The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika [Paperback]

This is a marvelous book, the likes of which I never thought I would find. You will understand something of my despair, and hopefully likewise appreciate the many fine qualities this book embodies if you have also spent years as a Buddhist practitioner trying to understand the profundities of Eastern and Buddhist philosophies by reading the currently extant English translations and commentaries to the great scriptures. Most such books suffer from one or more of a number of serious flaws, such as writing and thinking that is sloppy, imprecise, or hopelessly fuzzy and full of vaguely defined mystical jargon that clouds understanding, or interpretations and conclusions that are idiosyncratic and out of sync with other major scriptural sources. None of that here! Mr. Garfield has done a masterful job of presenting in English one of the most difficult of all scriptures, and he has done so in a way that is both pleasurable and understandable.

This is challenging material. Nagarjuna's philosophy is both very subtle and very profound. To gain liberation or enlightenment a Buddhist practitioner must (among other practices) first gain an intellectual understanding of this philosophy, and then thoroughly deepen that understanding through skillful meditation under the guidance of a master until it intuitively informs every level of being. Mr. Garfield expressly states in his preface that this book is "meant to be a presentation of a philosophical text to philosophers, and not an edition of the text for Buddhologists", so it is clear that he does not intend the text to help at all with the second phase of this process, but his book adds masterfully to the preliminary intellectual understanding.

The book is in two parts. The first part is simply an English translation of Nagarjuna's text. The translation is extremely well thought out, and the directness and clarity of the language, seldom found in this sort of translation, makes it as easy to follow as possible. But such is the depth and subtlety of the arguments, and the writing is so condensed in the original text that few could follow it without a commentary. The second section, then, provides a verse by verse commentary, and herein lies the real brilliance of Mr. Garfield's book, for he leads us with all the confidence and assuredness of a master through the mental gymnastics of Nagarjuna's arguments. He is invariably on top of every argument and counter-argument, and presents all in absolute clarity. He writes with philosophical authority, and yet without being overly dogmatic or arrogant. But more than this: He involved me in the arguments and the flow of Nagarjuna's reasoning, such that I felt more a participant than a mere spectator. As I was led along, I was often reminded of a great mystery writer, or of a skillful naturalist leading students on a nature hike. It was at times exhilarating. And yet more than this too: He also wrote beautifully, with elegance and erudition. His use of language is clear, precise and well-informed, a pleasure to read.

But there's even more than this here: He not only wrote persuasively and beautifully, but also accurately. He has truly done this scripture justice. At no point did I detect any views not completely in accord with what I have gleaned and struggled hard to learn from my own teacher and my own readings of the scriptures. Indeed, my own understanding was clarified and expanded greatly and provided with solid logical underpinning, and for that I am most grateful.

I might also add that this is a handsome book, with quietly elegant binding, paper and typesetting. I encountered no typos. The preface, references and index were truly helpful, and the overall organization flowed smoothly.

The only two problems I encountered reading the book were problems of my own. First, I was surprised to learn that despite two decades studying Eastern philosophy, I know very little about Western philosophy. Someone reading this text with as little knowledge as I had about the ideas of Kant, Hume, Berkeley, Descartes and Wiggenstein, and with only non-formal training in philosophical vocabulary and logic may be a bit lost at times. I found the Oxford Companion to Philosophy helpful, but plan to further fill this glaring gap in my education later. Second, Mr. Garfield's command of vocabulary was extensive enough to finally propel me to fulfill a long held wish to purchase a truly fine dictionary. I went to the book store with a vocabulary list from the first several chapters of the commentary, and quickly realized that none of the many dictionaries there had more than half the words, with the exception of the two volume New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, which had them all. I purchased it gladly.

It remains for someone with sophisticated philosophical training to review this book from that perspective, but I can recommend it highly to any Buddhist practitioners who long for a clear and deep presentation of these most profound truths.

A more poetically compelling translation of the Mulamadhyamikakarika, along with a very thought-provoking introduction, is to be found in Stephen Batchelor's "Verses from the Center."