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Guy Newland

Appearance and Reality: The Two Truths in the Four Buddhist Tenet Systems Paperback – August 1, 2009

by Guy Newland (Author)

9 customer reviews

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When someone seeks to understand Buddhism, where should that person start? With the meaning of taking refuge in the three jewels? With the four noble truths? The Dalai Lama, when asked this question, suggested that for many in the West today, understanding the two truths—conventional truth and ultimate truth—is the best place to start.

When the Buddha awoke from the dream we still dream, he saw the ultimate reality of things just as they are. There are shifting appearances and conventions, the manners and traditions of the vast and diverse world; and then there is the mystery of the sheer reality of things. And yet we cannot find this reality anywhere else but right here.

Each system of Buddhist philosophy has its own way of explaining exactly what these two truths are and how they relate to one another. In exploring these systems, we are looking over the shoulders of Buddhist thinkers as they grapple with a basic question: 'What is real?' This is not an idle intellectual exercise but a matter which cuts to the heart of our practice in life.

Editorial Reviews

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"Professor Newland's intellectually engaging examination of the four Buddhist tenet systems navigates the maze of complex theories that must be mastered to understand each system's contribution to the whole."—John Tigue, PhD, for Explorations

From the Back Cover

When the Buddha awoke from the dream we still dream, he saw the ultimate reality of things just as they are. There are shifting appearances and conventions, the manners and traditions of the vast and diverse world; and then there is the mystery of the sheer reality of things. And yet we cannot find this reality anywhere else but right here.

Each system of Buddhist philosophy has its own way of explaining exactly what these two truths are and how they relate to one another. In exploring these systems, we are looking over the shoulders of Buddhist thinkers as they grappple with a basic question: What is real? This is not an idle intellectual exercise, but a matter which cuts to the heart of our practice in life.

"It has been a Rosetta stone for understanding emptiness."-- a customer

"Brilliant. It should be in the hands of every Western Gelug practitioner. Congratulations on it--it is well conceived, well written, and extremely useful. A real gem."--a customer

"Seven of us spent over six months of weekly meetings studying Appearance and Reality and found it to be incredibly helpful. Most of us had only a few years of experience with Tibetan Buddhism. We broke into the fascinating world of the Tibetan Buddhist tenet systems and were able to get a hold of the thread of reasoning from Vaibashika to Prasangika Madyamika. We all felt your book was extraordinarily helpful in getting us started. Thanks so much for the great book!"--a customer

Guy Newland received a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1988 and is now Associate Professor of Religion at Central Michigan University. He has studied with several leading Tibetan scholars in the U.S. and India. One of his earlier works, The Two Truths, analyzed the Geluk view of Nagarjuna's two truths doctrine. He has collaborated with Joshua Cutler in editing the first complete English translation of Tsonghkapa's Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.

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Product details

Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Snow Lion (August 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1559391316
ISBN-13: 978-1559391313
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 9 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #452 in Karma Buddhism
- #7637 in Eastern Philosophy (Books)

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Emon

Excellent Supporting Document for In-Depth Buddhist Studies

April 23, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book on a couple of levels: especially for extensive Buddhist study, it helps explain one of the most enigmatic Buddhist tenets regarding existence & reality, plus (and this is my favorite), it's a small book and straight to the point; no rambling on-and-on for hundreds of pages (a common feature of many Tibetan Buddhist writings).
It is true: this book is written with a specific bent towards a Tantric (Tibetan) Buddhist perspective. Still, what does that matter? In the end, we want to get to the marrow of reality and, especially, what it means for our moment-to-moment experience; so what do we care if it's a Tibetan spin? And, anyway, if one takes all the different spins (Zen, Pure Land, Tantric, etc, etc), and brush away the smoke, you are left with the core Buddhist teachings, so forget any concerns. The book should be read while also reading Nagarjuna, Vimalarkiti or the Lankavatara Sutra in order to maximize its value in your study & meditation, since those writings frequently touch upon the subject of appearance & reality. In short: a good purchase.

5 people found this helpful

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Reader

Home Run

October 13, 2004

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Good things come in small packages. This is a very useful book. Read carefully, it shows a stair step through the four major "tenet systems" in Buddhist philosophy, each penetrating more deeply into the actual psychological experience of the illusion of reality. In his introduction, Newland describes how studies of the "tenet systems" might be considered merely academic classification of schools of thought. However, by presenting the tenet systems as a succession of solutions to the problem of why appearances don't correspond to the results logical reasoning, Newland fulfills his assertion that tenet studies can help people "arrive at conclusions...(at least tentatively) in weeks, days or hours" that might otherwise take years. While this book requires perhaps more than "familiarity with Buddhism", I believe it should be possible for those "genuinely interested in the philosophical aspects" to use this as a powerful study guide, as they search out the detailed meanings that this excellent book so lucidly outlines.

27 people found this helpful

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sunngrrl

The Two Truths illuminated

February 17, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A clear explanation of the Gelukpa approach to teaching the tenet systems. Very helpful if studying the Tenet systems or any texts (such as those by Jeffrey Hopkins on Emptiness) that refer to the Tenet systems from the Gelukpa point of view, or in order to understand the Gelukpa point of view if one is already familiar with another lineage's teachings. Guy Newland's explanations are succinct, yet powerful.

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mukam

Assigned Reading Transformed Into Enjoyment

November 11, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I did not want to read about the tenet systems. My teacher directed this reading. I began willingly but with less than desirable expectation. The more I read the better I comprehended. In the end ' concealer truths' won me over. It became a fruitful ground for meditation. Thank you, Guy Newland, for your conscientious endeavor.

3 people found this helpful

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seal

Deep understanding

December 4, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

While this book is a much better read then others of the same subject, I caution it isn't a book for a beginning Buddhist. You will want to have a good grasp of Tibetan Buddhism and where it came from. I would recommend it for the advanced student of the philosophy of Buddhism.........

4 people found this helpful

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Allen Zebrowski

Good Historical Perspective.

May 8, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

It's good for a historical perspective but doesn't include Buddhist views on particle and quantum physics.

One person found this helpful

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TUAN-FENG HSIEH

Five Stars

June 3, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

very good. Thank you.

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DReader

Great book (academically) but also reveals Tibetan sectarianism.

October 10, 2011

Format: Paperback

I found the book very helpful in my study of the "Two Truths". I have been digging into material from other schools of Buddhism as well and while I found the book to be an excellent account of the Tibetan viewpoint of their own ideas as well as their assesment of the ideas of others. Not suprisingly I did find it to be a little biased. In this book we learn that the Gelukpa's own understanding of the two truths is the highest understanding of the two truths. That other understandings are just lower rungs of a ladder that lead to the final Gelukpa understanding. If one has not studied other accounts of the Two Truths this book might just convince you that the Gelupas are right. What exists here is an account of the two truths heavily influenced by the writings of Tshongkhapa. If you are interested in understanding that view point, this book provides an excellent framework to persue that study.

8 people found this helpful

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