Pointing the Way to Reasoning Commentaries to Compendium of Debates, Types of Mind, Analysis of Reasons

by Lobsang Tharchin

This latest book by Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin, POINTING THE WAY TO REASONING, is a compilation of commentaries to three important Buddhist logic Compendium of Debates (bsdus grwa); Types of Mind (blo rig); and Analysis of Reasons (rtags rigs). Compendium of Debates is a selection of debates primarily used by the monks as a foundation for studying the five major texts they have to learn in their Geshe curriculum. Types of Mind identifies the various types of mind described in our Buddhist tradition, distinguishing between valid minds, invalid minds, etc. Analysis of Reasons presents the various types of reasons used in debates for philosophical investigation. Here we can find what constitutes a perfect reason, a false reason, and their various classifications. The commentaries on the root texts are from Khensur Rinpoche Losang Tarchin, a master logician of old Tibet and great Lama who imparted his teachings for over three decades in the West. The relevance of this book for the modern reader is briefly described by the author in the following terms from the introduction to Compendium of "In a similar way you, too, have to use the material presented here as a way to advance in your practice, applying the logic to your own mind . This is by far the most important technique for studying. The crucial point is that you have to learn to apply everything in logic to your own condition, to your own situation." Each selection for commentary comes in the original Tibetan, romanized Tibetan, followed by the English translation throughout the text to facilitate learning.

547 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sermey Khensur Rinpoche, Geshe Lobsang Tharchin was an eminent lama and renowned scholar of the Gelukpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. After studying the great Buddhist treatises at Sera Mey Monastic University for more than 20 years, he was awarded the title of Hlarampa Geshe of the first rank with highest honors in 1954.

In 1972, at the direction of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khen Rinpoche came to Howell, New Jersey, to assist in a translation project sponsored by the Institute for the Advanced Study of World Religions. Several years later, he accepted an invitation to become Abbot of Rashi Gempil Ling, a Buddhist temple established by Kalmuk Mongolians in the same community. For more than 30 years Khen Rinpoche taught extensively on a vast range of topics to students in America, having learned English at the age of 53. At the urging of his own root lama, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, he also initiated a number of projects dedicated to the restoration and support of the monks of Sera Mey Monastery that have resettled in South India. In 1991, at the age of 70, he was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as Abbot of Sera Mey and returned to India where he served a two-year term.

Khen Rinpoche guided the translation and publication of more than a dozen texts and oral commentaries on important Buddhist topics. He founded the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center (MSTC) in 1980.