Dumas constructs the plot around the notion that the Man in the Iron Mask is the twin brother of Louis XIV, Philippe, who had been concealed and imprisoned from birth by his father, Louis XIII, and his mother, Anne of Austria, ”for the good of France”. Only a very few people living at the start of the novel know of Philippe’s existence; these include his mother, Anne, and her former confidante, the Duchesse de Chevreuse. Chevreuse has let the secret slip to Aramis, the Bishop of Vanne and her former lover. Aramis plots to replace Louis with Philippe as a puppet ruler for himself and Fouquet, and recruits Porthos to assist, although Porthos is unaware of the true nature of the plot. Aramis’s ambitions now know no bounds and he intends to become nothing less than the next Pope. Through an elaborate subterfuge mounted by Aramis, Philippe replaces a prisoner due for release from the Bastille and escapes to Vaux. Meanwhile, Fouquet is throwing a lavish party for Louis at Vaux. Colbert poisons the king further against Fouquet. While the king is still visiting Fouquet at Vaux, Aramis initiates the second half of his plan and kidnaps Louis with the assistance of Porthos, imprisoning Louis in the Bastille in Philippe’s place. He then substitutes Philippe for the King. Aramis conspiratorially informs Fouquet of his acts, but Fouquet wants no part in such treachery and rushes to the Bastille, rescues Louis, and brings him back to Vaux to confront Philippe. Realizing that his plot has unravelled, Aramis flees for Belle Île to escape the king’s impending wrath, taking Porthos with him. Louis regains the throne with d’Artagnan’s help, ending Philippe’s brief reign. Louis banishes Philippe, ordering that ”he will cover his face with an iron visor” which he ”cannot raise without peril of his life.”

Product Description: The Dalai Lama lays out the Buddhist approach to matters of faith and devotion that is based on the highest spirit of critical inquiry.The Dalai Lama opens The Middle Way with an elegant argument for the power of compassion in cultivating a happy life...read more

This landmark book discusses the thought of Tibetan Buddhist thinker Shakya Chokden (1428-1507) on the two major systems of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Influential and controversial in his own day, Shakya Chokden's thought fell out of favor over time and his writings were eventually repressed, becoming available again only in the 1970s. Yet, his startling interpretations of the core areas of Buddhist thought remain valuable and well worth consideration today. Yaroslav Komarovski has used the twenty-four volumes of Shakya Chokden's collected work to provide a systematic presentation of a central aspect of his thought: a reconciliation of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka. Providing a detailed analysis of the two systems' mutual refutations of each other, Shakya Chokden argues for their fundamental compatibility and shared vision. In analyzing Shakya Chokden's ideas, Komarovski explores some of the most important issues of both traditional and modern Buddhist scholarship, including contested approaches to the nature of reality, the relationship between philosophy and contemplative practice, inter- and intrasectarian Buddhist polemics, and the nature of consciousness and mental processes.

Product Description: Madhyamaka, the "philosophy of the middle," systematized the Buddha's fundamental teaching on no-self with its profound non-essentialist reading of reality. Founded in India by Nagarjuna in about the second century CE, Madhyamaka philosophy went on to become the dominant strain of Buddhist thought in Tibet and exerted a profound influence on all the cultures of East Asia...read more

The four Musketeers plot to replace King Louis XIV of France with the mysterious, masked prisoner in the Bastille believed to be Louis's falsely imprisoned twin brother and the true king.

Product Description: Red mda' ba gZhon nu blo gros (1348?1412) played a pivotal role in the history of Tibetan Buddhists' engagement with Indian Madhyamaka philosophy, especially with regard to Candrakirti's interpretation of Nagarjuna. The lasting impact of this historical figure on the shape of Buddhist philosophy in Tibet - and particularly that of Madhyamaka ? has been highly underestimated to date...read more

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Product Description: This book provides the first English translation of Candrakirti's commentary (ca. 6-7th century C.E.) on four illusions that prevent people from becoming Buddhas. Lang's translation captures the clarity of Candrakirti's arguments and the lively humor of the stories and examples he uses...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: This volume collects Jay Garfield's essays on Madhyamaka, Yog-ac-ara, Buddhist ethics and cross-cultural hermeneutics. The first part addresses Madhyamaka, supplementing Garfield's translation of Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (OUP, 1995), a foundational philosophical text by the Buddhist saint Nagarjuna...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)