Previously published under the title Transcendent Wisdom

This extraordinarily clear exposition on the wisdom section of the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is based on an oral teaching given in India by His Holiness the Dalai Lama before an audience of thousands of Tibetans and Westerners in 1979.
Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is one of the most important texts in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhist practice. Its ninth chapter, the section on transcendent wisdom, is known among Buddhist scholars as a challenging exposition of Madhyamika philosophy, difficult to understand without a commentary. This invaluable volume, with its precise elucidation of core issues of Tibetan Buddhism, stands as a key work in Buddhist literature.

Perfecting Wisdom, H.H. Dalai Lama, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 125 pp., $16.95

Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalaia Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalaia Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

	Foreword		7
	Preface: The Place of Wisdom in Spiritual Practice		11
Part I	The Methods Needed for Cultivating Wisdom		13
	1.	Introduction to the Two Truths that Comprise Reality	15
	The classification of the two truths
	People who ascertain the two truths
	Qualms concerning the lack of intrinsic existence
	2.	Critique of the Idealist View	25
	3.	The Necessity of the Centrist Path	34
	The necessity of realizing emptiness
Part II	Identitylessness		51
	4.	Personal Identitylessness	53
	Refutation of an intrinsic "I"
	Refutation of the Samkhya theory of self
	Refutation of the Nyaya theory of self
	Refutation of arguments against identitylessness
	5.	Phenomenal Identitylessness	67
	The four applications of mindfulness
	Mindfulness of the body
	Mindfulness of the feelings
	Mindfulness of the mind
	Mindfulness of phenomena
	Refutation of objections
Part III	Refutation of True Existence		85
	6.	Refutation of Others'
	Conceptions of True Existence		87
	7.	Proofs of the Absence of True Existence	90
	The "Diamond-splinters" argument
	The Interdependence argument
	The argument concerning the arising and cessation of entities and non-entities
	8.	Encouragement to Strive to Realize Emptiness	106
	Notes		111
	Bibliography		141