An Adornment for the Ear to Delight Those of Sharp Intelligence
Our April Text of the Month is An Adornment for the Ear to Delight Those of Sharp Intelligence, a collection of notes by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.
This text brings together essential points on Madhyamaka reasoning, the bodhisattva path, and meditation. Rather than a formal composition, it reads like oral instruction, drawing on earlier sources and presenting them concisely and directly.
Many of the sections closely parallel works by influential Nyingma masters, such as Longchenpa, Jigme Lingpa, and Gampopa, and present themes including the four great Madhyamaka arguments, the three defining characteristics, and key aspects of the path and meditation.
In this way, this collection reveals how Khyentse Wangpo worked with his sources, interpretive choices, and the wider conceptual and textual network from which his work emerged.
📅 April 24 | 3 PM UTC
Teaching on Madhyamaka with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
For the teaching on this text, we are pleased to welcome Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, who will focus on the four great arguments of Madhyamaka, core reasonings that challenge the way we habitually perceive reality. Drawing on decades of study and practice, she will explore how these teachings can be approached not only as a philosophical view but as a way of questioning and engaging with our experience.
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for over forty years under the guidance of her root teacher, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. She is the founder of The Middle Way Initiative, an educational nonprofit that offers teachings, retreats, and conversations grounded in the Middle Way tradition.