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Review
philosophy. He is renowned as the foremost exponent of the Madhyamika school propounding Sunyavāda and also as a master of dialectic. Mulamadhyamakarika by Nagarjuna is the basic work on his Madhyamika doctrine of Sunyavāda. But his Sutrasamuccaya and Suhṛllekha are popular works on Buddhist teaching.
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In his Suhrllekha (The letter of a Friend), addressed to his royal friend Gautamiputra Satakarni, composed in 123 Sanskrit Arya verses, Nagarjuna contributed a concise and comprehensive manual of the teaching of Buddhism. The original work in Sanskrit is no longer extant. However, it has left various translations in Tibetan and Chinese. It enjoys widespread popularity among Tibetans who use it as a basic manual for teaching Buddhism. The letter commences with an appeal to the royal friend to pay careful attention to the teaching contained in it as it concerns the holy Dharma (1-3). In the direct teaching Nagarjuna first dwells upon the general practice of Virtue, which, being followed by monks and laymen, leads man to heaven and liberation (4-64). The injections and prohibitions set forth here are intended to counter-act non-virtuous propensities. The ultimate truth is revealed through a combination of morality and knowledge. Death, impermanence and opportune conditions form the subject matter of the subsequent verses 65-103. The descriptions of the manifold sufferings of the different realms of Samsara are designed to produce a revulsion for worldly existence and a desire for liberation. The letter concludes with general counsel to consider the excellent quality of Nirvāņa and practise the path resulting in Nirvana (104-123). The summum bonum of human life is according to the Mahayana doctrine, not only the achievement of freedom from bondage and ignorance, but also the capacity to nurture and mature all living beings that they may also attain enlightenment and liberation. Though the work may not satisfy scholars and academicians seeking clarification of abstract points of the doctrine of the Madhyamikas, it well serves as a concise and comprehensive manual of instruction in the doctrine and practice of Buddhist religion and philosophy.
Jain Education International
The original title 'Suhṛllekha' denotes the 'the Letter of a Friend' as rendered in the preface. The translators have, however, amplified it specifically into 'Nagarjuna's Letter to King Gautamiputra'. The translators heve rendered th Tibetan verses into English in a lucid style, presenting them within the framework of a continuous outline serving as a guide-line for grasping the scheme of the manual. The outline is drawn from the commentary of Jetsun Rendawa. The general outline is also introduced at the outset before the commencement of the text.
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