Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199732692
- eISBN:
- 9780199777365
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732692.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
The Vigrahavyāvartanī is a short work by the second-century Indian Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. In this text, which is written in a lively question-and-answer style he addresses a number of ...
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The Vigrahavyāvartanī is a short work by the second-century Indian Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. In this text, which is written in a lively question-and-answer style he addresses a number of objections (coming both from Buddhists and from non-Buddhists) which have been put forward against his theory of emptiness discussed in his main work, the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The Vigrahavyāvartanī is especially noteworthy for its treatment of topics which Nāgārjuna does not much discuss elsewhere, in particular questions of epistemology and the philosophy of language. The purpose of this book is to unlock the philosophical contents of the texts by providing a comprehensive commentary on Nāgārjuna’s arguments as well as a somewhat more general discussion of the philosophical points these raise. It is divided into three sections: the introduction, the translation, and the commentary. The introduction discusses the history of the text and gives a survey of the presently available editions and translations. I then address the question of the authenticity of the Vigrahavyāvartanī, discussing in detail some of the arguments put forward in the secondary literature which attempt to show that the text was not composed by Nāgārjuna. This is followed by some notes on the peculiar structure of the Vigrahavyāvartanī. Here I also explain why I chose to arrange the text differently in the translation and in the commentary. The introduction is concluded by a synopsis which gives a brief survey of the contents of the ten sections into which I have divided the text. The translation is based on the most recent edition of the Sanskrit text (Yonezawa 2008). All explanatory notes, discussions of variant readings and so forth have been left to the commentary. The commentary contains the entire text of the Vigrahavyāvartanī, though in an arrangement which differs from the one followed in the translation. My remarks on a specific section of the text usually follow this section directly, distinguished by a different typeface. The commentary divides Nāgārjuna’s text into ten main thematic units: (1) The status of the theory of emptiness; (2) Epistemology; (3) Intrinsically good things; (4) Names without objects; (5) Extrinsic substances; (6) Negation and existence; (7) The mirage analogy; (8) Emptiness and reasons; (9) Negation and temporal relations; (10) ConclusionLess
The Vigrahavyāvartanī is a short work by the second-century Indian Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna. In this text, which is written in a lively question-and-answer style he addresses a number of objections (coming both from Buddhists and from non-Buddhists) which have been put forward against his theory of emptiness discussed in his main work, the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The Vigrahavyāvartanī is especially noteworthy for its treatment of topics which Nāgārjuna does not much discuss elsewhere, in particular questions of epistemology and the philosophy of language. The purpose of this book is to unlock the philosophical contents of the texts by providing a comprehensive commentary on Nāgārjuna’s arguments as well as a somewhat more general discussion of the philosophical points these raise. It is divided into three sections: the introduction, the translation, and the commentary. The introduction discusses the history of the text and gives a survey of the presently available editions and translations. I then address the question of the authenticity of the Vigrahavyāvartanī, discussing in detail some of the arguments put forward in the secondary literature which attempt to show that the text was not composed by Nāgārjuna. This is followed by some notes on the peculiar structure of the Vigrahavyāvartanī. Here I also explain why I chose to arrange the text differently in the translation and in the commentary. The introduction is concluded by a synopsis which gives a brief survey of the contents of the ten sections into which I have divided the text. The translation is based on the most recent edition of the Sanskrit text (Yonezawa 2008). All explanatory notes, discussions of variant readings and so forth have been left to the commentary. The commentary contains the entire text of the Vigrahavyāvartanī, though in an arrangement which differs from the one followed in the translation. My remarks on a specific section of the text usually follow this section directly, distinguished by a different typeface. The commentary divides Nāgārjuna’s text into ten main thematic units: (1) The status of the theory of emptiness; (2) Epistemology; (3) Intrinsically good things; (4) Names without objects; (5) Extrinsic substances; (6) Negation and existence; (7) The mirage analogy; (8) Emptiness and reasons; (9) Negation and temporal relations; (10) Conclusion
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195375213
- eISBN:
- 9780199871360
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375213.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book contains a discussion of thought of the 2nd-century Indian Buddhist philosophy Nāgārjuna, the founder of the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamaka) school of Buddhist thought. The discussion is based on ...
