Four Masters of the Indian Centrist Way

As I mentioned in my second posting on this summer blog, the Indian Buddhist master Chandrakirti’s Entry to the Centrist Way (or Introduction to the Middle Way) is one of a few books I’ve brought along to Asia for this summer. Ironically, I barely read any of it while in Tibet. Instead, the little reading I did while in Tibet was from Gary Snyder’s The Practice of the Wild and Aelred’s Spiritual Friendship. But now that I’m back in Malaysia, it’s time to return to Chandrakirti. As a way of establishing “auspicious interdependence,” I thought I’d blog a bit on Chandrakirti and the Centrist Way (Madhyamaka).

Of the great masters of the Indian Centrist Way, four figures stand out – Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Shantideva and Chandrakirti. Nagarjuna is of course the purported founder of the Centrist Way system who definitively expressed the heart of the Buddha’s teachings in his important text, Root Verses on the Centrist Way (Mulamadhyamaka-karika). Tibetans thus regard Nagarjuna’s Root Verses as the most incisive presentation of the View of the Centrist Way. Nagarjuna is so revered in Mahayana tradition that he is often referred to as the “Second Buddha.” Following Nagarjuna was Aryadeva. Aryadeva was Nagarjuna’s disciple and foremost successor. Aryadeva was the one who successfully clarified, defended and propagated Nagarjuna’s teachings in the face of challenges from adherents of Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical systems. In particular, Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verse Treatise (Catuhsataka) most clearly presents the Meditation approach of the Centrist School. The third major figure in the Indian Centrist Way is Shantideva who composed Entry into Bodhisattva’s Way (Bodhicharyavatara). In particular, his Entry into Bodhisattva’s Wayis well-known for clearly delineating the Conduct aspect of the Centrist School. Finally, Chandrakirti who lived more than half a millennium after Nagarjuna composed Entry to the Centrist Way (Madhyamakavatara) – a Centrist text that succinctly presents the complete View, Meditation and Conduct of the Centrist Way. Most traditional curriculum for mastering the Centrist Way begins with the study of Chandrakirti’s Entry to the Centrist Way. Entry to the Centrist Way is a good introduction to the Centrist Way since it covers all the important points taught by masters of the Centrist Way, equally treating all three aspects of View, Meditation and Conduct. In this sense, it provides a grand overview of the Centrist Way. Furthermore, rather than presenting the Centrist Way’s understanding of “emptiness” in an extensive manner, it takes a more manageable (especially for beginners) analysis of the subject. Instead of employing a plethora of examples (like Nagarjuna), Chandrakirti takes the approach of a more focused or centered analysis. For these two main reasons, Entry to the Centrist Way is especially suitable for those desiring to study the Centrist Way approach via listening, contemplating and practicing.

Books I brought along...

Books I brought along for this trip:

1. Introduction to the Middle Way, an Indian Mahayana classic by Chandrakirti (ca. 7th century Indian Buddhist master, proponent of the Centrist School of Buddhist Philosophy);
2. The Practice of the Wild, a collection of essays by American essayist, poet and nature-activist, Gary Snyder, and
3. Spiritual Friendship, a 12th century work by the Scottish Cistercian monk and abbot, Aelred of Rievaulx.


Introduction to the Middle Way or Madhyamakavatara is the text that we're ("we" as in Drigung Dharmakirti Hermitage) going to study when everyone returns from the summer. A few of us from the group (Ryan, Jes, Jeff, Joe and I) were fortunate enough to go to the annual Spring Retreat at Tibetan Meditation Center, MD and while there I requested Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltshen to give us a "reading-blessing/transmission" of the first few verses of the text. I trust that created some good karmic conditions for our study and understanding of the text. I've started listening to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's recorded teachings on this text too . Good stuff.

Assigning Dogen's "Mountains and Rivers Sutra" from his Shobogenzo for this last semester's "Chan/Zen Buddhism" course rekindled my once very-fleeting interest in Gary Snyder's writings on nature, the wild and Zen practice. So, I returned to the copy of The Practice of the Wild that my grad school buddy, Kirk, had given me years back. Snyder is growing on me....

As for Aelred's Spiritual Friendship: you know who you are who is responsible for me reading it now! You better read it too so that we can at least pretend to exchange some insights over the summer.

Before the summer's over I suspect I'll finish a couple more books - probably the more "boring" academic/professional type... what Snyder aptly characterized as "byzantine artifacts."

Time to go people-watch and walk around before I fall asleep here.My body tells me it's 0200hrs but I need to stay awake long enough to get on the plane in 2 hours. To end this blog, I quote Snyder quoting Dogen: "Whoever told people that 'Mind' means thoughts, opinions, ideas and concepts? Mind means trees, fence posts, tiles and grasses."

Aight. I'll see y'all where the dwarf rhododendron bushes are on the hill next to Drigung-til Monastery. "Only 20 minutes. Yup, 20 minutes to get up there. Uh-huh."