This latest book by Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin, POINTING THE WAY TO REASONING, is a compilation of commentaries to three important Buddhist logic texts: Compendium of Debates (bsdus grwa); Types of Mind (blo rig); and Analysis of Reasons (rtags rigs).
Compendium of Debates is a selection of debates primarily used by the monks as a foundation for studying the five major texts they have to learn in their Geshe curriculum.
Types of Mind identifies the various types of mind described in our Buddhist tradition, distinguishing between valid minds, invalid minds, etc.
Analysis of Reasons presents the various types of reasons used in debates for philosophical investigation. Here we can find what constitutes a perfect reason, a false reason, and their various classifications.
The commentaries on the root texts are from Khensur Rinpoche Losang Tarchin, a master logician of old Tibet and great Lama who imparted his teachings for over three decades in the West.
The relevance of this book for the modern reader is briefly described by the author in the following terms from the introduction to Compendium of Debates: "In a similar way you, too, have to use the material presented here as a way to advance in your practice, applying the logic to your own mind . This is by far the most important technique for studying. The crucial point is that you have to learn to apply everything in logic to your own condition, to your own situation."
Each selection for commentary comes in the original Tibetan, romanized Tibetan, followed by the English translation throughout the text to facilitate learning.
