Absorption in No External World

“No comparable work exists on this topic, which is highly important but indeed specialized. Enhanced by an extensive bibliography, comprehensive notes, and an English/Tibetan/Sanskrit glossary, which researchers will appreciate, this work is best suited for academic and Buddhist religious collections.”—Library Journal

“Offers a fascinating exploration of how provocative issues about reality are refined and debated by Tibetan scholar-practitioners.”—Eastern Horizon “Provide[s] a synopsis of the rich heritage of commentary and debate in the monastic tradition of Tibet and central Asia…also opens up Dzong-ka-ba’s rich synthetic and scholastic insights into the whole of Buddhism to greater critical inquiry. . . . Hopkins’ work will be a treasure trove for students of Buddhism for years to come.”—Wordtrade

“Written especially for advanced scholars of Buddhism and its sacred texts and featuring a delineation of the different approaches through which the Mind-Only School interprets scriptures. Absorption in No External World can be read as a stand-alone book or as the final volume in the author’s trilogy on Mind-Only.”—Wisconsin Bookwatch


“In this volume, Hopkins presents opinions on crucial issues from twenty-two commentaries on Dzong-ka-ba’s The Essence of Eloquence, considered by his followers to be so challenging that it is called his steel bow and steel arrow: hard to pull but powerful when one succeeds. The careful analysis with which these scholar-yogis probe the issues provides an avenue into patterns of thought that constitute the environment of the text over this long period of intense interest to the present day. Hopkins’ lively style draws the reader into the drama, revealing horizons of transformative meaning. This is without question the finest and most complete discussion of the renowned Mind-Only School and its Tibetan Context.”—Anne C. Klein, author of Knowledge and Liberation: Tibetan Buddhist Epistemology in Support of Transformative Religious Experience


“An exceptionally clear and detailed account of a central debate in Tibetan Buddhist scholastic philosophy.”—Matthew Kapstein, professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Chicago