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Acknowledgments I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who directly or indirectly helped bring this book project to completion. First and foremost, I acknowledge my indebtedness to Shakya Chokden himself. Although this remarkable thinker lived five centuries ago, his life and ideas have been the focus of my research for more than twelve years, providing continuing inspiration for my own life and thinking. I am also highly indebted to all those who provided me with the intellectual background and skills indispensable for this project: the late Khenchen (mkhan chen) Künga Wangchuk (kun dga’ dbang phyug) and my other teachers at Dzongsar Institute for Advanced Studies of Buddhist Philosophy and Research in Bir, India, with whom I spent several years studying teachings of the Sakya tradition; Khenpo (mkhan po) Tsewang Sönam (tshe dbang bsod nams) at Pelyül Chökhor Ling (dpal yul chos ’khor gling) in Bir, under whose guidance I explored teachings of the Nyingma tradition as well as various interpretations of Madhyamaka and Yogåcåra; the late Lopzang Gyamtso (blo bzang rgya mtsho) and other teachers at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, India, who for six years taught me Buddhist philosophy, logic, epistemology, and other subjects of traditional Tibetan scholarship ; and the late Khetsün Zangpo Rinpoché (mkhas btsun bzang po rin po che), the late Kirti Tsenzhap Rinpoché (kirti mtshan zhabs rin po che), the late Khenchen Tupten Özer (thub bstan ’od zer), and other teachers with whom I studied Buddhist tantric systems. It is only due to the training under these and other outstanding scholars that my studies of Buddhism eventually resulted in a modest understanding and deep appreciation of the richness, complexity, and interconnectedness of the multiple elements comprising the Buddhist universe, inspiring my lasting interest in the thought of Shakya Chokden, thought which embodies those qualities. I am extremely grateful to my instructors at the University of Virginia, and especially Professors Jeffrey Hopkins and David xi xii Acknowledgments Germano—my graduate advisors during the coursework and dissertation research on the writings of Shakya Chokden—who provided me with the intellectual stimulation, challenges, and advice that proved indispensable for transforming my long-term interest in the writings of Shakya Chokden into a work of academic research. I also strongly benefited from discussing Shakya Chokden’s ideas and other topics pertinent to this manuscript with Anne Burchardi, Dr. Alberto Todeschini, Khenpo Ngakwang Dorjé (ngag dbang rdo rje), Dr. Cyrus Stearns, Professor Kevin Vose, Professor José Cabezón, and other fellow scholars and friends whose skills and knowledge greatly helped me strengthen the manuscript. I am also very thankful to Professor Beata Grant and my colleagues at the Washington University in St. Louis where I continued my research as a Mellon postdoctoral fellow, as well as my current colleagues at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, who provided me with support and advice during the final stages of my work on this book. Last, but not least, I want to thank all those who helped me with proofreading and polishing the manuscript at its different stages, especially Scott Leigh who carefully read its final version and offered many helpful suggestions on how to improve its style and readability. If there are any benefits and virtues in this study, I want to dedicate them to my teachers, to a deeper understanding of the treasure trove of Buddhist thought, and to an increasing awareness and lasting preservation of the Tibetan culture. ...

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