Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna (150-250 ?), an Indian philosopher, the founder of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. He was born in South India, probably near the town of Nagarjunikonda. He was initially a scholar of brahmanistic texts, but later converted to Buddhism. He first studied the various Nikāya (Nikaya) doctrines along with early Mahāyāna. He would end up leaning toward the latter, conducting extensive study on the various sutras. Based on his extensive study and ardent meditation practice he composed a number of influential texts, most important of which was the Mādhyamaka-kārikā (Memorial Verses on the Middle Way), which contains the essentials of his thought in twenty-seven short chapters. He is also considered to be the author of the Mahāyāna-vimśika (Twenty Verses on the Mahāyāna) and of the Dvadaśadvāra-śāstra (Treatise of the Twelve Gates). His writings were the basis for the formation of the Mādhyamika (Middle Way) school, which was transmitted to China under the name of the Three Treatise (Sanlun) School. He is credited with developing the philosophy of the prajnaparamita collection of sutras. He is strongly associated with the Buddhist university of Nalanda.
Writings
Nagarjuna's greatest work is the Mulamadhyamakakarika, the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way. This is an extended systematisation of the philosophy behind the prajnaparamita sutras.
Many other works are attributed to Nagarjuna. According to Lindtner the works by definitely Nagarjuna are:
- Mulamadhyamakakarika
- Shunyatasaptati
- Vigrahavyavartani
- Vaidalyaprakarana
- Vyavaharasiddhi
- Yuktisastika
- Catuhstava
- Ratnavali
- Pratityasamutpadahrdayakarika
- Sutrasamuccaya
- Bodhicittavivarana
- Suhrllekha
- Bodhisambhara[ka]
There are other works attributed to Nagarjuna, some of which may be genuine and some not. There is evidence for a second, later, Nagarjuna who was the author of a number of tantric works which have subsequently been incorrectly attributed to the original Nargajuna.
It is worth noting that Lindtner considers that the Mahaprajnaparamitopadesha, a huge commentary on the Large Prajnaparamita not to be a genuine work of Nagarjuna. This is only extant in a Chinese translation by Kumarajiva. There is much discussion as to whether this is a work of Nargarjuna, with a some original comments by Kumarajiva, or an original work by Kumarajiva based on the philosophy of Nagarjuna.
English Translations
Mulamadhyakakarika
| Author |
Title |
Publisher |
Notes |
| Garfield, J L |
The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way |
Oxford, 1995 |
A translation of the Tibetan version together with
commentary |
| Inada, K |
Mulamadhyamakakarika |
Hokuseido, 1970 |
A transaltion of the verses only. |
| Kalupahana, D J |
The Philosophy of the Middle Way |
SUNY, 1986 |
Translation and commentary |
| Sprung M |
Lucid exposition of the Middle Way |
RKP, 1979 |
Partial translation of the verses together with
Chandrakirti's commentary. |
Other Works
| Author |
Title |
Publisher |
Notes |
| Lindtner, C |
Nagarjuniana |
Motilal, 1987 [1982] |
Contains Sanskrit or Tibetan texts and translations of the
Shunyatasaptati, Vaidalyaprakarana, Vyavaharasiddhi (fragment),
Yuktisastika, Catuhstava and Bodhicittavivarana. A translation only
of the Bodhisambharaka. The Sanskrit and Tibetan texts are given
for the Vigrahavyavartani. In addition a table of source sutras is
given for the Sutrasamuccaya. |
| Komito, D R |
Nagarjuna's "Seventy Stanzas" |
Snow Lion, 1987 |
Translation of the Shunyatasaptati with Tibetan commentary |
| Bhattacharya, Johnston and Kunst |
The Dialectical Method of Nagarjuna |
Motilal, 1978 |
A superb translation of the Vigrahavyavartani |
| Kawamura, L |
Golden Zephyr |
Dharma, 1975 |
Translation of the Suhrlekkha with a Tibetan commentary |
| Jamieson, R.C. |
Nagarjuna's Verses on the Great Vehicle
and the Heart of Dependent Origination |
D.K., 2001 |
Translation and edited Tibetan of the Mahayanavimsika and the Pratityasamutpadahrdayakarika, including work on texts from the cave temple at Dunhuang, Gansu, China |
See also: Shunyata
External Links
Referenced By
BuddHism | Buddhist | Buddhist Teachers: Historical | Buddhist Teachers: Past | Buddhist Thinkers | Buddhist philosophy | Buddhists | Buddism | Budhism | Chandrakirti | Dialectician | Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way | Gelug | Geluk | Geluk School | Gelukpa | Indian Buddhism | Kumarajiva | KumÄrajÄ«va | List of Buddhists | List of India-related topics | List of India related topics | List of historical Buddhist teachers | List of people by name: Na | List of philosophers | List of philosophical topics (I-Q) | Listing of noted Buddhists | Madhyamika | Mahayana | Mahayana Buddhism | MahÄyÄna | Mediaeval university | Medieval universities | Medieval university | Nalanda | Perfection of Wisdom | Prajnaparamita | Sarvastivada | Shunyata | T'ien-t'ai | Tantric Buddhism | Tian Tai | Tiantai | Tien Tai | Tientai | University | Vajrayana | Vajrayana Buddhism
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