This Commentary entitled The Ketaka Jewel provides a thorough, clear and concise explanation of the contents of the wisdom chapter of Shantideva's teaching of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara.
Here the Ketaka Jewel refers to a jewel that is reputed to have the capability of purifying and clarifying sullied water.
As the wisdom chapter of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara is typically quite difficult to understand, Mipham Rinpoche's intent in writing this commentary was to clarify the words and meaning of the wisdom chapter making it easy to understand.
Paltrul Rinpoche gave teachings on the wisdom chapter of this text to Ju Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912).
Ju Mipham Rinpoche is one of the great luminaries of the Nyingma tradition and is considered to be an emanation of Manjushri. He practiced most of his life in retreat where he composed texts for future students during his tea breaks. In this way, he authored volumes on Buddhist philosophy, commentaries on the sutras and the tantras and works on medicine, astrology, and divination. Ju Mipham Rinpoche composed this particular text, the Ketaka Jewel, in 1878 when he was 32 years old.
Ketaka Jewel: A Commentary On The Prajna Chapter Making The Words And Meaning Easy To Understand, Ju Mipham Rinpoche, Khenpo Gawang Rinpoche & Gerry Wiener ( Translators), Jeweled Lotus Publishing, 256 pp, $17.95
Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, or Mipham Jamyang Namgyal Gyamtso was a very influential philosopher and polymath of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote over 32 volumes on topics such as painting, poetics, sculpture, alchemy, medicine, logic, philosophy and tantra.
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