
In Radiant Emptiness, Yaroslav Komarovski offers an annotated translation of three seminal works on the nature and relationship of the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools of Buddhist thought, by Serdok Penchen Shakya Chokden (1428-1507). There has never been consensus on the meaning of Madhyamaka and Yogacara, and for more than fifteen centuries the question of correct identification and interpretation of these systems has remained unsolved. Chokden proposes to accept Yogacara and Madhyamaka on their own terms as compatible systems, despite their considerable divergences and reciprocal critiques. His major objective is to bring Yogacara back from obscurity, present it in a positive light, and correct its misrepresentation by earlier thinkers. He thus serves as a major resource for scholarly research on the historical and philosophical development of Yogacara and Madhyamaka. Until recently, Shakya Chokden's works have been largely unavailable. Only in 1975 were his collected writings published in twenty-four volumes in Bhutan. Since then, his ingenious works on Buddhist history, philosophy, and logic have attracted increasing scholarly attention. Komarovski's research on Shakya Chokden's innovative writings--most of which are still available only in the original Tibetan--revises early misinterpretations by addressing some of the most complicated aspects of his thought. While focusing on his unique interpretation of Yogacara and Madhyamaka, the book also shows that his thought provides an invaluable base to challenge and expand our understanding of such topics as epistemology, contemplative practice, the relationship between intellectual study and meditative experience, and other key questions that occupy contemporary scholarship on Buddhism and religion in general.
This work investigates the historical and philosophical reconciliation of the Yogacara and Madhyamaka schools of Buddhist thought as proposed by the 15th-century scholar Serdok Penchen Shakya Chokden. Yaroslav Komarovski, a specialist in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, utilizes annotated translations of three primary texts to examine how Chokden challenges traditional interpretations of these systems. The author argues that Chokden’s framework allows for the compatibility of these schools, effectively countering centuries of academic misrepresentation and restoring the significance of Yogacara within the broader Buddhist tradition.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars recognize this volume as a significant contribution to the study of Tibetan intellectual history, particularly for its rigorous treatment of previously inaccessible primary sources. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for advanced students and researchers of Buddhist philosophy.
Page Count:
519
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190933852
ISBN-13:
9780190933852
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