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This book contains a discussion of thought of the 2nd-century Indian Buddhist philosophy Nāgārjuna, the founder of the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamaka) school of Buddhist thought. The discussion is based on Nāgārjuna’s main philosophical works preserved either in the original Sanskrit or in Tibetan translation. It offers a synoptic presentation of the main philosophical topics Nāgārjuna investigates, focusing on the central notion of emptiness (sūnyatā). Particular emphasis is put on an analysis of the philosophical content of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka. Apart from discussing the soundness of Nāgārjuna’s arguments for particular conclusions the book also examines to which extent Nāgārjuna’s philosophy forms a coherent philosophical system rather than a collection of individual ideas.Less
This book contains a discussion of thought of the 2nd-century Indian Buddhist philosophy Nāgārjuna, the founder of the ‘Middle Way’ (Madhyamaka) school of Buddhist thought. The discussion is based on Nāgārjuna’s main philosophical works preserved either in the original Sanskrit or in Tibetan translation. It offers a synoptic presentation of the main philosophical topics Nāgārjuna investigates, focusing on the central notion of emptiness (sūnyatā). Particular emphasis is put on an analysis of the philosophical content of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka. Apart from discussing the soundness of Nāgārjuna’s arguments for particular conclusions the book also examines to which extent Nāgārjuna’s philosophy forms a coherent philosophical system rather than a collection of individual ideas.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195375213
- eISBN:
- 9780199871360
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375213.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This introductory chapter introduces Nāgārjuna as a philosophical thinker and gives a brief discussion of the difficulties faced when trying to establish his exact dates and location. This chapter ...
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This introductory chapter introduces Nāgārjuna as a philosophical thinker and gives a brief discussion of the difficulties faced when trying to establish his exact dates and location. This chapter justifies the choice of the six texts comprising the so-called ‘Yukti-corpus’ as the basis for the discussion in the book and adds some remarks on methodology. The chapter also provides a brief outline of the philosophical study of Nāgārjuna in the West. This is followed by a synopsis of the arguments presented in the following chapters.Less
This introductory chapter introduces Nāgārjuna as a philosophical thinker and gives a brief discussion of the difficulties faced when trying to establish his exact dates and location. This chapter justifies the choice of the six texts comprising the so-called ‘Yukti-corpus’ as the basis for the discussion in the book and adds some remarks on methodology. The chapter also provides a brief outline of the philosophical study of Nāgārjuna in the West. This is followed by a synopsis of the arguments presented in the following chapters.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199732692
- eISBN:
- 9780199777365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732692.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy of Religion
This introductory chapter begins with a description of the history of the Vigrahavyāvartanī. It then considers arguments regarding the authenticity of the Vigrahavyāvartanī and discusses the ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a description of the history of the Vigrahavyāvartanī. It then considers arguments regarding the authenticity of the Vigrahavyāvartanī and discusses the structure of the Vigrahavyāvartanī.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a description of the history of the Vigrahavyāvartanī. It then considers arguments regarding the authenticity of the Vigrahavyāvartanī and discusses the structure of the Vigrahavyāvartanī.
Jonardon Ganeri
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199202416
- eISBN:
- 9780191708558
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202416.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter discusses the theory of selfhood developed by the Mādhyamika philosophers, especially Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, according to which becoming a self is an activity or performance. Various ...
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This chapter discusses the theory of selfhood developed by the Mādhyamika philosophers, especially Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, according to which becoming a self is an activity or performance. Various readings of the no-self thesis are distinguished. The problem of the individuation of minds is discussed.Less
This chapter discusses the theory of selfhood developed by the Mādhyamika philosophers, especially Nāgārjuna and Candrakīrti, according to which becoming a self is an activity or performance. Various readings of the no-self thesis are distinguished. The problem of the individuation of minds is discussed.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195375213
- eISBN:
- 9780199871360
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375213.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter deals with the theory of negation described in the non-Buddhist Nāgārjuna school of thought. Since many of Nāgārjuna’s arguments are formulated against the background of this theory and ...
