Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna was a Buddhist monk and philosopher in the Mahayana tradition, known for the Madhyamaka school of Buddhism.[1] He is highly regarded as one of the most important Buddhist philosophers, and credited as the founder of Madhyamaka philosophy.[2]
His key work is the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on Madhyamaka), and is a important text explaining the philosophy of emptiness in Madhyamaka. Jan Westerhoff considers Nagarjuna to be among the greatest thinkers in the history of Asian philosophy.[3]
Early life
We have limited reliable information about Nagarjuna's life, and historians disagree on when and where he lived (possibly 1st to 3rd century CE in various places).[4] The earliest surviving accounts were written in Chinese and Tibetan centuries after his death and are mostly hagiographical accounts that are historically unverifiable.[4] The earliest accounts were written centuries later in Chinese and Tibetan, mainly offering hagiographical, unverifiable details.[5]
Some scholars, like Joseph Walser, suggest Nagarjuna served as an advisor to a king of the Satavahana dynasty in the 2nd century, possibly Yajna Sri Satakarni, based on archaeological findings at Amaravati. This places Nagarjuna around 150–250 CE.[5]
Nagarjuna Media
A map of the Satavahana Kingdom, showing the location of Amaravathi (where Nāgārjuna may have lived and worked according to Walser) and Vidarbha (the birthplace of Nāgārjuna according to Kumārajīva)
A model of the Amaravati Stupa
Nicholas Roerich "Nagarjuna Conqueror of the Serpent" (1925)
Golden statue of Nāgārjuna at Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland
References
- ↑ "Nagarjuna - Greatest Buddhist Philosopher | Founder of Madhyamaka School". Original Buddhas. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ↑ "Nagarjuna | Biography, Philosophy, & Works | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ↑ Westerhoff, Jan Christoph (2022), Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), "Nāgārjuna", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2022 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2023-12-13
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Walser (2005), p. 60.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Walser (2005), p. 61.
Other Websites
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Wikisource has original writing related to this article: |
Thomas William Rhys Davids (1911). "Nāgārjuna". Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh) 19. Cambridge University Press. - Online version of the Ratnāvalī (Precious Garland) in English Translated by Prof. Vidyakaraprabha and Bel-dzek
- Online version of the Suhṛllekha (Letter to a Friend) in English Translated by Alexander Berzin
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- Works by Nagarjuna at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Nārāgjuna vis-à-vis the Āgama-s and Nikāya-s Byoma Kusuma Nepalese Dharmasangha (archived)
- ZenEssays: Nagarjuna and the Madhyamika
- Mula madhyamaka karika online Tibetan and English version translated by Stephen Batchelor (archived)
