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The Key to the Treasury of Shunyata
350 pp. List price $15.00

This latest release in our Oral Commentary Series combines explanations of two unique works on the singularly important topic of transcendent wisdom.

Part One is a translation and commentary on a poem by the great Lama Je Tsongkapa, known popularly as "In Praise of Dependent Origination" (Tib: Tendrel Töba). This hymn, expressing profound and joyous gratitude to Buddha Shakyamuni for having taught the unparalleled doctrine of Dependent Origination, was composed while Je Tsongkapa was observing a year-long retreat accompanied by several of his closest disciples. After much prayer and intense meditation, he experienced a dream in which the Indian master Nagarjuna and several of his followers, including the Madhyamaka Prasangika scholar Buddhapalita, bestowed their blessings on him. The following day, while reading Buddhapalita's commentary on Nagarjuna's Root Treatise on Wisdom, Je Tsongkapa gained complete and unerring insight into the true meaning of Buddha's profound teaching on emptiness. The poem was composed immediately afterwards, and is especially venerated for its descriptions of what Je Tsongkapa considered the most subtle elements in Buddha Shakyamuni's teaching on the nature of ultimate truth.

Part Two is a commentary on the most widely renowned of the Prajńa Paramita Sutras, the Heart Sutra. Khen Rinpoche's exposition not only provides a word-by-word explanation of every section in this holiest of discourses, but also draws on the commentarial tradition of the great Indian Mahayana scholars to elaborate on those essential points that practitioners must grasp in order to gain a proper understanding of this profound teaching. Most notably, the explanations are expressed in a warm and straightforward style that makes them particularly accessible to readers of all levels.

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