70% stars - 3077 reviews

  • Nagarjuna's Letter To A Friend: With Commentary

    About The File:
    File Format | PDF
    File Size | 1.45 MB
    Pages | 209
    Language | English
    Category | Buddhism
    Description:  Nagarjuna'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.
    Download | Free
    Share the Book
    ​