[INDOLOGY] New book: Candrakī rti's introduction to the Middle Way. A Guide

[Jan Westerhoff]

Dear Colleagues,
some of you might be interested in this new book of mine, which has just
come out:

Candrakīrti's Introduction to the Middle Way. A Guide.

Oxford University Press 2024, 296 pages, ISBN: 9780197612347.

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/candrakrtis-introduction-to-the-middle-way-9780197612347?cc=us&lang=en#

This volume is part of the "Oxford Guides to Philosophy" series, a set of
volumes introducing classical philosophical texts. These are meant to be
read alongside the texts themselves; my commentary focuses on the
philosophical content of the text, using Candrakīrti's
auto-commentary as the main explicatory resource.

>From the blurb:

Candrakīrti's Introduction to the Middle Way
(Madhyamakāvatāra) is a central work of Buddhist philosophy for
two reasons. First, it provides an introduction to Madhyamaka, one of the
three major philosophical schools of Buddhist thought (the other two being
Abhidharma and Yogācāra). Second, within Madhyamaka,
Candrakīrti's text occupies a very prominent role. This is primarily
due to its enormous influence in Tibet, where Candrakīrti's work
became the main entry-point into the study of Madhyamaka thought. While
the historical importance of the Introduction to the Middle Way for
understanding a major section of Buddhist thought is evident, what makes
it particularly interesting for students is the role it plays as an
'introduction'. It is one of Candrakīrti's earlier works and presents
a comprehensive guide to the key philosophical ideas and problems of
Madhyamaka thought.



Best wishes

Jan Westerhoff



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JC Westerhoff
Lady Margaret Hall
University of Oxford
Norham Gardens
Oxford OX2 6QA
United Kingdom

www.janwesterhoff.net
westerhoff at cantab.net