Bhaviveka (ca. 500-560 CE) lived at a time of unusual creativity and ferment in the history of Indian Buddhist philosophy. The Mahayana movement was emerging as a vigorous and self-conscious intellectual force, while the earlier traditions of the eighteen "schools" (nikaya) resisted the authority of the Mahayana and continued to elaborate the fundamental concepts of Buddhist thought.

Bhaviveka's "Verses on the Heart of the Middle Way" (Madhyamakahrdayakarika) with their commentary, known as "The Flame of Reason" (Tarkajvala), give a unique and authoritative account of the intellectual differences that stirred the Buddhist community in this creative period.

Bhaviveka and His Buddhist Opponents gives a clear and accessible translation of Chapters 4 and 5 of this text: the chapters on the Sravakas, or eighteen schools, and the Yogacaras, Bhaviveka's most important Mahayana opponents. The translation is introduced by an essay that situates Bhaviveka in the intellectual context of sixth-century India, and it is accompanied by copious notes, commenting on Bhaviveka's sources and explaining his controversial method. The book also contains a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of Bhaviveka's verses and the Tibetan translation of the verses and commentary.


Bhaviveka and His Buddhist Opponents, Eckel, Harvard University Press, Hardcover, 2009, 495 pages, $70.00

PART 1: ANALYSIS
Introduction. 3
The Author
Bhaviveka and the Culture of Debate. 9
The Text
The Problem of Authenticity. 17
The Intellectual Structure of Bhaviveka's Compendium. 27
Toward a Theory of Difference. 38
Bhaviveka's Dialectical Method. 49
The Standard Three-Part Syllogism. 53
A Series of Linked Syllogisms. 59
The Argument
Bhaviveka's Buddhist Opponents. 62
Toward a Buddhist Philosophy of Religion. 81
Notes to Part 1. 88
PART 2: TRANSLATION OF CHAPTERS 4 AND 5 OF BHAVIVEKA'S "HEART OF THE MIDDLE WAY" WITH THE "FLAME OF REASON" COMMENTARY
A Note on the Translation. 99
Ch. 4: Analysis of Reality According to the Sravakas. 103
Ch. 5: Analysis of Reality According to the Yogacaras. 213
PART 3: SANSKRIT AND TIBETAN TEXTS
A Note on the Edition. 301
Ch. 4. Analysis of Reality According to the Sravakas. 303
Ch. 5. Analysis of Reality According to the Yogacaras. 389
Bibliography. 447
Texts Named Or Quoted in the Commentary. 477
Index to the Sanskrit Verses. 481