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Light of Samantabhadra

An Explanation of Dharmakirti's Commentary on Valid Cognition

Foreword by 42nd Sakya Trizin Ratna Vajra / Translated by Gavin Kilty

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About The Book

An illuminating gateway to Indian philosophy and its explication in Tibet.

Among the many works produced in the rich philosophical tradition of India’s classical age, few have had more impact than Dharmakirti’s Commentary on Valid Cognition (Pramanavarttika). Composed in India in the seventh century, it became the cornerstone for the study of logic and epistemology in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

An important addition to any collection for the Sakya practitioner, Light of Samantabhadra translates the work of one of the premier scholars of the Sakya school, Gorampa Sonam Sengé (1429–89). Gorampa here illuminates the first two chapters of Dharmakirti’s treatise, those on using inference to enlighten oneself (svarthanumana) and on establishing valid cognition (pramanasiddhi), both to determine the authority of the Buddha as a valid teacher and to eliminate the cognitive obstacles to awakening. The root text is composed in compact verses, and these are translated here along with Gorampa’s word-by-word commentary that reveals their often-veiled meanings. These chapters explore key issues in the philosophy of language and the nature of conventional designation, the way to employ sound reasoning, the proof of past and future lives, and the way to eliminate the view of self. In the skilled hands of translator Gavin Kilty, these insights are made accessible to contemporary readers.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Wisdom Publications (July 18, 2023)
  • Length: 536 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781614297512

Raves and Reviews

“Gorampa’s Light of Samantabhadra is fundamental reading for anyone wishing to understand pramana, or valid cognition. Kilty’s translation of the first two essential chapters of the Tibetan text affords contemporary English readers access to this important work for the first time.”

– Khenpo Jorden, director, International Buddhist Academy, Kathmandu

"Studying this book is like climbing a high mountain: hard to scale but with a life-changing view from the summit! I highly recommend it.”

– Robert Thurman, Jey Tsongkhapa Professor Emeritus, Columbia University

Light of Samantabhadra is an astoundingly clear presentation and translation.”

– Jeffrey Hopkins,

"We are fortunate that Gavin Kilty has provided us with a translation of the first two chapters of a commentary by the celebrated Gorampa Sönam Sengé, which upholds the position of the great Sakya Pandita, who revised the translation of the Pramanavarttika and interpreted it in line with the Nalanda tradition of his master Sakyasribhadra.”

– Wulstan Fletcher, Padmakara Translation Group

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