About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherShambhala Publications, Incorporated

ISBN-101559392274

ISBN-139781559392273

eBay Product ID (ePID)44670109

Product Key Features

Original LanguageTib,San

Book TitleNagarjuna's Letter to a Friend

Number of Pages200 Pages

LanguageEng,Tib,San

TopicBuddhism / Tibetan, Buddhism / Sacred Writings

Publication Year2006

IllustratorYes

GenreReligion

AuthorLongchen Yeshe Dorje, Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche, Nagarjuna

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight16 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2005-012500

Dewey Edition22

Reviews"This text is one of the most cherished works amongst practitioners of all levels of understanding and practice."--Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, author of It's Up to You "The combination of the colorful root text and Rinpoche's helpful commentary make the book a valuable resource suitable for repeated readings and contemplation."--Thar Lam, "This text is one of the most cherished works amongst practitioners of all levels of understanding and practice."-Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, author of It's Up to You "The combination of the colorful root text and Rinpoche's helpful commentary make the book a valuable resource suitable for repeated readings and contemplation."-Thar Lam

Dewey Decimal294.3/444

SynopsisNagarjuna's poetic presentation of the fundamental teachings of the Great Vehicle, or Mahayana--whose followers, driven by compassion, strive to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings--is remarkable for its concise style and memorable imagery, making it one of the most widely quoted sources in other commentaries on the Mahayana path. This work will appeal to readers with a general interest in Mahayana Buddhism, to those who wish to familiarize themselves with one of the great classics of Indian Buddhist literature, and to students who come across passages quoted in other Buddhist works and who wish to explore further. The great Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna (first-second century A.D.) wrote his celebrated poem "Letter to a Friend" as a gift of advice to a South Indian king, and it has since become a monument in the Indian shastra tradition. Despite its short length (only 123 verses), it covers the whole Mahayana path, combining a practical approach to daily conduct with a theoretical exposition of the different stages leading to enlightenment. It has thus been an ideal source for many of Tibet 's great scholars seeking a scriptural authority to enhance their own descriptions of the Buddhist path. Any difficulties in understanding the poem are overcome by Kangyur Rinpoche's commentary, which turns Nagarjuna's sometimes cryptic poem into straightforward prose, expanding on each topic and ordering the different subjects in such a way that on returning to the original poem, the reader can easily make sense of the advice it contains. It includes headings to explain Nagarjuna's frequent changes in subject and full explanations of the ideas introduced in each verse. In addition to the commentary, this book presents the original poem in the Tibetan and in a new English translation that attempts to emulate Nagarjuna's lines of metric verse. Also included are Kangyur Rinpoche's structural outline ( sa bchad ), a Tibetan line index to enable students to locate quotations used in other Tibetan works, full notes, and a glossary., This book appeal to any reader with interest in Mahayanna Buddhism and the great classic of Indain Buddisht literature.

LC Classification NumberBQ5385.N333K56 2005