ABSTRACT
Mipham’s reputation among Tibetan scholars, as mentioned earlier, was largely an outcome of his contributions on Madhyamaka. There is no doubt that the importance of Emptiness in Maha¯ya¯na Buddhism and the zeal with which Tibetan scholars generally undertook the study of Madhyamaka had a great deal to do with the rise of Mipham’s popularity. Tibetan scholars, following their Indian precursors, considered Madhyamaka qua Emptiness as the primary path to Buddhahood, and therefore the most important topic in Maha¯ya¯na philosophy. This notion was conducive for the propagation of Mipham’s innovative and often controversial interpretations that earned him much notoriety. It is also this that influenced Mipham, like many other scholars, to emphasize and elaborate on the Madhyamaka doctrine.
