Studies in Buddhist Thought

History of philosophy · critique of soteriology · history of transformation

by Dhammesana

The three volumes

Volume 1

A systematic history of Buddhist philosophy, from its ancient Indian background to contemporary developments.

Volume 2

A critical examination of the soteriological claims of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, tathāgatagarbha, Vajrayāna, and Pure Land.

Volume 3

A history of the political, institutional, economic, and intellectual forces behind Buddhism's major transformations.

Volume 2, Madhyamaka: a new Part III, The Meditation of Tsongkhapa, in six chapters on calm abiding, insight, Tsongkhapa's own account of realization, the testimony of practitioners, external criticism, and this book's critique (17 October 2026). Start reading →
Next comes the book's next major revision, in two parts. First, five further case studies in the same format: Tiantai calm and insight, Geluk tantra, Chan koan practice, the modern Theravada insight movement, and two forms of Pure Land practice. Second, a fuller treatment of the Tibetan line: a new chapter on Tibetan scholastic institutions in Part I of Volume 1, and a new analytic section in Part II on Tsongkhapa's Madhyamaka and Tibetan epistemology, a line that matters to the whole book because of the Tsongkhapa–Madhyamaka question. Sources are being gathered; the update is expected in five to seven months.
The English translation of all three volumes is now formally published (14 September 2026). Start reading →
The complete Chinese translation of Pa-Auk Sayadaw's Nibbanagamini-patipada, all five volumes, is now published. Read it →

The three main volumes are complete. Essays and further translations will follow.