Tsong khapa (14th-century) is arguably the most important and influential philosopher in Tibetan history. This work is a commentary on Nagarjuna's "Mulamadhyamakakarika" ("Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way"). It discusses alternative readings of the text and prior commentaries and provides a detailed exegesis.
Tsong khapa (14th-century) is arguably the most important and influential philosopher in Tibetan history. 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 detailedexegesis, constituting a systematic presentation of Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophy. Jay Garfield and Ngawang Samten bring the requisite skills to the difficult task of translating this work, combining between them expertise in Western and Indian philosophy, and fluency in Tibetan, Sanskrit, andEnglish. 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 (OUP 1995, 15,216 sold to date).
Geshe Ngawang Samten and Jay Garfield have succeeded in making available an invaluable resource for the study of Nagarjuna's Root Verses of the Middle Way and the subsequent development of his philosophy by South Asian and Tibetan thinkers.