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This chapter deals with the theory of negation described in the non-Buddhist Nāgārjuna school of thought. Since many of Nāgārjuna’s arguments are formulated against the background of this theory and set out to refute it it is important to gain a clear understanding of the Nāgārjuna account in order to grasp the point of Nāgārjuna’s arguments. The chapter deals in particular with the problem of negating non-denoting terms (such as ‘unicorn’) and the problem of the temporal relation between the negation and the negated object.Less
This chapter deals with the theory of negation described in the non-Buddhist Nāgārjuna school of thought. Since many of Nāgārjuna’s arguments are formulated against the background of this theory and set out to refute it it is important to gain a clear understanding of the Nāgārjuna account in order to grasp the point of Nāgārjuna’s arguments. The chapter deals in particular with the problem of negating non-denoting terms (such as ‘unicorn’) and the problem of the temporal relation between the negation and the negated object.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195375213
- eISBN:
- 9780199871360
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375213.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter attempts to analyze Nāgārjuna’s conception of language. Particular emphasis is placed on an investigation of Nāgārjuna’s famous statement that he does not have any philosophical thesis. ...
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This chapter attempts to analyze Nāgārjuna’s conception of language. Particular emphasis is placed on an investigation of Nāgārjuna’s famous statement that he does not have any philosophical thesis. The chapter considers several interpretations of this statement and a suggest a semantic one which entails that Nāgārjuna does not accept theses interpreted on the basis of a particular realist semantics. The chapter also considers the question what a ‘Madhyamakaa-compatible’ semantics would look like.Less
This chapter attempts to analyze Nāgārjuna’s conception of language. Particular emphasis is placed on an investigation of Nāgārjuna’s famous statement that he does not have any philosophical thesis. The chapter considers several interpretations of this statement and a suggest a semantic one which entails that Nāgārjuna does not accept theses interpreted on the basis of a particular realist semantics. The chapter also considers the question what a ‘Madhyamakaa-compatible’ semantics would look like.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195381559
- eISBN:
- 9780199869244
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter addresses a more specific and more pointed instance of paradox at the bounds of expression, considering Nāgārjuna's remarks in the Vigrahavyāvartanī and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā to the ...
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This chapter addresses a more specific and more pointed instance of paradox at the bounds of expression, considering Nāgārjuna's remarks in the Vigrahavyāvartanī and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā to the effect that neither he nor the Buddha asserts any thesis, has any view, takes any philosophical position. This, of course, sounds suspiciously like a thesis. Hence the paradox. It is argued that the resolution to the apparent paradox is achieved by the Mādhyamika through adopting a semantic distinction between assertions made with or without ontological import. Nāgārjuna and his Mādhyamika followers, on this account, endorse a theory of linguistic meaning according to which their assertions do not implicate the reality of referents of apparently referring expressions. Nāgārjuna denies making assertions with ontological import, having views about entities that exist on their own, etc., but is able to say these things without being self-refuting because of a view about language not shared by his non-Buddhist opponents.Less
This chapter addresses a more specific and more pointed instance of paradox at the bounds of expression, considering Nāgārjuna's remarks in the Vigrahavyāvartanī and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā to the effect that neither he nor the Buddha asserts any thesis, has any view, takes any philosophical position. This, of course, sounds suspiciously like a thesis. Hence the paradox. It is argued that the resolution to the apparent paradox is achieved by the Mādhyamika through adopting a semantic distinction between assertions made with or without ontological import. Nāgārjuna and his Mādhyamika followers, on this account, endorse a theory of linguistic meaning according to which their assertions do not implicate the reality of referents of apparently referring expressions. Nāgārjuna denies making assertions with ontological import, having views about entities that exist on their own, etc., but is able to say these things without being self-refuting because of a view about language not shared by his non-Buddhist opponents.
Jay L. Garfield and Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195381559
- eISBN:
- 9780199869244
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The previous chapter raised questions about the two truths and their relation to one another, and uses arguments, devices, and the rhetoric of contemporary Western debates about reductionism to ...
