As with many religious and philosophical traditions, Buddhist
intellectual discourse owes its development to a dynamic interplay
of primary source material and subsequent interpretation, yet until
now Buddhist scholarship has neglected to privilege one crucial
series of texts. Commentaries on Buddhist scripture, particularly
the sutras, written by seminal thinkers across the history of
Indian Buddhism, contain myriad insights into the relationship
between textual analysis and ritual practice. Evaluating these
commentaries in detail for the first time, Richard F. Nance
revisits--and rewrites--the critical history of Buddhist thought,
including its unique conception of doctrinal transmission.
Written by such luminaries as Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, Dignaga,
and Santideva, scriptural commentaries have long played an
important role in the monastic and philosophical life of Indian
Buddhism. Nance reads these texts against the social and cultural
conditions of their making, establishing a solid historical basis
for the interpretation of key beliefs and doctrines. He also
underscores areas of contention, in which scholars debate what it
means to speak for, and as, a Buddha. Throughout these texts,
Buddhist commentators struggle to deduce and characterize the
speech of Buddhas and teach others how to convey and interpret its
meaning. At the same time, they demonstrate the fundamental dilemma
of trying to speak on behalf of Buddhas. Nance also investigates
the notion of "right speech" as articulated by Buddhist texts and
follows ideas about teaching as imagined through the common figure
of a Buddhist preacher. He notes the use of epistemological
concepts in scriptural interpretation and the protocols guiding the
composition of scriptural commentary. He then translates three such
commentarial guides to better clarify the normative assumptions
organizing these scholars' work.
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