Nagarjuna

Nagarjuna was an Indian Buddhist philosopher, traditionally dated to around the second or third century CE, whose writings founded the Madhyamaka school and developed a distinctive analysis of emptiness.

Śūnyatā: In Mahayana Buddhism, emptiness is the absence of inherent, independent existence in persons and things. Nagarjuna’s central claim is that emptiness follows from the lack of independent nature.
Mūlamadhyamakakārikā: The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā is Nagarjuna’s foundational verse treatise on emptiness and dependent arising. Its chapters show his method applied systematically to causation, motion, selfhood, and other topics.
Prajñāpāramitā: Prajñāpāramitā is a body of Mahayana Buddhist texts focused on the perfection of wisdom and emptiness. Nagarjuna’s philosophy develops themes already prominent in these scriptures.
Candrakīrti: Candrakīrti was a seventh-century Indian Buddhist philosopher and influential interpreter of Madhyamaka. His defense of Nagarjuna’s dialectical approach became central to the Prāsaṅgika tradition.
Nagarjuna’s biography: Nagarjuna’s biography is the uncertain reconstruction of the Indian philosopher’s life from sparse historical evidence and later legends. Traditional accounts differ, and the dates and details of his life remain disputed.
Pratītyasamutpāda: Dependent arising is the Buddhist principle that phenomena come about through conditions and relations. Nagarjuna identifies dependent arising with emptiness rather than treating them as competing doctrines.
Prasaṅga: Prasaṅga is a form of argument that derives an unacceptable consequence from an opponent’s assumptions. Nagarjuna’s critiques often proceed by exposing the consequences of positions he does not endorse.
Abhidharma: Abhidharma is a systematic tradition of Buddhist analysis that classifies mental and physical phenomena. His critique questions whether the phenomena analyzed by some Abhidharma schools possess intrinsic nature.
Bhāviveka: Bhāviveka was a sixth-century Indian Buddhist philosopher who developed an influential Madhyamaka interpretation. His disagreements with Candrakīrti shaped debates over how Nagarjuna’s arguments should be presented.
Nagarjuna attribution debate: The Nagarjuna attribution debate concerns which works preserved under his name were written by the Madhyamaka philosopher. Multiple authors may have contributed to the large body of texts attributed to him.

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