The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism

From Buddha-Nature



The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism
Book
Book

In the past European scholars have tended to treat both Madhyamaka and Yogācāra as separate and fundamentally opposed trends in Mahāyāna Buddhist thought. Drawing heavily on early textual evidence this work questions the validity of such a 'Mahāyāna schools' hypothesis.
      By down-playing the late commentorial traditions, the author attempts a general reappraisal of the epistemological and ontological writings of Nāgārjuna, Asaṅga and Vasubandhu. He concludes that the overlap in all areas of doctrine is significant, but particularly with respect to the teachings on the levels of truth, the enlightened and unenlightened states, the status of language and the nature of reality
      It is hoped that such investigations may provide the basis for a new theory on the proliferation of Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism as an organic process of assimilation to new audiences, and specific contemporary problems, rather than in the more schismatic manner favoured by past researchers. (Source: Brill)

Citation Harris, Ian Charles. The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism. Brill's Indological Library 6. Leiden: Brill, 1991. https://archive.org/details/madhyamakacontinuityofmadhyamkaandyogacharainindianbuddhismiancharlesharrisbrill_36_E/mode/2up.


  • Prefaceix
  • Introduction1
  • 1. A Preliminary Examination of Madhyamaka Ontology7
  • 2. Nagarjuna and Logic25
  • 3. Nagarjuna and the Continuity of Tradition44
  • 4. The Problem of Mahayana "Schools"63
  • 5. The Conception of Truth in Early Buddhism84
  • 6. The Two Truths and the Three Natures102
  • 7. The Nature of Reality132
  • 8. The Problem of Idealism152
  • Conclusion176
  • Bibliography180
  • Abbreviations186
  • Index187