Within the Gelug tradition, the writings of Tsongkhapa form the backbone of philosophical study and practice. His *Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path* (Lamrim Chenmo) lays out a graded path that integrates renunciation, bodhicitta, and the correct understanding of emptiness into a coherent whole, while the *Great Exposition of Secret Mantra* (Ngagrim Chenmo) extends this structured approach into the tantric sphere. These works are complemented by texts such as *Essence of Eloquence* and *Ocean of Reasoning*, which refine hermeneutics and Madhyamaka reasoning, and by other lamrim presentations that distill the same path in more concise forms. Together they exemplify a methodical, almost architectural vision of the path, where ethical discipline, meditation, and wisdom are carefully sequenced and mutually reinforcing.

At the philosophical heart of Gelug lies a particular reading of Madhyamaka, grounded in the Indian classics of Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti. Nāgārjuna’s *Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way* and Candrakīrti’s *Entering the Middle Way* are treated as authoritative sources for the Prāsaṅgika understanding of emptiness: all phenomena are seen as lacking inherent existence, yet functioning dependently. This view is not approached as a mere abstraction, but as something to be clarified through rigorous analysis and debate, using the tools of Buddhist logic and epistemology. Hence the strong emphasis on Dharmakīrti’s *Commentary on Valid Cognition* and related pramāṇa literature, where valid cognition and careful reasoning are cultivated as indispensable supports for realizing the middle way.

The wider curriculum reflects this same spirit of systematization and balance. Texts on Prajñāpāramitā, Abhidharma, and Vinaya are studied in a coordinated way, so that insight into emptiness is grounded in a detailed understanding of mind, phenomena, and ethical discipline. Classic Abhidharma works and monastic codes are not treated as isolated fields, but as part of a single pedagogical arc that culminates in a clear, stable view of reality and a robust ethical foundation. On that basis, the tradition turns to tantra, especially systems such as Guhyasamāja and Yamāntaka, where the subtle methods of deity yoga and the union of bliss and emptiness are practiced only after the sutra path has been thoroughly internalized. In this way, Gelug presents a path in which philosophical precision, contemplative training, and tantric methods are woven together into a disciplined, graduated approach to awakening.