From the Jacket:
What do the Madhyamikas really mean? After a painstaking scrutiny of their primary sources as well as those of their rivals, coupled with a careful consideration of new-fangled interpretations by modern Madhyamikologists, the author essays in this work the task of demonstrating with a wealth of documentation that it is difficult to resist the conclusion that, far from being an Absolutism or Absolutistic Monism as commonly held in responsible circles today, Madhyamika philosophy, styled Sunyavada, is, as held by the classics, Universal, Total, or Absolute Nihilism/Illusionism, indeed so Absolute a Nihilism/Illusionism that it leaves absolutely no room for religion and mysticism to which the Madhyamikas do in their a-philosophical mood feel committed, a fact brought into focus by the author for the first time.
About The Author:
Harsh Narain did his M.A. from Nagpur University and took his Ph.D. in the field of Nyaya-Vaisesika Philosophy from Lucknow University.
After holding Lecturership in Philosophy at Banaras Hindu University, he became a Reader in Philosophy at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, and a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University. Subsequently, he was attached to Lucknow University by University Grants Commission in their scheme of utilization of senior retired University teachers' services. Dr. Harsh Narain has published about a dozen books and over two hundred papers and articles.
| Preface | ix | |
| 1. |
INTRODUCTION
|
1 |
| 2. | THE BUDDHA'S MIND | 7 |
| The Categorical, the Allegorical, and the Equivocal in the Buddha | 7 | |
| Wooing and Jilting Metaphysics | 9 | |
|
The Conflicting Thrusts of the Metaphysical in the Buddha
|
11 | |
| 3. | LOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS | 29 |
| Realism Culminating in Destructed Nihilism | 29 | |
| Reaction to Realism Culminating in Absolute Nihilism | 31 | |
| Tension between Absolute Nihilism and Absolutism in the Madhyamika | 29 | |
| Idealism, Absolutism, Docetism | 36 | |
| Theo-Buddhism | 37 | |
| The Soul's Hideouts | 41 | |
|
The Buddhist Mind Divided against itself
|
43 | |
| 4. | CONFLICTING INTERPRETATIONS | 49 |
| The Nihilistic Interpretation | 49 | |
| The Metaphysical-Absolutistic Interpretation | 50 | |
| The Soteriological-Absolutistic Interpretation | 53 | |
| The Linguistic-Analytic Interpretation | 54 | |
| The Harking Back to the non-Madhyamika Traditions | 55 | |
|
The Madhyamika 's Confession
|
57 | |
| 5. | GERMS OF NIHILISM IN NON-BUDDHIST TRADITIONS | 67 |
| The Vedic 'Asat' | 67 | |
| The Nyaya-Vaisesika Asat-Karya | 68 | |
| The Lokayata Negativism | 69 | |
|
Pre-Buddhistic Upholders of Four-Cornered Negation
|
70 | |
| 6. | EVOLUTION OF THE MEANING OF SUNYA/SUNYATA | 73 |
| The Pali Canon | 73 | |
| Non-Canonical Pali Buddhism | 76 | |
| Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism | 77 | |
|
Mahayana Buddhism
|
78 | |
| 7. | THE MADHYAMIKA AS SUNYAVADA | 85 |
| Graduated Teaching of the Sunyata Doctrine | 86 | |
| (1) Sunyata as Relative Being | 86 | |
| (2) Sunyata as Essenceless Being | 88 | |
| (3) Sunyata as Non-Being | 89 | |
| (4) Sunyata as Neither Being nor Non-Being | 90 | |
| (5) Sunyata of Sunyata | 93 | |
|
Sunyata and Prajnaparamita
|
95 | |
| 8. | THE MADHYAMIKA DIALECTIC AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE | 107 |
| From Bypassing Metaphysics through its Outright Rejection to Its Total Transcendence | 107 | |
| The Madhyamika Rejects Metaphysics | 107 | |
| An Omnibus Five-Member Dialectic | 110 | |
| Nihilistic Significance of the Dialectic | 111 | |
| The Logico-Linguistic Dilemma | 115 | |
|
Total Transcendence of Metaphysics
|
117 | |
| 9. | NIHILISM AND ABSOLUTISM | 123 |
| Tattva', Dharmata, Tathata, Bhutakoti | 123 | |
| Meaning of Absolute | 129 | |
|
Nihilism and Advaitism
|
132 | |
| 10. |
RESUME AND REVIEW
|
143 |
| ABBREVIATIONS | 151 | |
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | 153 | |
| INDEX | 163 | |
|
|
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From the Jacket:
What do the Madhyamikas really mean? After a painstaking scrutiny of their primary sources as well as those of their rivals, coupled with a careful consideration of new-fangled interpretations by modern Madhyamikologists, the author essays in this work the task of demonstrating with a wealth of documentation that it is difficult to resist the conclusion that, far from being an Absolutism or Absolutistic Monism as commonly held in responsible circles today, Madhyamika philosophy, styled Sunyavada, is, as held by the classics, Universal, Total, or Absolute Nihilism/Illusionism, indeed so Absolute a Nihilism/Illusionism that it leaves absolutely no room for religion and mysticism to which the Madhyamikas do in their a-philosophical mood feel committed, a fact brought into focus by the author for the first time.
