Page 22 Introduction......Page 24 Preamble......Page 100 Lineages......Page 106 The Title and Translator’s Homage......Page 112 The Three Causes of Bodhisattvas......Page 116 Ground One: Supreme Joy......Page 122 Ground Two: The Stainless......Page 144 Ground Three: The Luminous......Page 152 Ground Four: The Radiant......Page 162 Ground Five: Difficult to Overcome......Page 164 Ground Six: The Manifest......Page 166 Ground Seven: Gone Far Beyond......Page 514 Ground Eight: The Immovable......Page 518 Ground Nine: Excellent Intelligence......Page 524 Ground Ten: Cloud of Dharma......Page 526 Qualities of the Bodhisattva Grounds......Page 528 The Resultant Ground of Buddhahood......Page 534 Conclusion......Page 576 Appendix I Excerpt from lucid words......Page 602 Appendix II Atisha’s key instructions of the middle way......Page 618 Appendix III The five great reasonings of the middle way ......Page 622 Appendix IV How to do analytical meditation on the entrance to the middle way: a brief guide......Page 624 Appendix V The Root Text of the Entrance to the Middle Way......Page 630 Appendix VI THE KARMAPA’S OUTLINE FOR FEAST FOR THE FORTUNATE......Page 686 Bibliography......Page 744 Notes......Page 750 Index......Page 794 "Marked by eloquent poetry, vigorous and extensive analysis, and heart instructions on breaking through the veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of things, The Karmapa's Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje's comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakirti's seminal text, the Madhyamakavatara, or Entrance to the Middle Way. This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate, is the Ninth Karmapa's abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje's masterpiece, the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyu Siddhas. In it readers will find previously unavailable material on the Karmapas' Middle Way view and a rare window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan Buddhism." "This book contains Chandrakirti's root text to the Entrance to the Middle Way and its commentary by the Ninth Karmapa, entitled Feast for the Fortunate; an informative Introduction detailing the history of the Middle Way, key Middle Way philosophical principles, and the main points of each chapter of the text; a thoroughly annotated translation of a famous excerpt of Chandrakirti's Lucid Words; and other useful appendices and reference materials."--Jacket. Marked by eloquent poetry, vigorous and extensive analysi,s and heart instructions on breaking through the veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of things, The Karmapa's Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakirti's seminal text, the Madhyamakavatara or Entrance to the Middle Way . This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate , is the Ninth Karmapa's abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorje's masterpiece, the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyu Siddhas . In it, readers will find previously unavailable material on the Karmapa's Middle Way view and a rare window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan Buddhism. Chandrakirti and the Karmapa present in precise detail the vital Buddhist concept of emptiness through which the Mahayana path of compassionate altruism becomes complete. Introductory material, copious footnotes, appendices, and a reader-centric approach to the language will make this volume equally accessible to the seasoned scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and the newly curious nonspecialist alike Marked by eloquent poetry, vigorous and extensive analysis, and heart instructions on breaking through the veils of confusion to independently experience the true nature of things, The Karmapa's Middle Way contains the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's comprehensive commentary on the Indian master Chandrakīrti's seminal text, the Madhyamakāvatāra, or Entrance to the Middle Way. This commentary, Feast for the Fortunate, is the Ninth Karmapa's abridgement of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje's masterpiece, the Chariot of the Takpo Kagyü Siddhas. In it, readers will find previously unavailable material on the Karmapas'Middle Way view and a rare window into a philosophically charged era of Middle Way exposition in Tibetan Buddhism. It includes Chandrakīrti's root text to the Entrance to the Middle Way and its commentary by the Ninth Karmapa; an introduction detailing the history of the Middle Way, key Middle Way philosophical principles, and the main points of each chapter of the text; an annotated translation of a famous excerpt of Chandrakīrti's Lucid Words; and other useful appendices and reference materials.