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The previous chapter raised questions about the two truths and their relation to one another, and uses arguments, devices, and the rhetoric of contemporary Western debates about reductionism to address problems about Buddhism's two truths. This chapter addresses problems connected to the two truths as well, and considers one standard Buddhist approach to resolving these problems, the use of the catuskoti, or four-cornered logic. It also adopts the techniques of contemporary logical theory to achieve greater clarity about ideas explored by Nāgārjuna and Zen thinkers such as Hakuin and Dōgen.Less
The previous chapter raised questions about the two truths and their relation to one another, and uses arguments, devices, and the rhetoric of contemporary Western debates about reductionism to address problems about Buddhism's two truths. This chapter addresses problems connected to the two truths as well, and considers one standard Buddhist approach to resolving these problems, the use of the catuskoti, or four-cornered logic. It also adopts the techniques of contemporary logical theory to achieve greater clarity about ideas explored by Nāgārjuna and Zen thinkers such as Hakuin and Dōgen.
Tom J. F. Tillemans
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195381559
- eISBN:
- 9780199869244
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter explores Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's willingness to read Nāgārjuna and other Mādhyamikas as deliberately, though cogently, inconsistent. While it rejects their view that Mādhyamika ...
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This chapter explores Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's willingness to read Nāgārjuna and other Mādhyamikas as deliberately, though cogently, inconsistent. While it rejects their view that Mādhyamika logic is paraconsistent in the strong sense that contradictions are literally acceptable, it endorses the view that at least early Mādhyamikas, and perhaps some of their commentators, accept a nonadjunctive logic in which assertions and their denials are each acceptable, but in which they do not conjoin. The chapter shows both nuanced textual scholarship and the judicious application of the techniques of modern logic in the reconstruction of a Buddhist philosophical position regarding the apparently inconsistent, but nonetheless true, conventional and ultimate truths.Less
This chapter explores Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's willingness to read Nāgārjuna and other Mādhyamikas as deliberately, though cogently, inconsistent. While it rejects their view that Mādhyamika logic is paraconsistent in the strong sense that contradictions are literally acceptable, it endorses the view that at least early Mādhyamikas, and perhaps some of their commentators, accept a nonadjunctive logic in which assertions and their denials are each acceptable, but in which they do not conjoin. The chapter shows both nuanced textual scholarship and the judicious application of the techniques of modern logic in the reconstruction of a Buddhist philosophical position regarding the apparently inconsistent, but nonetheless true, conventional and ultimate truths.
Koji Tanaka
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195381559
- eISBN:
- 9780199869244
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195381559.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter focuses not on the exegetical accuracy of Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's reconstruction of Nāgārjuna, but on the implication that Garfield and Priest draw from this reconstruction. ...
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This chapter focuses not on the exegetical accuracy of Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's reconstruction of Nāgārjuna, but on the implication that Garfield and Priest draw from this reconstruction. They argue that Western philosophers haven't seen an ontological paradox of the sort that Nāgārjuna is interpreted as presenting and, thus, that Western philosophers can learn an important lesson from Nāgārjuna. Their claim that Nāgārjuna can provide us with something new indicates the problematic nature of their overall project.Less
This chapter focuses not on the exegetical accuracy of Jay Garfield and Graham Priest's reconstruction of Nāgārjuna, but on the implication that Garfield and Priest draw from this reconstruction. They argue that Western philosophers haven't seen an ontological paradox of the sort that Nāgārjuna is interpreted as presenting and, thus, that Western philosophers can learn an important lesson from Nāgārjuna. Their claim that Nāgārjuna can provide us with something new indicates the problematic nature of their overall project.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199254057
- eISBN:
- 9780191698194
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199254057.003.0018
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter examines the possible relevance of philosopher Nāgārjuna's work on contradictions arising at the limits of thought. It states that Nāgārjuna has endorsed the possibility of true ...
