Thupten Jinpa: Tsongkhapa’s Mādhyamaka (#151)

Posted October 14, 2022

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features Thupten Jinpa Langri and host Daniel Aitken. Thupten Jinpa, educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and Geshe Lharampa, equivalent to a doctorate in divinity. Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, Jinpa has been the principal English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Jinpa and Daniel discuss:

details about the Wisdom Academy online course, Tsongkhapa’s Mādhyamaka;
further courses in the broader program Jinpa will teach on the Wisdom Academy;
navigating Tsongkhapa’s unique view of Mādhyamaka philosophy and the classical Indian masters;
the psychological dimension of Tsongkhapa’s theory of emptiness;
Jinpa’s new translation of the Stages of the Path and the Oral Transmission;
and much more.

References Mentioned in Chat

At the start of the conversation, Jinpa mentions several texts and translations. They can predominantly be found in the Library of Tibetan Classics series and the Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics series.

In answer to Jinpa’s question about Tsongkhapa’s five great Mādhyamaka treatises, he lists:

Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, Vol.III, Tsongkhapa (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2002)
The Central Philosophy of Tibet, Robert Thurman (Princeton University Press, 1984)
Ocean of Reasoning, Tsongkhapa, translated by Geshe Ngawang Samten and Jay Garfield (Oxford University Press, 2006)
Illuminating the Intent, Tsongkhapa, Thupten Jinpa (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2021)
Middle–Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path, Tsongkhapa (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2021)

Jinpa stated that for introductory materials for the Wisdom Academy online course Tsongkhapa’s Mādhyamaka, he recommended reading either Essence of the Heart Sutra or The Middle Way by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

During the Wisdom News segment, Daniel mentioned the free conference Dharma in Daily Life conference, and Ligmincha Internationals‘ retreat and dialogues, The Five Element Retreat and Serenity Ridge Dialogues.

Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!

About the Interviewee

Thupten Jinpa Langri was educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal translator to the Dalai Lama, accompanying him to the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has translated and edited many books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and the New York Times bestseller Ethics for the New Millennium.

Jinpa has published scholarly articles on various aspects of Tibetan culture, Buddhism, and philosophy, and books such as Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Poems of Awakening and Insight (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Thought. He serves on the advisory board of numerous educational and cultural organizations in North America, Europe, and India. He is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. And he also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute and the Compassion Institute.

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In this groundbreaking course, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo will take you on a profound exploration of meditation through the lenses of Mahāmudrā and early Buddhism. This is a truly exceptional opportunity to receive teachings from two beloved teachers as they provide heart teachings, discuss together, and guide you in your practice.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Venerable Anālayo discuss common practice elements such as emptiness, selflessness, and signlessness, and concepts of objectless meditation in their respective traditions while also discussing the role of compassion, and much more. Readings provide articles and translations of important suttas by Venerable Anālayo including The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness and The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, as well as readings from Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s influential text Mahāmudrā—The Moonlight, Mahāmudrā—A Practical Guide, and more.

What you’ll learn about

meditation on the dissolving of the elements and letting go of the solidity of experience;
the Mahāmudrā perspective of the mind;
how the mind recognizes identities and labels;
how the mind can rest in the state of emptiness;
techniques to bring meditation into everyday life;
and much more.

(Note: subtitles for course videos are automatically generated and may not be accurate.)

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Bhante Gunaratana: Approaching Nibbāna (#150)

Posted October 5, 2022

In this, our 150 episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken interviews a very special guests, renowned meditation master Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Mahathera. A Buddhist monk since the age of 12, ‘Bhante G’ took full ordination at age 20 in 1947. He came to the United States in 1968 and earned his PhD in philosophy from The American University. Bhante G has led meditation retreats, taught Buddhism, and lectured widely throughout the world. He is founding abbot of the Bhavana Society in West Virginia, and regularly leads retreats on vipassana, mindfulness, metta, concentration, and other topics. Bhante G has written a number of books, including the now-classic meditation manual Mindfulness In Plain English and its companion Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness.

