The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism
Author | : Ian Charles Harris |
Publisher | : BRILL |
Total Pages | : 203 |
Release | : 2023-11-27 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789004644717 |
ISBN-13 | : 9004644717 |
Rating | : 4/5 (717 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism written by Ian Charles Harris and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-11-27 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past European scholars have tended to treat both Madhyamaka and Yogācāra as separate and fundamentally opposed trends in Mahāyāna Buddhist thought. Drawing heavily on early textual evidence this work questions the validity of such a "Mahāyāna schools" hypothesis. By down-playing the late commentorial traditions, the author attempts a general reappraisal of the epistemological and ontological writings of Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu. He concludes that the overlap in all areas of doctrine is significant, but particularly with respect to the teachings on the levels of truth, the enlightened and unenlightened states, the status of language and the nature of reality. It is hoped that such investigations may provide the basis for a new theory on the proliferation of Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism as an organic process of assimilation to new audiences, and specific contemporary problems, rather than in the more schismatic manner favoured by past researchers.