Ways of Knowing in Tibetan Philosophy: An Annotated English Translation of Gorampa Sonam Senge’s Synopsis of the Middle Way

FAIN: RQ-271197-20

Lawrence University of Wisconsin (Appleton, WI 54911-5798)
Constance Kassor (Project Director: December 2019 to present)

Preparation for publication of an English translation of the 15th-century Tibetan philosophical text Synopsis of the Middle Way by Gorampa Sonam Senge (1429-89). (12 months)

We are completing the first English translation of the 15th-century Classical Tibetan text, "Synopsis of the Middle Way." This encyclopedic text was composed by the renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar-monk Gorampa Sonam Senge, and presents not only his own views on a range of philosophical topics including metaphysics, logic, epistemology, and ethics, but also catalogs the positions of dozens of other Indian and Tibetan Buddhist philosophers. The primary concern of the Synopsis is the nature of knowledge: what does it mean to know, and what kinds of knowledge are the most important? Gorampa is well-known in Tibetan Buddhism and this text is his most extensive philosophical work. The translation of this text will benefit scholars of Buddhism, as well as those interested in the nature of knowledge more broadly. Work was previously supported by an NEH Summer Stipend. The complete translation will be submitted to Wisdom Publications for publication in September 2021.