In this episode, host Daniel Aitken and discuss

‘bearing with difficulties’ and the Pali term dukkha;
working with introspection on clarifying the mind;
impermanence, understanding, and the causes of suffering;
cultivating skillful means rooted in compassion and wisdom;
approaching an idea of what nibbāna is like;
right understanding, meditation, and realizations;
engaging illustrations from the Sutta Nikāyas;
and much more!

Extra Content

You can also learn more about Dependent Origination in Plain English, Bhante G’s latest book in which he brings to life one of the Buddha’s crucial teachings.

About the Interviewee

Bhante Gunaratana was ordained at the age of twelve as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, earned his PhD in philosophy from The American University, and has led meditation retreats, taught Buddhism, and lectured widely throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Bhante Henepola Gunaratana is the president of the Bhavana Society in High View, West Virginia, where he lives.

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James B. Apple: Stairway to Atiśa (#149)

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Thupten Jinpa: Tsongkhapa’s Mādhyamaka (#151)

A testimony to the invaluable contributions made by the women who were direct disciples of the Buddha—and a source of inspiration to Buddhist women today.

It’s a common perception that the earliest textual records don’t contain many, if any, teachings by the Buddha’s female disciples; yet, this is not the case. In fact, the earliest discourses record a range of teachings from Buddhist women, lay and monastic. Unfortunately their important contributions have so far not received the attention they deserve.

In Daughters of the Buddha, esteemed scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anālayo examines the accounts of the first female disciples in the canonical scripture, taking the reader back to the earliest period in the history of Buddhism that can still be accessed today. He dedicates each of the twenty-one chapters in the volume to an individual and remarkable woman, sharing her particular insights and teachings with the reader. Both nuns and laywomen are featured in these pages, and their diversity of voices and richness of thought will serve as instruction and encouragement for modern scholars and practitioners alike.

The Secret of the Sand Castles is a timeless Buddhist tale about the things that matter most: truth, generosity, compassion, and love.

When a group of children are having a playful day at the beach, the fun of building sand castles is forgotten when they start arguing about whose castle is best. While fighting over “I,” “me,” and “mine,” they end up destroying and abandoning the castles they so carefully constructed.

The timely arrival of a magical wise man teaches the children that unlike the sand castles, it is the things we can’t see that really matter most.

A major contribution to the literature on Buddhist practice according to the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism from its foremost interpreter.

Although it was the last major school to emerge in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Geluk school has left an indelible mark on Buddhist thought and practice. The intellectual and spiritual brilliance of its founder, the great Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), has inspired generations of scholars and tantric yogis to place him at the heart of their daily meditative practice. The Geluk tradition’s close ties to the Dalai Lamas have also afforded it an outsized influence in all aspects of Tibetan life for centuries. At its peak, its combined monasteries boasted a population in the tens of thousands, and its sway encompassed the religious landscape of Mongolia and much of Central Asia.

This widespread religious activity fostered a rich literary tradition, and fifteen seminal works are featured here representing four genres of that tradition. The first are works on the stages of the path, or lamrim, the genre for which the Geluk is most renowned. Second are works on guru yoga, centered around the core Geluk ritual Offering to the Guru (Lama Chöpa). Third are teachings from the unique oral transmission of Geluk mahāmudrā, meditation on the nature of mind. Fourth are the “guide to the view” (tatri) instructions. The volume features well-known authors like Tsongkhapa, the First Panchen Lama, and the Fifth Dalai Lama, but also important works from lesser-known figures like Gomchen Ngawang Drakpa’s stages of the path in verse and Gyalrong Tsultrim Nyima’s extensive commentary on the Lama Chöpa that interweaves precious explanations from the Ensa Oral Tradition he received from his own teacher.

Your guide to these riches, Thupten Jinpa, maps out their historical context and spiritual significance in his extensive introduction.

