The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika
by Nagarjuna

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Book Reviews of The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika

Book Review: Thorough and Thoughtful Commentary of Iconic Work
Summary: 4 Stars

The book is split into 2 halves - the first is the translation in full, the second is the translation plus commentary by Garfield at the end of each chapter. Unless you have an IQ reaching into the upper reaches of the galaxy, then like me you will only be able to read this book via the commentary. It is an extremely difficult book and subject to get your head around (initially), but I really need to qualify that with a few things.

1. The main reason it is so difficult is the main reason for the book existing, or buddhism existing. The whole idea behind buddhism is that we are mistaken in our views of the world and reality, and all the training is to lead us to give up these mistaken views. Imagine trying to get a very stubborn and unreasonable person who believes their head has fallen off to see that it hasn't. The book contains the arguments that the head hasn't fallen off, which obviously is tough for the headless one to understand!

2. This book is dealing with the 3rd and final stage of mental training in buddhism, understanding reality, therefore it is not for novices, and you need to be concentrated and determined as well as have a good grounding in the general ideas of buddhism and meditation.

That is not to say it's not a good book, or that it's not worth the effort! It is one of my favourites, but I started off reading a page at a time and sometimes thinking for days over a paragraph and it's meaning before I could venture onwards.

Garfield's commentary is helpful (without it Nagarjuna's writings would be impenetrable), he has obviously worked hard to make the subject's writing lucid but made his own commentary more difficult by using
philisophical jargon and obscure (to me) words. Having to use an encyclopaedia to understand the commentary with an already difficult subject was irritating. This is where it loses a star.

In my view, Nagarjuna must have been an intellectual collossus. The arguments within the book are so deeply thought out, every twist and turn, argument and counter argument has been covered, that I really am simply amazed when I read it or even think about it. Think Einstein and beyond. Physicists would certainly do well to read the chapter on Motion (I studied physics at university so it was of much interest).

Overall, this is a book for study and thought, and is really only for more advanced practitioners but will bring rewards for anyone who puts in the effort.

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