Dependent-arising and emptiness

the long version

Based on a translation of part of Tsong Khapa's Great Stages of the Path or Lam Rim Chenmo, this important work emphasises the compatibility of emptiness and conventional phenomena. It shows how the highest school of Buddhist philosophy can completely deny any concrete, solid status to the world around us and yet still maintain a valid presentation of that very world based on ethical principles. The brilliant yogi-scholar Lama Tsong Khapa, founder of the Gelugpa lineage, demonstrated how these two core concepts are not only compatible, but are mutually contingent. Along with a translation of the Special Insight, or vipassana, section of Lam Rim Chenmo, Napper provides an extensive introduction that contrasts the Gelugpa view of emptiness to that of Western scholars and a translation of four inter-woven commentaries on the text. "Napper does not remain content with mere description of the story of emptiness philosopy in Tibet; to assist the modern reader she also brings it into contemporary philosophical discussion by relating it to current debates on the relationship between logic, language, and reality. Dependent Arising is a must for anyone interested in the Tibetan understanding of Madhyamika philosophy." Geshe Thubten Jinpa.