Learn more about the Library of Tibetan Classics

Learn about becoming a benefactor of the Library of Tibetan Classics

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Thupten Jinpa

In this Wisdom Dharma Chat, host Daniel Aitken is joined by Thupten Jinpa, educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

This engaging Dharma Chat includes details about the upcoming Wisdom Academy online course, Tsongkhapa’s Madhyamaka, and further courses in the broader program Jinpa will teach on the Wisdom Academy.

References Mentioned in Chat

In answer to Jinpa’s question about Tsongkhapa’s five great Mādhyamaka treatises, he lists:

1. Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, Vol.III, Tsongkhapa (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2002)

2. The Central Philosophy of Tibet, Robert Thurman (Princeton University Press, 1984)

3. Ocean of Reasoning, Tsongkhapa, translated by Geshe Ngawang Samten and Jay Garfield (Oxford University Press, 2006)

4. Illuminating the Intent, Tsongkhapa, Thupten Jinpa (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2021)

5. Middle–Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path, Tsongkhapa (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2021)

Jinpa responded to a question about prerequisites for the online course, stating that there were none but if someone wanted introductory materials he recommended reading either Essence of the Heart Sutra or The Middle Way by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Jinpa and Daniel also discuss Jinpa’s new translation of the Stages of the Path and the Oral Transmission; click the link to register to be notified when it becomes available.

During the Wisdom News segment, Daniel mentioned the upcoming free conference Dharma in Daily Life conference, and Ligmincha International s‘ upcoming retreat and dialogues, The Five Element Retreat and Serenity Ridge Dialogues. You can register to attend in two ways:
1. Online over Zoom
2. In-person or commuter

James B. Apple: Stairway to Atiśa (#149)

Posted September 16, 2022

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features James B. Apple, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary. James’ research focuses upon critical analysis of Mahāyāna sūtras and topics within Indian and Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism. His numerous books and articles include Stairway to Nirvāṇa, A Stairway taken by the Lucid, Jewels of the Middle Way, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Illuminator of the Awakened Mind, and An Old Tibetan Dunhuang Manuscript of the Avaivartikacakrasūtra.

In this episode, host Daniel Aitken and James discuss

how college athletics set James on his path to Buddhism and academia;
his investigations into the root of suffering with teachers such as Bhante Gunaratana, Gelek Rinpoche, and Geshe Lhundub Sopa;
the unique lineage and views of the highly influential Indian master Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna;
fine points of Atiśa’s contemplative Madhyamaka philosophy and emphasis on meditation;
Kadampa systems of Tantric practice and the Twenty-One Taras;
Atiśa’s Mahamudra lineage and interactions with some of the Mahasiddhas;
the secret stages of the path of Dromtonpa;
and much more!

About the Interviewee

James B. Apple is full Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary. He received his doctorate in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His current research focuses upon the critical analysis of Mahāyāna sūtras and topics within Indian and Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism. He has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles in international academic journals. His books include Stairway to Nirvāṇa (State University of New York Press, 2008), A Stairway taken by the Lucid: Tsong kha pa’s Study of Noble Beings (Aditya Prakashan, 2013), Jewels of the Middle Way, The Madhyamaka Legacy of Atiśa and His Early Tibetan Followers (Wisdom Publications, 2018), Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Illuminator of the Awakened Mind (Shambala, 2019), and An Old Tibetan Dunhuang Manuscript of the Avaivartikacakrasūtra (Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, 2021).

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Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen, Sakya, and Translation (#148)

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Bhante Gunaratana: Approaching Nibbāna (#150)

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron

In this Wisdom Dharma Chat, host Daniel Aitken is joined by Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron.

