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Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā. ‘The Root Verses on the Madhyamaka System’, being the title of the most important work by Nāgārjuna which laid the foundations for the Madhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It comprises 448 verses arranged in 27 chapters. Its overall aim is to highlight the inconsistencies that arise through reifying Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical concepts and theories, including causation (pratītya-samutpāda), existence, impermanence (anitya), bondage, and liberation. Nāgarjuna's intention is to establish the absence of any substantial or autonomous reality (svabhāva) underlying these concepts and to replace such wrong views with a true understanding of emptiness (śūnyatā) which is a corollary of Dependent Origination (pratītya-samutpāda). Many major commentaries were written on this work by later Indian scholar-monks such as Buddhapālita, Bhāvaviveka, Candrakīrti, and Sthiramati.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Mlamadhyamakakrik.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Mlamadhyamakakrik.html

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Mūla-Mādhyamaka-Kārikā

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Mūla-Mādhyamaka-Kārikā (The Root Verses on the Mādhyamaka). The major work of Nāgārjuna in which he laid the foundation for the development of Mādhyamaka philosophy. In the 445 short verses which comprise the treatise, Nāgārjuna examines twenty-seven topics and demonstrates that the concepts and categories with which the intellect normally operates are inadequate to grasp the true nature of phenomena and the manner in which they are related. The breakdown of reason at this point means that reality can only be described as inexpressible or ‘void’ (śūnyatā).

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JOHN BOWKER. "Mūla-Mādhyamaka-Kārikā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Mūla-Mādhyamaka-Kārikā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-MlaMdhyamakaKrik.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Mūla-Mādhyamaka-Kārikā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-MlaMdhyamakaKrik.html

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