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This chapter examines the possible relevance of philosopher Nāgārjuna's work on contradictions arising at the limits of thought. It states that Nāgārjuna has endorsed the possibility of true contradictions which confirms that he is indeed a rational thinker. It provides an interpretation of how Nāgārjuna may view logic or the limits of thought. This chapter demonstrates that Nāgārjuna's two linked limit paradoxes satisfy a schema common to a number of well-known paradoxes in Western philosophy.Less
This chapter examines the possible relevance of philosopher Nāgārjuna's work on contradictions arising at the limits of thought. It states that Nāgārjuna has endorsed the possibility of true contradictions which confirms that he is indeed a rational thinker. It provides an interpretation of how Nāgārjuna may view logic or the limits of thought. This chapter demonstrates that Nāgārjuna's two linked limit paradoxes satisfy a schema common to a number of well-known paradoxes in Western philosophy.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book is a study of how medieval Chinese Buddhists represented their ancient Indian forebears as exemplars of Buddhist practice for a world without a Buddha. It focuses on the Chinese ...
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This book is a study of how medieval Chinese Buddhists represented their ancient Indian forebears as exemplars of Buddhist practice for a world without a Buddha. It focuses on the Chinese hagiographies of Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva in particular, who were celebrated in medieval China as the greatest Buddhist saints since Śākyamuni, and who have long captured the attention of modern Buddhist Studies scholars. In contrast to earlier studies of these figures, which attempt to situate them in ancient Indian history, this book examines Chinese accounts of their lives as means of illuminating the beliefs and concerns of Chinese Buddhists themselves. Through these hagiographies I explore broader issues concerning how Chinese Buddhists conceived Indian Buddhism as a whole, and how they thereby construed the problem of being Buddhist in latter-day China. I examine Chinese Buddhist appropriations of the ancient Indian patriarchs in order to elucidate medieval Chinese conceptions of Buddhist sanctity across the Sino-Indian divide.Less
This book is a study of how medieval Chinese Buddhists represented their ancient Indian forebears as exemplars of Buddhist practice for a world without a Buddha. It focuses on the Chinese hagiographies of Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva in particular, who were celebrated in medieval China as the greatest Buddhist saints since Śākyamuni, and who have long captured the attention of modern Buddhist Studies scholars. In contrast to earlier studies of these figures, which attempt to situate them in ancient Indian history, this book examines Chinese accounts of their lives as means of illuminating the beliefs and concerns of Chinese Buddhists themselves. Through these hagiographies I explore broader issues concerning how Chinese Buddhists conceived Indian Buddhism as a whole, and how they thereby construed the problem of being Buddhist in latter-day China. I examine Chinese Buddhist appropriations of the ancient Indian patriarchs in order to elucidate medieval Chinese conceptions of Buddhist sanctity across the Sino-Indian divide.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Chapter 4 focuses on Chinese sources that depicted Nāgārjuna as a dhāraṇī master, alchemist, and Pure Land denizen, who personally appeared in Chinese oratories to provide his unique blend of ritual ...
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Chapter 4 focuses on Chinese sources that depicted Nāgārjuna as a dhāraṇī master, alchemist, and Pure Land denizen, who personally appeared in Chinese oratories to provide his unique blend of ritual repertoires that reportedly derived from ancient India but were fully congruent with time-honored Chinese ritual traditions. These sources potentially engaged a broad range of medieval Chinese audiences and thus insinuated Nāgārjuna into the religious practice of Chinese devotees across social and sectarian divisions. In this context Nāgārjuna was deployed not as a model of emulation, but as an object of veneration for Chinese adepts with a taste for ostensibly Indian thaumaturgic and alchemical rituals. Though recognizably accordant with the liturgical conventions of local Chinese religions, Nāgārjuna’s ritual programs were expressly labeled Indian Buddhist and thus rendered the preserve of Chinese Buddhists.Less
Chapter 4 focuses on Chinese sources that depicted Nāgārjuna as a dhāraṇī master, alchemist, and Pure Land denizen, who personally appeared in Chinese oratories to provide his unique blend of ritual repertoires that reportedly derived from ancient India but were fully congruent with time-honored Chinese ritual traditions. These sources potentially engaged a broad range of medieval Chinese audiences and thus insinuated Nāgārjuna into the religious practice of Chinese devotees across social and sectarian divisions. In this context Nāgārjuna was deployed not as a model of emulation, but as an object of veneration for Chinese adepts with a taste for ostensibly Indian thaumaturgic and alchemical rituals. Though recognizably accordant with the liturgical conventions of local Chinese religions, Nāgārjuna’s ritual programs were expressly labeled Indian Buddhist and thus rendered the preserve of Chinese Buddhists.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199688258
- eISBN:
- 9780191767586
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199688258.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
The book concerns what it is to be one, and the complex issues raised fall generally under the rubric of “the one and the many”. The book has three parts. The first centres around the question of ...
