by Archya Nagaruna  |  Presented by Dharma Friends of Israel (DFI)

In this text, which is one of Nāgārjuna’s most important treatises, the author instructs an Indian king both in Madhyamika philosophy and in practical matters such as how to live an ethical and compassionate life based on renunciation and bodhicitta. At the same time, Nāgārjuna shows how these seemingly disparate topics are interrelated and form a coherent whole. Although Nāgārjuna addresses the king directly, his timeless teachings apply to everyone, in all places and cultures.

The text serves as the basis for many other Indian and Tibetan commentaries, as its various points are elaborated in treatises such as Chandrakirti’s Entry into the Middle Way and Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva. And among Tibetan Buddhists it continues to be a subject of study in monastic institutions and public teachings.