Teaching Nāgārjuna
Oxford University Press eBooks October 20, 2016 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199373093.003.0002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Mathematics education Eurasian exchange networks |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Argues that Nāgārjuna's thought is best taught through multiple approaches—contextual, comparative, and contemplative—and that scholarship has clarified his historical location and the Madhyamakakārikā's translations, while the tradition includes Indian disciples like Candrakirti and Tibetan interpreters like Atisha. |
Abstract
Roger Jackson summarizes the state of scholarship on the writings and thought of great and historically important Mahāyāna philosopher Nāgārjuna. The chapter moves through historical issues on the philosopher and the literary and legendary sources bearing on his historical location; it turns to an exhaustive overview of writings attributed to him, with special focus on the analysis of the Madhyamakakārikā and its various English translations. Insights and strategies for teaching Nāgārjuna, his concept of shunya, and the Madhyamaka school follow: a contextual consideration, that locates his philosophical approach versus various Hindu schools of thought; focusing on intra-Buddhist controversies, primarily with the Yogācāra school’s theories of consciousness; a comparative approach that dialogues with modern Western physics, Japanese philosophers, Zen, and comparative mysticism; and the use of a contemplative approach involving Buddhist meditation. The chapter also covers the tradition of Nāgārjuna’s Indian disciples such as Candrakirti and several major interpreters in Tibet such as Atisha.