Nagarjuna, one of India's greatest philosophers, is the most
influential thinker in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. While his
philosophy has been the subject of numerous studies and
translations, Joseph Walser provides the first examination of
Nagarjuna's life and writings within the social, religious, and
institutional contexts of the early history of Buddhism.
Walser locates Nagarjuna's second-century writings at a critical
juncture in the development and spread of Mahayana Buddhism. At
this time, Mahayanist writings and teachings were regarded with
great suspicion, and its followers were subject to legal censure.
Walser explores how Nagarjuna's writings, including his most famous
works, "The Jeweled Garland" and "Foundational Stanzas,"
established a connection between the authority of the existing
Buddhist canon and Mahayana teachings. In doing so, Nagarjuna was
able to demonstrate the legality of Mahayana interpretation within
the strictures of Buddhist monastic law. This established a place
for Mahayana in the Buddhist tradition and insured the reproduction
and transmission of the sect's central texts.
Walser's analysis draws on close readings of Nagarjuna's texts,
particularly their treatment of the "three baskets" of the Buddhist
canon: "Vinaya" (Buddhist monastic law), "Sutra" (the sermons of
the Buddha), and "Abhidharma" (Buddhist sectarian treatises).
Walser also examines how the philosopher forged alliances with the
laity and other Buddhist sects -- alliances that proved pivotal in
insuring the survival of Mahyna teachings.
In addition to his analysis of Nagarjuna's writings, Walser
explores a range of Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources, as well as
art historicaland epigraphic evidence to offer a creative and
original contribution to the understanding of Nagarjuna and the
early history of Buddhism.
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