Khandro Kunzang has been a devoted student and follower of the Dharma for most of her life. In the early 1990’s, she left behind a promising career, family, home, and friends, to pursue her practice of the Dharma and became a novice nun in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, studying under Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen and H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. In 1998 she met Acharya Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche while attending a Dharma healing seminar. Between 1999 and 2009, Khandro Kunzang received the entire cycle of teachings and empowerments of the Rigdzin Sogdrub lineage from Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche, and completed many retreats under his direct supervision.

In 2011, Acharya Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche bestowed the Tri-Don – enthronement ceremony – conferring authority to guide and teach others, and giving her the title of Khandro. Since the passing of Lama Dawa Rinpoche in 2017, Khandro Kunzang divides her time between teaching and traveling tours throughout Europe and Mexico in the winter months; serves as the Executive Director for Saraswati Bhawan, leads retreats and teachings at P’hurba Thinley Ling in Iowa; heads the P’hurba Peace Mandala Project International; and offers teachings, guidance, and support to students world-wide.

Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen, Sakya, and Translation (#148)

Posted September 2, 2022

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features host Daniel Aitken joined by Malcolm Smith—translator in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and long-time practitioner of Dzogchen. Malcolm Smith has been a student of the Great Perfection teachings since 1992, his main Dzogchen teachers being Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the late Kunzang Dechen Lingpa. He is a veteran of a traditional three-year solitary Tibetan Buddhist retreat, a published translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, and was awarded the Ācārya degree by the Sakya Institute in 2004. He graduated in 2009 from Shang Shung Institute’s School of Tibetan Medicine, and has worked on translations for renowned lamas since 1992, including H.H. the Sakya Trichen Rinpoche, Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche, Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, Khenpo Migmar Tseten, Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Khenchen Könchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche, and more.

In this lively discussion, Malcolm and Daniel talk about:

Malcolm’s new translation on Sakya Lamdre, Sakya: The Path with Its Result;
yantra yoga (trul-khor) and Dzogchen in the Sakya yogic tradition;
translating the commentary on the Seventeen Tantras of the Great Perfection;
Candrakīrti and the Prāsaṅgika Mādhyamaka view in Dzogchen;
systems of medicine and elemental compatibility in the tantras;
trekchö, tögal, and two types of dharmatā in Dzogchen teachings;
and much more.

About the Interviewee

Malcolm Smith has been a student of the Great Perfection teachings since 1992. His main Dzogchen teachers are Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and the late Kunzang Dechen Lingpa. He is a veteran of a traditional three-year solitary Tibetan Buddhist retreat, a published translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, and was awarded the Acharya degree by the Sakya Institute in 2004. He graduated in 2009 from Shang Shung Institute’s School of Tibetan Medicine. He has worked on translations for renowned lamas since 1992, including His Holiness Sakya Trizin, Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche, Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, Khenpo Migmar Tseten, Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche and many others.

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Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mahamudra and Shentong (#147)

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James B. Apple: Stairway to Atiśa (#149)

Lama Alan Wallace presents his translation and guides students through this newly uncovered text, Pith Instructions on the Middle Way (Madhyamakopadesha) by Atiśa Dīpamkara Śrījñāna (982-1055 CE), with commentary by Prajñāmoksha.

Atiśa was one of the greatest paṇḍits and mahāsiddhas in the history of Indian Buddhism, and was pivotal in revitalizing Buddhism in Tibet after its decline in the ninth century. In his text Pith Instructions on the Middle Way, Atiśa presents an interpretation of Madhyamaka philosophy, and his Indian disciple Prajñāmokṣa provides commentary. They are both based on the writings of Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, but Atiśa takes a different view of the role of logic and epistemology in the realization of emptiness than later Tibetan masters of the New Translation School, such as Sakya Paṇḍita and Tsongkhapa. In this regard, Atiśa’s approach harmonizes strongly with Dzogchen meditative practices and views of the nature of appearances and reality.

