Ocean of Reasoning: A Great Commentary on Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā - Hardcover

Tsong Khapa; Samten, Geshe Ngawang; Garfield, Jay L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195147324 ISBN 13: 9780195147322

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Tsong kha pa (14th-century) is arguably the most important and influential philosopher in Tibetan history. An Ocean of Reasoning is the most extensive and perhaps the deepest extant commentary on Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika (Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way), and it can be argued that it is impossible to discuss Nagarjuna's work in an informed way without consulting it. It discusses alternative readings of the text and prior commentaries and provides a detailed exegesis, constituting a systematic presentation of Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophy. Despite its central importance, however, of Tsong kha pa's three most important texts, only An Ocean of Reasoning remains untranslated, perhaps because it is both philosophically and linguistically challenging, demanding a rare combination of abilities on the part of a translator. Jay Garfield and Ngawang Samten bring the requisite skills to this difficult task, combining between them expertise in Western and Indian philosophy, and fluency in Tibetan, Sanskrit, and English. The resulting translation of this important text will not only be a landmark contribution to the scholarship of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, but will serve as a valuable companion volume to Jay Garfield's highly successful translation of The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way.

About this title

About the Author:

Geshe Ngawang Samten is at Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath. Jay L. Garfield is at Smith College.

Review:

"With the publications of Ngawang Samten and Jay Garfield's lucid translation of the Ocean of Reasoning, by the founder of Geluk, Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), Western readers can for the first time appropriate the most influential Tibetian commentary on the single most important text in the Mahayana philosophical canon." --Buddhadharma

"Samten and Garfield have achieved a small miracle by making Ocean of Reasoinng as clear and accessible in English as they have. Tsongkhapa's interpretation of the Fundamental Verses is consistent and compelling."--Buddhadharma

"This book is essential reading for those who are seriously interested in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The combination of a prominent Tibetan scholar and a Western philosopher yields an erudite but readable translation of one of the most important Tibetan works on Madhyamaka philosophy. The authors do a superb job of introducing the text and in rendering it into English in a way that makes it accessible to readers with a background in Buddhist thought or Western philosophy."-- John Powers, author of Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

"In so clearly presenting Tsongkhapa's text, [the authors] have produced a model work, which will hopefully be emulated by others working in the field. It is highly recommended for anyone who is seriously interested in Madhyamaka philosophy and/or its reception in Tibet." --Religious Studies Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0195147324
• ISBN 13: 9780195147322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 632