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The book concerns what it is to be one, and the complex issues raised fall generally under the rubric of “the one and the many”. The book has three parts. The first centres around the question of what it is in virtue of which a partite object is a unity. It argues that there must be something—call this a gluon—in virtue of which it is so. To function as required, however, the gluon must have contradictory properties. The rest of this part articulates the idea in detail, developing a theory of non-transitive identity required by the view, and applying the idea to various problems concerning universals, instantiation, being, and nothingness. The second part of the book applies these ideas further to various problems bequeathed by some Platonic dialogues. These include: mereology, falsity, and intentionality. Two of the chapters concern universals and instantiation. These chapters deliver a novel interpretation of the Parmenides. In the third part of the book, ideas from Buddhist philosophy are deployed. It is argued that all objects are empty of self-being, and that, in the last instance, all objects depend for being what they are on all other objects. Many consequences are discussed, including realism and idealism, ineffability, and nothingness. In the process, an important connection emerges between emptiness and gluon theory. The final two chapters turn from metaphysics to ethics. It is argued that the metaphysical picture of interconnectedness, together with certain central Buddhist ethical views, grounds an ethics of compassion.Less
The book concerns what it is to be one, and the complex issues raised fall generally under the rubric of “the one and the many”. The book has three parts. The first centres around the question of what it is in virtue of which a partite object is a unity. It argues that there must be something—call this a gluon—in virtue of which it is so. To function as required, however, the gluon must have contradictory properties. The rest of this part articulates the idea in detail, developing a theory of non-transitive identity required by the view, and applying the idea to various problems concerning universals, instantiation, being, and nothingness. The second part of the book applies these ideas further to various problems bequeathed by some Platonic dialogues. These include: mereology, falsity, and intentionality. Two of the chapters concern universals and instantiation. These chapters deliver a novel interpretation of the Parmenides. In the third part of the book, ideas from Buddhist philosophy are deployed. It is argued that all objects are empty of self-being, and that, in the last instance, all objects depend for being what they are on all other objects. Many consequences are discussed, including realism and idealism, ineffability, and nothingness. In the process, an important connection emerges between emptiness and gluon theory. The final two chapters turn from metaphysics to ethics. It is argued that the metaphysical picture of interconnectedness, together with certain central Buddhist ethical views, grounds an ethics of compassion.
Christian Coseru
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199843381
- eISBN:
- 9780199979851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199843381.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Debates about the proper way to inquiry about what knowledge is, its sources or grounds, and criteria of reliability, form an integral part of the Indian philosophical tradition. This chapter reviews ...
