This is an exploration ofthe critical philosophi- cal approach of Tibetan scholasticism,~ especially its traditions of interpretation of Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy, and the relationship of Madhyamaka

to Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) or the Great Perfection, one of the most important and controversial Tibetan traditions of mystical philosophy and meditation pracctice. In particular, this study examines Mipham Rinpoche's polemical defense of the Nyingma school's Great Perfection teaching, his resolution of philosophical controversies that are historically associated with the Great Perfection, and the epistemological and gnoseological6 distinctions he uses to that end.

The Beacon's author, Mipham Rinpoche (1r846-1912),was one of the greatest scholars of the Nyingma or"old school" ofT ibetan Buddhism. Mipham's "root" teacher the incomparable scholar and visionary 'Jamgon Khentse wan po (1820-1892), entrusted him with the preservation ofthe Great Perfection teaching. Mipham was an indefatigable scholar, debater, and meditator. He mastered the major scholastic traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and composed commentaries and treatises based upon them, and during numerous meditative retreats, he cultivated a profound experience of the.Vajrayana practices taught in both the older and newer traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.