About The Author:
Harsh Narain did his M.A. from Nagpur University and took his Ph.D. in the field of Nyaya-Vaisesika Philosophy from Lucknow University.
After holding Lecturership in Philosophy at Banaras Hindu University, he became a Reader in Philosophy at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, and a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University. Subsequently, he was attached to Lucknow University by University Grants Commission in their scheme of utilization of senior retired University teachers' services. Dr. Harsh Narain has published about a dozen books and over two hundred papers and articles.
| Preface | ix | |
| 1. |
INTRODUCTION
|
1 |
| 2. | THE BUDDHA'S MIND | 7 |
| The Categorical, the Allegorical, and the Equivocal in the Buddha | 7 | |
| Wooing and Jilting Metaphysics | 9 | |
|
The Conflicting Thrusts of the Metaphysical in the Buddha
|
11 | |
| 3. | LOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS | 29 |
| Realism Culminating in Destructed Nihilism | 29 | |
| Reaction to Realism Culminating in Absolute Nihilism | 31 | |
| Tension between Absolute Nihilism and Absolutism in the Madhyamika | 29 | |
| Idealism, Absolutism, Docetism | 36 | |
| Theo-Buddhism | 37 | |
| The Soul's Hideouts | 41 | |
|
The Buddhist Mind Divided against itself
|
43 | |
| 4. | CONFLICTING INTERPRETATIONS | 49 |
| The Nihilistic Interpretation | 49 | |
| The Metaphysical-Absolutistic Interpretation | 50 | |
| The Soteriological-Absolutistic Interpretation | 53 | |
| The Linguistic-Analytic Interpretation | 54 | |
| The Harking Back to the non-Madhyamika Traditions | 55 | |
|
The Madhyamika 's Confession
|
57 | |
| 5. | GERMS OF NIHILISM IN NON-BUDDHIST TRADITIONS | 67 |
| The Vedic 'Asat' | 67 | |
| The Nyaya-Vaisesika Asat-Karya | 68 | |
| The Lokayata Negativism | 69 | |
|
Pre-Buddhistic Upholders of Four-Cornered Negation
|
70 | |
| 6. | EVOLUTION OF THE MEANING OF SUNYA/SUNYATA | 73 |
| The Pali Canon | 73 | |
| Non-Canonical Pali Buddhism | 76 | |
| Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism | 77 | |
|
Mahayana Buddhism
|
78 | |
| 7. | THE MADHYAMIKA AS SUNYAVADA | 85 |
| Graduated Teaching of the Sunyata Doctrine | 86 | |
| (1) Sunyata as Relative Being | 86 | |
| (2) Sunyata as Essenceless Being | 88 | |
| (3) Sunyata as Non-Being | 89 | |
| (4) Sunyata as Neither Being nor Non-Being | 90 | |
| (5) Sunyata of Sunyata | 93 | |
|
Sunyata and Prajnaparamita
|
95 | |
| 8. | THE MADHYAMIKA DIALECTIC AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE | 107 |
| From Bypassing Metaphysics through its Outright Rejection to Its Total Transcendence | 107 | |
| The Madhyamika Rejects Metaphysics | 107 | |
| An Omnibus Five-Member Dialectic | 110 | |
| Nihilistic Significance of the Dialectic | 111 | |
| The Logico-Linguistic Dilemma | 115 | |
|
Total Transcendence of Metaphysics
|
117 | |
| 9. | NIHILISM AND ABSOLUTISM | 123 |
| Tattva', Dharmata, Tathata, Bhutakoti | 123 | |
| Meaning of Absolute | 129 | |
|
Nihilism and Advaitism
|
132 | |
| 10. |
RESUME AND REVIEW
|
143 |
| ABBREVIATIONS | 151 | |
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | 153 | |
| INDEX | 163 | |
