Book Review: "Groundless Paths: the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, “The Ornament of Clear Realization”, and its Commentaries in the Tibetan Nyingma Tradition," Translated and introduced by Karl Brunnhölzl.
This is the third and last volume of the series dedicated to Tibetan commentaries on the Ornament of Realizations. It presents translations of works belonging to the Nyingmapa school, essentially two commentaries by Dza Patrul Rinpoche (1808–1887), a famous figure of the nonsectarian movement of Tibetan Buddhism. As in the first two volumes, Brunnhölzl provides often impressive and lengthy footnotes that compare Patrul's commentaries with other Nyingmapa commentaries or with the commentary of the great Tibetan reformer Tsongkhapa (1359–1419). Indeed Brunnhölzl demonstrates that Patrul's commentaries consist almost entirely of literal or abridged passages from Tsongkhapa's work. Consequently, one cannot help but wonder how “Nyingmapa” Patrul's commentaries are, and why Brunnhölzl chose to translate those over other, more original Nyingmapa commentaries that he alludes to. Translations are given priority again in this volume, and the introduction is reduced to a few considerations regarding chiefly the relationship between Patrul's and Tsongkhapa's texts. There is no doubt that making these texts accessible in translation is a much needed and commendable achievement, but one would have found it helpful had he provided historical and philosophical explanations of particular passages and of the reasons that motivated Patrul Rinpoche (who has a reputation for privileging practical over scholastic approaches) to undertake the task of commenting upon such a technical treatise. Brunnhölzl adds useful appendixes including supplementary texts by Patrul. Readers already familiar with Buddhist literature should especially notice this third volume, that reveals so pointedly Patrul's originality and personal voice.
