- Hardcover: 264 pages
- Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (Dec 15 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0226493164
- ISBN-13: 978-0226493169
- Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.7 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#610,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #93 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Sacred Writings
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Lopez has provided the first Western-language translation of the most important work by one of the most brilliant and controversial Tibetan thinkers of modern times. This is a book that tells us much about what has happened over the last century of Tibet's cultural and intellectual history." - Roger Jackson, Carleton College"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
Gendun Chopel is considered the most important Tibetan intellectual of the twentieth century. His life spanned the two defining moments in modern Tibetan history: the entry into Lhasa by British troops in 1904 and by Chinese troops in 1951. Recognized as an incarnate lama while he was a child, Gendun Chopel excelled in the traditional monastic curriculum and went on to become expert in fields as diverse as philosophy, history, linguistics, geography, and tantric Buddhism. Near the end of his life, before he was persecuted and imprisoned by the government of the young Dalai Lama, he would dictate the Adornment for Nagarjuna’s Thought, a work on Madhyamaka, or “Middle Way,” philosophy. It sparked controversy immediately upon its publication and continues to do so today.
The Madman’s Middle Way presents the first English translation of this major Tibetan Buddhist work, accompanied by an essay on Gendun Chopel’s life liberally interspersed with passages from his writings. Donald S. Lopez Jr. also provides a commentary that sheds light on the doctrinal context of the Adornment and summarizes its key arguments. Ultimately, Lopez examines the long-standing debate over whether Gendun Chopel in fact is the author of the Adornment; the heated critical response to the work by Tibetan monks of the Dalai Lama’s sect; and what the Adornment tells us about Tibetan Buddhism’s encounter with modernity. The result is an insightful glimpse into a provocative and enigmatic work that will be of great interest to anyone seriously interested in Buddhism or Asian religions.
The Madman’s Middle Way presents the first English translation of this major Tibetan Buddhist work, accompanied by an essay on Gendun Chopel’s life liberally interspersed with passages from his writings. Donald S. Lopez Jr. also provides a commentary that sheds light on the doctrinal context of the Adornment and summarizes its key arguments. Ultimately, Lopez examines the long-standing debate over whether Gendun Chopel in fact is the author of the Adornment; the heated critical response to the work by Tibetan monks of the Dalai Lama’s sect; and what the Adornment tells us about Tibetan Buddhism’s encounter with modernity. The result is an insightful glimpse into a provocative and enigmatic work that will be of great interest to anyone seriously interested in Buddhism or Asian religions.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Gold, July 5 2007
By Mr. Colin Moore - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel (Paperback)
Nagajuna's work is notoriously difficult to grasp but I found Chopel's text and commentary much easier to negotiate than the other translations I have tried. The main reason appears to be Chopel's transparent prose. He has such a profound understanding of Nagajuna's work that his interpretation gets right to the essentials and doesn't let translational difficulties get in the way. At times it seemed Nagajuna was addressing the reader directly and something of the master's force of character came through the barriers of another language and another age. I would recommend this text for both beginners and the more experienced student for precisely the reasons I have given - it has made a difficult work more accessible to the general reader and seems to reach across a gulf of time to make Najajuna less a figure of myth and legend than a thinker engaged in questions that are still very much alive today. The account of Chopel's short but full life is also of great interest but of lesser interest to me than how he managed to bring the words of a long-dead master to life.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant and Difficult Work, Oct 1 2008
By Chophel "Chophel" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel (Paperback)
It is rare to find someone in any field who is fully expert in their subject and also able to explain it well to others. Gedun Chophel was a master of philosophy, language, poetry, and above all, an open thinker. This book is special in that there are few if any people who can explain the true Madhyamika view beyond assertions. Gedun Chophel not only leads you there, but refutes possible mistakes and uses the debate style employed in the Gelugpa monasteries to explain the subtle views of Madhyamika that are not often found outside the context of Mahamudra. This text is tremendously difficult, but worth every effort. I hope many will read this and find it of benefit. The root text is translated well, but I did not find the commentary helpful in the least.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
After the first reading, Nov 3 2006
By George H. Gledhill - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Madman's Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendun Chopel (Hardcover)
The Madman's Middle Way isn"t an easy read by any stretch of the mind. It is one of those books best read a paragraph or even a line at a time, and even then I have to leave much material ununderstod for now. I am certain that after some years and many revisits I will gain some real insight. Currently it sits, with Longchempa, on my bed side table.The book has a special meaning for me as I have listened to many Dharma teachings from HE Dzogchen Kenpo Choga. It seems that real Dharma is usually chalenging and seldom fits preconcieved notions.
All is Good,
George
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