In fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Tibet there was great ferment about what makes enlightenment possible, since systems of self-liberation must show what factors preexist in the mind that allow for transformation into a state of freedom from suffering. This controversy about the nature of mind, which persists to the present day, raises many questions.

This book first presents the final exposition of special insight by Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of the Ge-luk-pa order of Tibetan Buddhism, in his Medium-Length Exposition of the Stages of the Path, as well as the sections on the object of negation and on the two truths in his Illumination of the Thought: Extensive Explanation of (Chandrakirti's) "Supplement to (Nagarjuna's) 'Treatise on the Middle.'" It then details the views of his predecessor Dol-po-pa Shay-rap Gyel-tsen, the seminal author of philosophical treatises of the Jo-nang-pa order, as found in his Mountain Doctrine, followed by an analysis of Tsong-kha-pa's reactions. By contrasting the two systems- Dol-po-pa's doctrine of other-emptiness and Tsong-kha-pa's doctrine of self-emptiness- both views emerge more clearly, contributing to a fuller picture of reality as viewed in Tibetan Buddhism.

Tsong-kha-pa's Final Exposition of Wisdom brilliantly explicates ignorance and wisdom, explains the relationship between dependent-arising and emptiness, shows how to meditate on emptiness, and explains what it means to view phenomena as like illusions.

Tsong-Kha-Pa's Final Exposition of Wisdom, Jeffrey Hopkins, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 410 Pages, $39.95

Jeffrey Hopkins is a seminal and influential scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, he is the author and translator of over thirty-five books on Tibetan Buddhism, including Emptiness in the Mind-Only School of Buddhism; Reflections on Reality: The Three Natures and Non-Natures in the Mind-Only School; Absorption in No External World; Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha-Matrix, and, as translator-editor, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's How to Practice and How to See Yourself as You Really Are. His most recent publication is A Truthful Heart.

CONTENTS: Tsong-Kha-Pa's Final Exposition of Wisdom
Preface		7
Technical Notes		9
PART ONE: THREE TRANSLATIONS OF TSONG-KHA-PA'S VIEWS		11
Background		13
Supramundane Special Insight		25
1.	The Source Tradition	27
2.	Root of Cyclic Existence	37
3.	Order of Realization	59
4.	Selflessness of Persons	63
5.	Illusory-Like Appearance	75
6.	Selflessness of Phenomena	87
7.	Basis of Division of the Two Truths	103
8.	Obscurational Truths	109
9.	Ultimate Truths	121
10.	Procedures of Special Insight	151
11.	The Way	175
The Object of Negation		181
1.	Importance of Identifying What Is Negated in Emptiness	183
2.	The Autonomy School on True Existence	189
3.	Consequence School on True Existence	201
The Two Truths		215
1.	What the World Invalidates	217
2.	Obscurational Truths	235
3.	Ultimate Truth	255
PART TWO: COMPARING DOL-PO-PA'S AND TSONG-KHA-PA'S VIEWS		263
Introduction		265
1.	Dol-po-pa Shay-rap-gyel-tsen's Views	271
2.	Tsong-kha-pa Lo-sang-drak-pa's Rebuttal	319
3.	Summary	355
Appendix: Mode of Analysis of Grossness/Peacefulness		363
List of Abbreviations		371
Bibliography		373
Index		391