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Debates about the proper way to inquiry about what knowledge is, its sources or grounds, and criteria of reliability, form an integral part of the Indian philosophical tradition. This chapter reviews the important stages in this debate leading up to Śāntarakṣita and Kamalaśīla, and speculates on the course this debate might have taken had Buddhism endured in India after the 12th century. The recognition that there are shared notions about what it is like to perceive, and what sort of testimony perceptual knowledge provides, is examined in relation to three other issues: (i) the relation between perception and conception; (ii) the relation between language and conceptual, with regard to the Buddhist semantic theory of exclusion (apoha); and (iii) the role of debate and positive argumentation for Buddhist philosophy in general and Buddhist epistemology in particular. The chapter also explores new ways of conceiving of the practice of philosophical debate, the role that positive argumentation plays in such debate, and the relevance of cognitive scientific models of cognition to understanding the operations of logical reasoning.Less
Debates about the proper way to inquiry about what knowledge is, its sources or grounds, and criteria of reliability, form an integral part of the Indian philosophical tradition. This chapter reviews the important stages in this debate leading up to Śāntarakṣita and Kamalaśīla, and speculates on the course this debate might have taken had Buddhism endured in India after the 12th century. The recognition that there are shared notions about what it is like to perceive, and what sort of testimony perceptual knowledge provides, is examined in relation to three other issues: (i) the relation between perception and conception; (ii) the relation between language and conceptual, with regard to the Buddhist semantic theory of exclusion (apoha); and (iii) the role of debate and positive argumentation for Buddhist philosophy in general and Buddhist epistemology in particular. The chapter also explores new ways of conceiving of the practice of philosophical debate, the role that positive argumentation plays in such debate, and the relevance of cognitive scientific models of cognition to understanding the operations of logical reasoning.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Chapter 2 illustrates a seismic shift in Chinese representations of post-parinirvāṇa Indian Buddhism and thus conceptions of Buddhist sainthood in a world without a Buddha. While Kumārajīva’s ...
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Chapter 2 illustrates a seismic shift in Chinese representations of post-parinirvāṇa Indian Buddhism and thus conceptions of Buddhist sainthood in a world without a Buddha. While Kumārajīva’s associates advanced a cyclical model of Indian Buddhist history, the sources examined in this chapter instead depicted Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva standing in long lines of Indian patriarchs who together upheld the Dharma after Śākyamuni. Because this Indian lineage was reportedly severed before extending to China, I argue that it served to advance a soteriology of absence akin to that of the Lotus Sūtra. Then, in a sixth-century cave site that includes a sculpted representation of the Indian lineage, this message was both perpetuated and nullified. On the one hand, this cave depicted the Indian patriarchs as long-departed exemplars of Buddhist sainthood. And on the other hand, it rendered them as immanent presences that could be engaged directly through the cave’s ritual program.Less
Chapter 2 illustrates a seismic shift in Chinese representations of post-parinirvāṇa Indian Buddhism and thus conceptions of Buddhist sainthood in a world without a Buddha. While Kumārajīva’s associates advanced a cyclical model of Indian Buddhist history, the sources examined in this chapter instead depicted Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva standing in long lines of Indian patriarchs who together upheld the Dharma after Śākyamuni. Because this Indian lineage was reportedly severed before extending to China, I argue that it served to advance a soteriology of absence akin to that of the Lotus Sūtra. Then, in a sixth-century cave site that includes a sculpted representation of the Indian lineage, this message was both perpetuated and nullified. On the one hand, this cave depicted the Indian patriarchs as long-departed exemplars of Buddhist sainthood. And on the other hand, it rendered them as immanent presences that could be engaged directly through the cave’s ritual program.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Chapter 6 offers a more synoptic perspective on the Indian patriarchs as both models for emulation and objects of veneration in medieval China. Here I aim to articulate the unique sorts of power and ...
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Chapter 6 offers a more synoptic perspective on the Indian patriarchs as both models for emulation and objects of veneration in medieval China. Here I aim to articulate the unique sorts of power and authority that Chinese Buddhists invested in the Indian patriarchs, as opposed to other Indian holy beings and in relation to competing Chinese models of sainthood and divinity. On the one hand, the Indian patriarchs served as objects of veneration in medieval China, much like other Indian figures and Chinese deities and saints. On the other hand, the patriarchs were most often represented as “Goldilocks saints” of sorts, who lived neither too close to nor too far from either the Buddha or latter-day Chinese adepts. This made the Indian patriarchs both authoritative representatives of original Indian Buddhism and proximal exemplars of Buddhist sainthood for the generations after nirvāṇa.Less
Chapter 6 offers a more synoptic perspective on the Indian patriarchs as both models for emulation and objects of veneration in medieval China. Here I aim to articulate the unique sorts of power and authority that Chinese Buddhists invested in the Indian patriarchs, as opposed to other Indian holy beings and in relation to competing Chinese models of sainthood and divinity. On the one hand, the Indian patriarchs served as objects of veneration in medieval China, much like other Indian figures and Chinese deities and saints. On the other hand, the patriarchs were most often represented as “Goldilocks saints” of sorts, who lived neither too close to nor too far from either the Buddha or latter-day Chinese adepts. This made the Indian patriarchs both authoritative representatives of original Indian Buddhism and proximal exemplars of Buddhist sainthood for the generations after nirvāṇa.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The conclusion provides an overview of the main conclusions drawn in this study concerning how medieval Chinese Buddhists conceived Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva. It further explains the ...
