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Chapter 14: Verses 338-346

Chapter 14: Verses 338-346

Part of a series of teachings on Aryadeva’s 400 Stanzas on the Middle Way given on an annual basis by Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe from 2013-2017.

Motivation from Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend, Verse 60

Even more stupid than one
who fills a jewel encrusted vessel with filth is
the person who, after being born a human,
performs evil deeds

Verses 338-346

  • Refuting inherently existent production by virtue of dependence on causes
  • Refuting that the composite is a truly existent single unit
  • Refuting truly existent derivatives that do not rely on the elements
  • Refuting inherent existence by examining fire and fuel
  • Refuting inherent existence by seeing that things are neither one or many
  • Refuting non-Buddhist views of inherent existence
  • Refuting inherent existence by applying the reasoning that negates the four possibilities—existence, non-existence, both and neither

Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe

Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe was born in 1930 in Lhokha, Central Tibet and became a monk at the age of 13. After completing his studies at Drepung Loseling Monastery in 1969, he was awarded Geshe Lharampa, the highest degree in the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is an emeritus professor at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and an eminent scholar of both Madhyamaka and Indian Buddhist studies. His works include Hindi translations of The Essence of Good Explanation of Definitive and Interpretable Meanings by Lama Tsongkhapa and Kamalasila's commentary on the Rice Seedling Sutra. His own commentary, The Rice Seedling Sutra: Buddha’s Teachings on Dependent Arising, was translated into English by Joshua and Diana Cutler and published by Wisdom Publications. Geshela has facilitated many research works, such as a complete translation of Tsongkhapa’s The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, a major project undertaken by the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center in New Jersey where he teaches regularly.