These teachings can illuminate the darkest depths of delusion, opening the lotus of the heart for the benefit of all sentient beings. The “just-that-ness” of emptiness transcends karma, afflictions, and self-centered attachment. Resting in sheer luminosity, the distilled mind without additives provides the ultimate inner refuge. Using our own personal experience in the “laboratory” of analytic meditation, we have rare and privileged access to the nature of experience. Mere designations comprise the nature of conventional existence, without solid foundation. By recognizing our own and others’ lack of inherent identity, the result can be taken as the path and a powerful technique to shift identification to the basis of Buddha nature can be utilized.

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Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mahamudra and Shentong (#147)

Posted August 19, 2022

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features an interview with special guest Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes, Head of the Department of South Asian, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna. Host Daniel Aitken and Klaus-Dieter discuss:

his initial interest in western philosophy and physics, and his journey physically and intellectually to the east;
translating and studying with Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche;
Kagyu and Jonang traditions and the Kalachakra Tantra;
emptiness and interpretations of the shentong and rangtong philosophical views;
perspectives on the philosophical positions of the previous Karmapas;
his new project exploring philosophy in the translation and transmission of the Kalachakra Tantra from India to Tibet;
inclusivity, exclusivity, and tolerance in Buddhist philosophy;
and much more.

About the Interviewee

Klaus-Dieter Mathes earned his doctorate at Marburg University, and is a Professor of Tibetology and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. He previously worked as a research fellow and lecturer at the Asia Africa Institute at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His research in progress deals with the Indian origins of Tibetan Mahāmudrā traditions. He is also a regular contributor to the Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies.

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Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Recognizing Awareness (#146)

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Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen, Sakya, and Translation (#148)

The Source of Supreme Bliss contains the first English translations of important commentaries on the Highest Yoga Tantra system of the Heruka Chakrasamvara five deity practice.

Included is a lucid, practical, and deeply profound explanation of the generation stage by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra. This is followed by an extremely rare and profound commentary by the First Panchen Lama Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen on the completion stage, along with a commentary on how to perform a proper Chakrasamvara retreat. The second half of the book comprises translations of the ritual texts associated with the commentaries.

Indispensable for anyone who undertakes this practice, The Source of Supreme Bliss will also provide rich and profound insights for those interested in Highest Yoga Tantra.

The Dechen Ling Practice Series from Wisdom Publications is committed to furthering the vision of David Gonsalez (Venerable Losang Tsering) and the Dechen Ling Press of bringing the sacred literature of Tibet to the West by making available many never-before-translated texts.

In this plain-English commentary on Vasubandhu’s classic Treatise on the Three Natures, Ben Connelly shows the power of integrating early Buddhist psychology with the Mahayana emphasis on collective liberation. You’ll discover how wisdom from fourth-century India can be harnessed to heal and transform systems of harm within ourselves and our communities.

The three natures (svabhavas)—the imaginary, dependent, and complete, realized natures—are inherent aspects of all phenomena. The imaginary nature of things is what we think they are. Their dependent nature is that they appear to arise from countless conditions. The complete, realized nature is that they aren’t as we imagine them to be: things that can be grasped or pushed away. The three natures form the backbone of Yogacara philosophy, and by showing us how to see beyond our preconceived notions of ourselves and others, beyond the things that we’re convinced are “true,” they open up a path to personal and communal healing.

Dive into this empowering approach to freedom from suffering, from harmful personal and social patterns, and to finding peace and joyfulness in the present.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Recognizing Awareness (#146)

Posted August 5, 2022

This Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features a conversation with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and host Daniel Aitken. Rinpoche is the author of two bestselling books and oversees the Tergar Meditation Community, an international network of Buddhist meditation centers. He is the son of the renowned meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and was formally enthroned as the seventh incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche by Tai Situ Rinpoche when he was twelve years old. In addition to his extensive background in meditation and Buddhist philosophy, Mingyur Rinpoche has held a lifelong interest in psychology, physics, and neurology.

