Facets of the Intellectual History in India and Tibet Concerning Meditating on a Mere Absence (original) (raw)
Related papers
Emptiness, negation, and skepticism in Nāgārjuna and Sengzhao
Asian Philosophy , 2023
see published version at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09552367.2023.2179966 Abstract: This paper excavates the practice-oriented background and therapeutic significance of emptiness in the Madhyamaka philosophy attributed to Nāgārjuna and Sengzhao. Buddhist emptiness unravels experiential and linguistic reification through meditation and argumentation. The historical contexts and uses of the word indicate that it is primarily a practical diagnostic and therapeutic concept. Emptiness does not lead to further views or truths but, akin to yet distinct from Ajñāna and Pyrrhonian skepticism, the suspension of assertion. This sense of emptiness as a practice can be traced in the intercultural transmission of Madhyamaka from Nāgārjuna, its paradigmatic philosopher, to Sengzhao 僧肇, its first pivotal indigenous Chinese representative.
Not Even Absent: Dependent Origination, Emptiness, and the Two Truths in the Thought of Nāgārjuna
2024
As one of the most pivotal thinkers in the history Mahāyāna Buddhism, the writings of Nāgārjuna have long attracted the attention of scholars aiming to interpret in declarative terms the meaning of the arguments contained therein. However, the very aim of such an endeavor that seeks to ascribe to Nāgārjuna a philosophical position is fundamentally at odds with the unwaveringly critical nature of his project. In order to illustrate the singular character of Nāgārjuna's methodology, this article seeks to clarify three crucial points concerning his thought: (1) the central concept in his philosophical works, dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), ironically denotes the non-origination (anutpāda) of any entity (bhāva) whatsoever and is universal in scope; (2) emptiness (śūnyatā) is not a meaningful predicate of any entity, meaning that no entity exists that can be identified as being empty; and (3) the Two Truths (satyadvaya) are not a philosophically significant device for Nāgārjuna and subsequently do not provide a means by which to mitigate the radical consequences of his arguments. As a result, we can understand Nāgārjuna's claim to have no postulative thesis (pratijñā) as a statement that he predicates no quality (dharma) of any subject (dharmin), and that his methodology is strictly critical, offering us no constructive theory by which to make sense of reality.
2013
It is claimed that one of the innovative contributions of Nāgārjuna in his Madhyamaka thought was establishing the equivalence of emptiness (P: suññatā, Skt: śūnyatā; kōng 空, kōngxìng 空性) and dependent origination (P: paṭicca-samuppāda, Skt: pratītyasamutpāda; Ch: yīnyüán 因緣, yüánqĭ 緣起). This present study pre-Nāgārjunian Buddhist textual sources what relationship or equivalence between emptiness and dependent origination was already established. In Part 1, we broadly outline the near paradigmatic modern Buddhist studies discourse on the teachings of emptiness. We then focus on the role of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka within this discourse. Lastly, this study rounds off with a literature review of studies on emptiness and dependent origination before Nāgārjuna. Part 2 covers the early teachings found in the Pāli Nikāyas and (Chinese translations of) the Āgamas. It finds that the term emptiness was sometimes used independently to refer to the process of dependent arising as saṃsāric dissatisfaction and cause, and also as dependent cessation into nirvāṇa. Emptiness as the profound also described these two complementary processes as a whole. Part 3 continues with the broad range of mainstream sectarian sūtra and śāstra literature. Here, the previous relationships are made more firm and explicit. There is greater association with the two doctrines as rejection of extreme views based on a “self”. The two are also brought within the Abhidharma methodology of analysis into conventional or ultimate truths, and classification as conditioned or unconditioned phenomena. Part 4 concludes, that while already nascent in the early literature, the relation or equation of emptiness with dependent origination, along with related terms, was quite well developed in pre-Nāgārjunian sectarian literature, and is strongest in the Sarvāstivādin literature. We recommend that aspects of the academic discourse on emptiness should be rectified as a result or these findings.
Review of Burton, Emptiness Appraised: A Critical Study of Nāgārjuna’s Philosophy
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"This is an essential work of Tibetan Buddhist thought written by an influential scholar of the twentieth century. Drawing upon the Nyingma tradition of the great Tibetan visionary Mipam, Bötrül provides a systematic overview of Mipam’s teachings on the Middle Way. Presenting the Nyingma school within a rich constellation of diverse perspectives, Bötrül contrasts Nyingma views point by point with positions held by other Tibetan Buddhist schools. Bötrül’s work addresses a wide range of complex topics in Buddhist philosophy and doctrine in a beautifully structured composition in verse and prose. Notably, Bötrül sheds light on the elusive meaning of “emptiness” and presents an interpretation that is unique to his Nyingma school. Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies exemplifies a vigorous tradition of Tibetan Buddhist scholarship that is widely practiced in contemporary monastic colleges in Tibet, India, and Nepal. Douglas Samuel Duckworth’s translation will make this work widely available in English for the first time, and his thoughtful introduction and annotations will provide insight and context for readers."
BUDDHIST ILLOGIC: A Critical Analysis of Nagarjuna’s Arguments (entire book)
BUDDHIST ILLOGIC, 2002
BUDDHIST ILLOGIC engages in a critical analysis of Nagarjuna's arguments. The 2nd Century CE Indian philosopher Nagarjuna founded the Madhyamika (Middle Way) school of Mahayana Buddhism, which strongly influenced Chinese, Korean and Japanese Buddhism, as well as Tibetan Buddhism. His writings include a series of arguments purporting to show the illogic of logic, the absurdity of reason. He considers this the way to verbalize and justify the Buddhist doctrine of “emptiness” (Shunyata). The present essay demonstrates the many sophistries involved in Nagarjuna’s arguments
Vol. 1 No. 3 (2018): ASEAN Journal of Religious and Cultural Research (AJRCR), ASEAN Studies Center of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand, 2018
The objectives of this research paper is to delineate Nāgārjuna’s encounter to ancient Buddhist hermeneutics who were dealing with Sarvāstivāda, Sautrāntika and Vijñāṇavāda Buddhist Schools, by applying metaphoric term emptiness (śūnyatā) along with depicting the evolving of emptiness (śūnyatā) doctrine. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/ajrcr/article/view/248678