Mipam on Buddha-Nature

“The author has a wealth of knowledge and impressive detail to share on this topic. He is well-read in Tibetan material, Indian background and current scholarship. This book is a major contribution to Buddhist and Tibetan studies. It also fills a gap in our understanding of Nyingma philosophy. University of California at Santa barbara, Gregory A. Hillis
Mipam (1846-1912), one of the most prolific thinkers of Tibet’s history, is an important figure in Nyingma tradition. His works are still widely studied in Tibet and elsewhere. This book gives a detailed account of Mipam’s views, drawing from a variety of his works and providing several new translations. Douglas S. Duckworth demonstrates how Mipam’s writings about the Middle Way (and Buddha-nature) are infused with a dialectic between presence and absence. The most important doctrine of Buddhism, Buddha-nature, is for Mipam equivalent to the true meaning emptiness. It is the ground of all sentient beings as well as the common ground shared with Buddhas. This ground is essential to the path’s foundation and unavoidable for the goal of Buddhahood. Duckworth digs deep into Mipam’s writings about Buddha-nature in order to reveal its central position within a dynamic Buddhist philosophy.