The study of the Middle Way requires meticulous discernment grounded in reasoning and practical principles; mere recitation of the Avalokiteshvara mantra is insufficient. Those who truly understand the Buddha’s profound intent are less likely to be swayed by mistaken views.
Clear Words
In this four-lesson series, Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche explores Clear Words, the renowned commentary by the Indian master Chandrakirti on Nagarjuna’s Root Verses on the Middle Way. Rather than covering the entire treatise, Khenpo selects representative verses from each chapter, distilling the essence of every section. For those seeking to understand emptiness through Middle Way reasoning—which can free the mind from confusion and foster genuine inner peace—Khenpo’s teachings offer both guidance and inspiration. Through his lucid explanations, he opens a gateway to the luminous insight of the Middle Way—clear words that reveal a clear mind.
Clear Words elucidates the profound meaning of emptiness, which lies at the heart of all the Buddha’s teachings. It explains that all phenomena arise interdependently and, in their ultimate nature, are “unceasing and unborn, neither non-existent nor everlasting, neither coming nor going, neither multiple nor single.” Through rigorous reasoning, the text dismantles all forms of conceptual grasping, demonstrating that both the self and phenomena are merely conceptual designations, lacking any inherent existence.
Why are we unable to attain enlightenment? It is because we have not eliminated the obscurations that arise from worldly causes and conditions. Once all these defilements are removed, nirvana will naturally manifest. At that point, the pure land will appear before you, with no need to seek it elsewhere. This is why it is said, “All sentient beings are no different from the Tathagata.”
Audio Recordings (with simultaneous English translation)
Videos (with simultaneous English translation)
Anyone who genuinely realizes emptiness and dependent origination has directly perceived the Four Noble Truths in their true nature.
