Middle Beyond Extremes: Maitreya's Madhyantavibhaga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham (Maitreya Texts)

Middle Beyond Extremes contains a translation of the Buddhist masterpiece Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes. This famed text often referred to by its Sanskrit title Madhyantavibhaga is part of a collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings. Maitreya the Buddhas regent is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions to the master Asanga in the heavenly realm of Tushita. In pithy verses Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes employs the principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as well as the way they actually are. Unraveling the subtle processes that condition our thinking and experience Maitreyas teaching reveals a powerful path of compassionate vision and spiritual transformation. Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes is here presented alongside commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibets nonsectarian Rim movement: Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham. Maitreya and Asanga who lived during the fourth century C.E. are the progenitors of the Approach of Vast Activity one of two great currents of Mahayana view and practice. Their works have achieved the status of unique spiritual classics. Maitreya describes the multifaceted interdependent processes whereby consciousness manifests and expresses itself. When on this path of experience we equally acknowledge the expressions of mind and their intrinsic nature we will he promises discover a flawless and bountiful perspectivea discovery of unlimited resources. Maitreyas terse instructions are accompanied here by two commentaries. The first by Khenpo Shenga (18711927) intersperses glosses and explanatory remarks between the words of the root text. Unique to Shengas approach is that he literally never adds a word of his ownall of his comments are extracted verbatim from the classical commentary of Vasubandhu. The second commentary by Ju Mipham (18461912) seeks to explain and provide clear solutions by taking up the issues set forth in the verses and offering his understanding of them.