Nagarjuna
"Nagarjuna
(c. 150-250 C.E.) has held continuous attention of Buddhists
... since his own day. ... His ideas, though subtle and profound,
carried such deep understanding and implications of fundamental
Buddhist truths that they came to influence, one way or another,
all or most of the subsequent Mahayana developments in India,
China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan.
"Nagarjuna stands out as the giant among giants
who laid the foundation of religious and philosophical quests.
... He was, in short, considered to be the second Buddha. ..." —Kenneth
K. Inada, from the introduction to his book Nagarjuna.
Causation
and Change
The Non-substantiality
of Phenomena
The Nature
of Subjective Experience
The Nature
of Objective Experience
The
Nature of Ultimate Reality
Based on Nagarjuna's Verses
on the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamakakarika), this series carefully examines the
emptiness of all phenomena and demolishes all of our common concepts
of time, space, motion, identity, location, cause and effect, conditionality,
sense, and self. This radical and profound, yet accessible work
points directly to the truth evident in what we see and experience.
His teachings form the foundation not only for Zen, but for all
the Mahayana schools. All of Mahayana literature is most completely
elucidated by his works.
Students
are led through a verse-by-verse examination of this foundational Buddhist
writing. The following books contain the translations
to which are contained in the compilation. You may find that you want
copies of your own and may benefit from the translators' commentaries.
These books have been available for purchase through online bookstores or you may order
them through your local bookstore. We do not sell these books.
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Mulamadhyamakakarika of Nagarjuna: The Philosophy of the Middle Way, translation and commentary by David Kalupahana, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, January 1999. |
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Nagarjuna: A Translation of His Mulamadhyamaka Karika, Kenneth Inada, Helan International Publishing Company, 1970. Out of print, limited availability. |
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The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika, translation and commentary by Jay L. Garfield, Oxford University Press, 1995 |
Prerequisite: First Year Basic Studies
Course dates: To be determined
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