Nagarjuna

Nagarjuna was an Indian Buddhist monk and philosopher in the Mahayana tradition and the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist Philosophy.[1] [2]He is highly regarded as one of the most important Buddhist Philosophers.

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 Eastern 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 in India).[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]

References

  1. ↑ "Nagarjuna - Greatest Buddhist Philosopher | Founder of Madhyamaka School". Original Buddhas. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Nagarjuna | Biography, Philosophy, & Works | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  3. ↑ 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. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Walser (2005), p. 60.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Walser (2005), p. 61.

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