Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature

Description

This book offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. It shows the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice across various Tibetan traditions in ways that integrate competing and complimentary perspectives on the nature of mind and reality. The book draws upon a contrast between phenomenology and ontology to highlight distinct starting points of inquiries into mind and nature in Buddhism and to illuminate central issues confronted in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It argues that these starting points share a common ground and can be seen to be actually inseparable. This thematic study raises some of the most difficult and critical topics in Buddhist thought, such as the nature of mind and the meaning of emptiness, across a wide range of philosophical traditions, including the “Middle Way” of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra (a.k.a. “Mind-Only”), and tantra. This book provides a richly textured overview that explores the intersecting nature of mind, language, and world depicted across Tibetan Buddhist traditions. It also puts Tibetan philosophy into conversation with texts and traditions from India, Europe, and America, exemplifying the possibility and potential for a transformative conversation in global philosophy. Title_Pages Dedication Acknowledgments Introduction Between_Construction_and_Immediacy Nonduality_of_Madhyamaka_and_Yogcra SelfAwareness_and_the_SubjectObject Concepts_and_the_Nonconceptual Radical_Phenomenology Conclusion Appendices Appendix_A_Prologue_to_Roar_of_the_Fearless_Lion Appendix_B_Excerpt_from_A_Lamp_Completely_Illuminating_the_Profound_Reality_of_Interdependence Appendix_C_The_Buddhist_Philosophies_Section_from_the_Concise_Summary_of_the_Philosophies_of_the_WishFulfilling_Treasury Appendix_D_Mahmudr_Meditation_The_Essential_Nature_of_the_Completion_Stage Bibliography Index