About the Author

Karl Brunnhölzl, MD, was trained as a physician and also studied Tibetology. He received his systematic training in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa Institute for Translators, founded by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. Since 1989 he has been a translator and interpreter from Tibetan and English. He is presently involved with the Nitartha Institute as a teacher and translator.

Reviews

"Concise, pithy, and easy to understand. That it has been augmented with commentaries by the Seventh and Eighth Karmapas makes this a valuable volume indeed, one that will benefit many people. I am grateful that this book has been published."—Thrangu Rinpoche, author of Medicine Buddha Teachings

"Maitreya's Ornament of Clear Realization, along with its commentaries, opens a window into the vast landscape of the Prajnaparamita Sutras territory that has been largely left unexplored by Western scholars and practitioners. . . . Karl Brunnhölzl's breathtaking scholarship, lucid translations, and deep insight into the meaning of these texts brings this vast body of teachings to life. Gone Beyond is bound to be an invaluable reference work for scholars and practitioners for years to come."—Andy Karr, author of Contemplating Reality

"In a stimulating and accessible way, Karl Brunnhölzl's Gone Beyond brings us into the vast and profound world of prajaparamita literature. In these two volumes of Gone Beyond (with a companion volume soon to follow), we discover the foundation of the Mahayana path in all its glory."—Elizabeth Callahan, translator of The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Three

"These two volumes of Gone Beyond are a groundbreaking work and a great treasure for Western Buddhism."—Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, from the Foreword to Volume 1 "Prajnaparamita literature, which deals with the Mahayana doctrine of emptiness, is notoriously impenetrable, certainly not the sort of material that one can jump right into no matter how fine the translation. However, Brunnhölzl provides a masterful introduction that surveys the history of the text and its many Tibetan commentaries and makes sense of the complex subject matter."—Buddhadharma: The Practitioners Quarterly