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The conclusion provides an overview of the main conclusions drawn in this study concerning how medieval Chinese Buddhists conceived Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva. It further explains the approach taken in this study – situating the Chinese hagiographies of these Indian patriarchs firmly within the context of medieval China – vis-à-vis scholarship on Indian figures that either endeavors to locate them in ancient India or trace their imagery across Asian Buddhist cultures. In this light these hagiographies illustrate how Chinese Buddhists developed models of Buddhist sanctity as means of bridging the Sino-Indian divide, demonstrating that great Buddhist saints could be created in the centuries after nirvāṇa, whether in India or China; that ancient Indian holy beings had become immanent presences in China; and that the avowedly foreign religion of Buddhism actually represented – from its ancient Indian inception and through its greatest Indian saints – the most vaunted Chinese ideals of sanctity and salvation.Less
The conclusion provides an overview of the main conclusions drawn in this study concerning how medieval Chinese Buddhists conceived Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, and Āryadeva. It further explains the approach taken in this study – situating the Chinese hagiographies of these Indian patriarchs firmly within the context of medieval China – vis-à-vis scholarship on Indian figures that either endeavors to locate them in ancient India or trace their imagery across Asian Buddhist cultures. In this light these hagiographies illustrate how Chinese Buddhists developed models of Buddhist sanctity as means of bridging the Sino-Indian divide, demonstrating that great Buddhist saints could be created in the centuries after nirvāṇa, whether in India or China; that ancient Indian holy beings had become immanent presences in China; and that the avowedly foreign religion of Buddhism actually represented – from its ancient Indian inception and through its greatest Indian saints – the most vaunted Chinese ideals of sanctity and salvation.
Stuart H. Young
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841201
- eISBN:
- 9780824868598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841201.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The introduction lays out the scope of the book, the types of sources used, and the methodology employed. It discusses the meaning of the term “patriarch” and related categories of Buddhist sainthood ...
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The introduction lays out the scope of the book, the types of sources used, and the methodology employed. It discusses the meaning of the term “patriarch” and related categories of Buddhist sainthood found in Chinese sources. It explains the implications of the book’s title, which indicates how Chinese Buddhists simultaneously transmitted pre-existing images of the Indian patriarchs and invented them anew. The book examines hagiographic, exegetical, scriptural, ritual, and genealogical writings, as well as art historical materials, emphasizing the interdependent nature of these different genres. Hagiography was not produced or consumed in isolation from these other literary and visual arts; the Indian patriarchs’ career trajectories, doctrinal dispositions, and ritual prescriptions all developed in concert. The introduction also outlines the approach taken on the issue of religious acculturation, arguing for closer attention to local Chinese representations of ancient Indian Buddhism and treating Indianness as a repertoire element that was constantly (re)defined.Less
The introduction lays out the scope of the book, the types of sources used, and the methodology employed. It discusses the meaning of the term “patriarch” and related categories of Buddhist sainthood found in Chinese sources. It explains the implications of the book’s title, which indicates how Chinese Buddhists simultaneously transmitted pre-existing images of the Indian patriarchs and invented them anew. The book examines hagiographic, exegetical, scriptural, ritual, and genealogical writings, as well as art historical materials, emphasizing the interdependent nature of these different genres. Hagiography was not produced or consumed in isolation from these other literary and visual arts; the Indian patriarchs’ career trajectories, doctrinal dispositions, and ritual prescriptions all developed in concert. The introduction also outlines the approach taken on the issue of religious acculturation, arguing for closer attention to local Chinese representations of ancient Indian Buddhism and treating Indianness as a repertoire element that was constantly (re)defined.
