This edition contains a newly translated version of the source text. One of the most important concepts in Mahayana Buddhism is the concept of Emptiness. We all experience our world as having internal thoughts and feelings and experiencing the outer world as solid objects. These experiences do in fact appear, but when they are examined closely in four careful analyses of the Middle-way (Madhyamaka) they are found to have no solid, inherent reality. This fact has led the Buddha and many highly realized masters to declare that our reality is like a mirage, a dream, a drop of dew.

This is important because if we don't fully comprehend the empty nature of phenomena we cannot really reduce our attachment to the world. Without this, we cannot develop true universal compassion for all sentient beings.

In this book, Thrangu Rinpoche presents the four great analyses of Mipham Rinpoche in his Gateway to Knowledge in a simple, direct and practical manner so the reader can easily grasp an understanding of emptiness.

Rinpoche has taught high lamas, ordinary monks, Western and Eastern lay practitioners for over 30 years in his centers in North America, Europe, India, Nepal, and the Far East.

The Open Door to Emptiness: A Discussion of Madhyamaka Logic, Thrangu Rinpoche, Namo Buddha Publications, Paperback, 126 pages, $14.95

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist master known for his deep compassion and the clarity of his teachings. He was selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to serve as the principal tutor to His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Thrangu Rinpoche is a full holder and teacher of the Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. He founded the Namo Buddha retreat center in Nepal, has established two shedras (monastic universities) in Nepal and India, and serves as Abbot of Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia. He also built Tara Abbey, where nuns receive a full dharma education qualifying them to become khenpos or teachers. Thrangu Rinpoche teaches extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. He has centers in Maine and California, and is building the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado.

	Contents: The Open Door to Emptiness
	Preface to the First Edition	5
1	An Introduction to the Text	9
2	The Egolessness of the Self	17
3	Developing Certainty of Egolessness of Self	27
4	The Benefits of Understanding Non-self	37
5	The Egolessness of External Phenomena	45
6	The First Analysis of Madhyamaka: The Examination of Cause	51
7	The Second Madhyamaka Analysis: The Examination of Result	77
8	The Third Madhyamaka Analysis: The Examination of the Essential Nature	85
9	The Fourth Madhyamaka Analysis: The Examination of all Sources	93
	Dedication	98
	Notes	99
	The Glossary of Terms	105
	The Glossary of Tibetan Terms	117
	The Bibliography	119
	About the Author	123
	Index	125