Description

(Mulamadhyamakakarika), a second-century philosophical text by the Buddhist saint Nagarjuna, is the foundational text of Mahayana, the Buddhist school that predominates in Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Nagarjuna is the founder of the Madhyamaka, or Middle Path, school of Mahayana. Jay Garfield’s magisterial translation (with commentary) of this seminal text (OUP, 1995) has established itself as the definitive edition in the English Language. Empty Words is intended as a companion to Garfield’s translation to The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, providing additional background, argument and context. It considers the work of philosophical rivals, and sheds important light on the relation of Nagarjuna’s views to other Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical positions. Garfield is one of the leading scholars in this field, and this volume is the culmination of his work of the last decade.

Publisher Review

Empty Words represents a serious engagement with Buddhist philosophy and contributes to the exegesis of Madhyamaka and Yogacara thought. More importantly, however, I think that it contributes to the further development of Buddhist philosophy as a continuing project. * Philosophy East & West * Empty Words makes a worthwhile contribution to the philosophical study of Buddhism. * Philosophy East & West *