Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy of Mind and Nature by Douglas Duckworth
Philosophy East and West January 1, 2021 Roshni Patel
Douglas Duckworth's book introduces a thematic way to understand Buddhist philosophy of mind, arguing that Madhyamaka and Mind-Only (Yogācāra) traditions share an underappreciated affinity as they orbit a common ground of nonduality. Duckworth complicates overstated characterizations of difference between these traditions, showing how emptiness in Madhyamaka reveals everything as mediated by convention, while Mind-Only discloses an immediate consciousness without duality. The book explores nonduality across topics including self-awareness, concepts, and tantric practice, presenting Mind-Only as a first-person experiential perspective and Madhyamaka as a third-person metaphysical perspective that can complement each other.