This is a critical review of Du Yongbing’s book-volume biographical study on dge ’dun chos’ phel. I try to argue two main points in this article. Firstly, the role of dge ’dun chos’ phel in modern Tibet is so complicated that we should not reduce the issue in a dualistic discourse of Union vs. Independence. Otherthan arousing antinomy, this dualism can do nothing to help us to clarify the problem. Secondly, from the viewpoint of historical development of Mādhyamika Philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism, Du's claim that dge'dun chos'phel is a original thinker within Mādhyamika tradition is philosophically groundless. Finally, this article will take Du's study as an example to illustrate the general situation of Tibetology in Mainland China.