Mingyur Rinpoche and Daniel talk about:

recently filming our upcoming Wisdom Academy course with Mingyur Rinpoche and Venerable Anālayo;
object- and subject-oriented meditation techniques;
śamatha and vipaśyanā in the Mahāmudrā context;
recognizing awareness in meditation as opposed to daydreaming;
emptiness and manifestations of the mind;
śamatha in generation stage Vajrayana and the book Creation and Completion;
and much more.

About the Interviewee

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is the author of two bestselling books and oversees the Tergar Meditation Community, an international network of Buddhist meditation centers. He is the son of the renowned meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and was formally enthroned as the seventh incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche by Tai Situ Rinpoche when he was twelve years old. When he was twenty years old, Rinpoche was appointed as the functioning abbot of Sherab Ling Monastery. In addition to his extensive background in meditation and Buddhist philosophy, Mingyur Rinpoche has held a lifelong interest in psychology, physics, and neurology. He teaches regularly throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia.

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Heidi I. Köppl: Roots of Duality (#145)

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Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mahamudra and Shentong (#147)

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Malcolm Smith (3)

In this Wisdom Dharma Chat, host Daniel Aitken is joined by Malcolm Smith—translator in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and long-time practitioner of Dzogchen. Malcolm Smith has been a student of the Great Perfection teachings since 1992, his main Dzogchen teachers being Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the late Kunzang Dechen Lingpa. He is a veteran of a traditional three-year solitary Tibetan Buddhist retreat, a published translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, and was awarded the ācārya degree by the Sakya Institute in 2004. He graduated in 2009 from Shang Shung Institute’s School of Tibetan Medicine, and has worked on translations for renowned lamas since 1992, including His Holiness the Sakya Trichen Rinpoche, Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche, Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, Khenpo Migmar Tseten, Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, Khenchen Könchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche, and many others.

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In Tsongkhapa’s Madhyamaka, Thupten Jinpa will take you on a ten-lesson journey through some of the most fascinating and important ideas in Buddhism. You’ll discover the madhyamaka teachings of one of the most renowned minds in Tibet: influential monk and yogi Je Tsongkhapa Losang Dragpa (c. 1357–1419).

By investigating issues in the view of Nagarjuna and understanding what a realization of emptiness might look like through nuanced readings of Indian and Tibetan masters, practitioners gain access to the key to liberation. Exploring why emptiness matters via Tsongkhapa’s personal quest for the view of madhyamaka philosophy, Thupten Jinpa provides a detailed overview of the landscape and a middle way for serious students to bring emptiness into meditative practice.

Tsongkhapa’s sophisticated presentation of the union of emptiness and dependent arising is considered extremely difficult to understand. In this ten-lesson course, Thupten Jinpa offers students guidance through the texts directly in a focused and efficient presentation.

Your course includes:

Ten hour-long video lectures with Thupten Jinpa
Ten guided meditations and reflections
Over 100 pages of readings selected by Jinpa himself
Short quizzes to test your knowledge
A forum to discuss with fellow students

This course will provide you with a comprehensive, in-depth foundation in the madhyamaka philosophy of Tsongkhapa with a rigorous, clear, and meaningful study program for practitioners.

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Thupten Jinpa: Tsongkhapa’s Mādhyamaka (#151)

About the Interviewee

Abiding in Emptiness: Early Buddhism and Mahamudra In Conversation

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Bhante Gunaratana: Approaching Nibbāna (#150)

Extra Content

About the Interviewee

Daughters of the Buddha

The Secret of the Sand Castles

Stages of the Path and the Oral Transmission

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Thupten Jinpa

James B. Apple: Stairway to Atiśa (#149)

About the Interviewee

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron

Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen, Sakya, and Translation (#148)

About the Interviewee

Atisa’s Pith Instructions on the Middle Way

Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mahamudra and Shentong (#147)

About the Interviewee

The Source of Supreme Bliss

Vasubandhu’s “Three Natures”

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Recognizing Awareness (#146)

About the Interviewee

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Malcolm Smith (3)

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Tsongkhapa’s Madhyamaka