Verses from the Center: A Budhist Vision of the Sublime

Description

The understanding of the nature of reality is the insight upon which the Buddha was able to achieve his own enlightenment. This vision of the sublime is the source of all that is enigmatic and paradoxical about Buddhism. In VERSES FROM THE CENTER Stephen Batchelor explores the history of this concept and provides readers with translations of the most important poems ever written on the subject the poems of 2nd century philosopher Nagarjuna.

Stephen Batchelor is a former monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions and the author of the national bestseller Buddhism Without Beliefs. He lectures and conducts meditation retreats worldwide, and is a contributing editor for Tricycle.

"A Buddhist scholar and former monk, Stephen Batchelor is well known to American readers as the author of the bestselling Buddhism Without Beliefs. Now comes Verses from the Center, his vision of the poetic legacy of Nagarjuna, a visionary monk who lived in India in the second century and who is, Batchelor writes, 'arguably the most important figure in Buddhism after the Buddha himself.'...In addition to providing useful guidance to the key philosophical concepts, Batchelor's introduction also delves into the colorful strata of myth and legend surrounding the man and his work, and traces the historical traditions of centrist thought all the way from Nagarjuna's Chinese contemporary, Laotzu, to the English Romantic poet John Keats....This is a book about wisdom, not understanding; it invites us to acknowledge paradox with equanimity, and to dwell without question among the questions that it poses."--Los Angeles Times