The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way: The Mulamadhyamakakarika

Excellent

Many thanks for the great condition book! All good with my purchase :)

Na excelente book, jusk I was told of and in pereftc conditions!

Most books I’ve found only have bits and pieces.

Leitura obrigatória para todos os que querem se aperfeiçoar como seres humanos equilibrados! Budista ou não, o leiitor necessariamente se beneficiará dessa pérola do Grande Ser Nagarjuna!

There are other translations of the Mulamadhyamakakarika. Some are prose translations, others are prose translations with commentaries of each sutra. This translation is both one of the most inspired renditions of this classic scripture of Madhyamaka Buddhism and most clearly conveys the inner meaning of its tenets. This is the definitive edition.The Mulamadhyamakakarika is grounded in paradox. Through logical syllogisms, the sutras deconstruct the elements of the sensible world and demonstrate the absence of any inherent reality. The sutras pose polar opposites throughout, and the mind in the attempt to find reconciliation short circuits. That resolution is not to be found in any rational resolution; liberation is to be found in the path between the extremes. This is the great mystery of the Mulamadhyamakakarika.The translation, from the Padmakara Translation Group, wisely chose to have the sutras rendered in verse. The paradoxes, deconstructions and the polar extremes presented, and the dilemmas they pose, are more easily appreciated in verse as opposed to prose. Other than the excellent introduction and Tibetan text following the translation (while the original Mulamadhyamakakarika was written in Sanskrit, this translation is taken from the Tibetan version), there is no other commentary or explanation offered. The reader, in other words, is allowed to arrive at his or her own conclusions. In this way this translation of the Mulamadhyamakakarika may be enjoyed as the fine philosophical tract that it is, or as a great piece of devotional literature.

If you really want to understand the truth of the Buddha's teaching, and you have the patience and brain-power to stick with it, you absolutely cannot beat Nagarjuna. There are several translations out there, and I wouldn't say this one was better or worse than the others. Every translation contributes a part of the puzzle. This version of these pithy verses is fresh and uncomplicated. The Tibetan text is included, which is really helpful if you can read it. Then you can really see what the translators were up to when they made their version of Nagarjuna's verses.

Anyone interested in Buddhist Philosophy and anyone practicing Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhism should read this ancient text. This is wonderfully translated. The text is short but very deep. Each stanza calls for deep contemplation. Many commentaries have been made to this text over the centuries and those will help inform the meanings but this root text is a wonderful Gem of the Buddhist Dharma.