The complete book · Free edition
Emptiness for the Rest of Us
Seeing the Folly of “I”
A universal way of seeing, drawn from Buddhism and explored by a Muslim author.
“An accessible, warm-hearted presentation of the central ideas of Madhyamaka metaphysics and of their ethical implications. Muhammad Ibrahim has found the perfect voice in which to encourage people to take these ideas seriously, regardless of their religious or ideological commitments. It will be of real benefit to people who want to improve their lives along these lines, but who find technical presentations forbidding.”
Two ways in
Begin with the human question. Then test it against the ordinary world.
Inside the book
From understanding to seeing—and from seeing to living.
Emptiness for the Rest of Us asks whether the assumption of a fixed, separate, and permanent “me” at the centre of experience survives careful examination. Not through blind faith. Not through obscure language. Not by asking the reader to become Buddhist. Through reasoning, ordinary experience, and direct observation.
Section I — The Lamp of Inquiry
A Reasoning Approach
- 1. The Illusion of the Obvious
- 2. The Mirage of the “I”
- 3. The Canvas of Change
Section II — The World Before Words
The Direct Approach
- 4. The Finger and the Moon
- 5. Where to Look
- 6. The Marrow of Silence
- 7. No Mirror to Polish
- 8. The Open Life
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