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Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka: A Philosophical Investigation
By: Jan Westerhoff

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Author: Jan Westerhoff
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780195384963
Publication Date: Jan. 2009

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Product Code: 15850

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The Indian philosopher Acarya Nagarjuna (c. 150-250 CE) was the founder of the Madhyamaka (Middle Path) school of Mahayana Buddhism and arguably the most influential Buddhist thinker after Buddha himself. Indeed, in the Tibetan and East Asian traditions, Nagarjuna is often referred to as the "second Buddha."

This book presents a survey of the whole of Nagarjuna's philosophy based on his key philosophical writings. His primary contribution to Buddhist thought lies in the further development of the concept of nullunyata or "emptiness." For Nagarjuna, all phenomena are without any svabhava, literally "own-nature" or "self-nature," and thus without any underlying substance. Particular emphasis is put on discussing Nagarjuna's thinking as philosophy. The present discussion shows how his thoughts on metaphysics, epistemology, the self, language, and truth present a unified theory of reality with considerable systematic appeal.

Jan Westerhoff offers a systematic account of Nagarjuna's philosophical position. He reads Nagarjuna in his own philosophical context, but he does not hesitate to show that the issues of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy have at least family resemblances to issues in European philosophy. This fascinating and much-needed analysis of one of India's most important philosophers is sure to interest and enlighten students of Buddhism and the European tradition alike.

Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka A Philosophical Investigation, Jan Westerhoff , Oxford University Press, Paperback, 2009, 288 Pages, $44.95

	Contents: Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka - A Philosophical Introduction

	Abbreviations	xi
1.	Introduction	3
	1.1 Nagarjuna the Philosopher	4
	1.2 Nagarjuna's Works	5
	1.3 Methodological Considerations	6
	1.4 The Philosophical Study of Nagarjuna in the West	9
	1.5 Overview	12
2.	Interpretations of Svabhava	19
	2.1 The Ontological Dimension	20
	2.2 The Cognitive Dimension	46
3.	The Role of Negation in Nagarjuna's Arguments	53
	3.1 Nyaya Theory of Negation	54
	3.2 Negation and Nondenoting Terms	56
	3.3 Negation and Temporal Relations	64
4.	The Catuskoti or Tetralemma	67
	4.1 Two Kinds of Negation	68
	4.2 Rejection of Two Alternatives	70
	4.3 Rejection of Four Alternatives	73
	4.4 Affirming Four Alternatives: The Positive Tetralemma	89
5.	Causation	91
	5.1 Causation: Preliminary Remarks	92
	5.2 Interdependence of Cause and Effect	94
	5.3 The Four Ways of Causal Production	99
	5.4 Temporal Relations between Cause and Effect	113
	5.5 Analysis of Time	124
6.	Motion	129
	6.1 Arguments Concerning Motion	130
	6.2 The Beginning of Motion	142
	6.3 The Interdependence of Mover and Motion	147
	6.4 The Second Chapter of the MMK in Its Argumentative Context	150
7.	The Self	153
	7.1 The Self and Its Parts	154
	7.2 The Self and Its Properties	158
	7.3 Epistemology of the Self	160
	7.4 The Madhyamaka View of the Self	162
8.	Epistemology	165
	8.1 Means of Knowledge as Self-established	167
	8.2 Means of Knowledge and Their Objects as Mutually Established	173
	8.3 Temporal Relations between Means and Objects of Knowledge	177
	8.4 The Aim of Nagarjuna's Arguments	179
9.	Language	183
	9.1 Nagarjuna's View of Language and the "No-Thesis" View	183
	9.2 VV 29 in Context	184
	9.3 The Semantic Interpretation	188
	9.4 The Specific Role of Verse 29	194
10.	Conclusion: Nagarjuna's Philosophical Project	199
	10.1 Metaphysics	199
	10.2 Personal Identity	208
	10.3 Ethics	212
	10.4 Epistemology	216
	10.5 Language and Truth	219
	Bibliography	225
	Index	239

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