See also: Nāgārjuna (homonymy)

Nāgārjuna is a philosopher and Buddhist writer Indian (IIe - 3rd century), originating in the area corresponding to the Andhra Pradesh current.

Biography

The legend gives birth to it in a family from Brahmane S, which would explain why he was the first thinker important of Buddhism used the Sanscrit and not the Pâli in its writings. He was the largest theorist of the doctrines Mādhyamika, the way of the medium and would have taught at the university of Nalanda.

Taking into account the exceptional length that one lends to his life (more than 600 years), it is probable that there were several people bearing this name. One can however locate it towards the end of the 2nd century by his text “Letter at a friend” whom he would have addressed to king Shri Yajnâ of the dynasty Shatavâna. A legend tells that in offering with the Bouddha, it would have committed suicide while cutting itself the head.

Another tradition reports that Nāgārjuna would have gone in the world of the Nāga, of the serpentiform divinities, to teach the Dharma to them. From there its name would come: Nāgā - ārjuna, “that which subjugates Nāga”. It would have been brought to remain in this world because, whereas it preached the Buddhist doctrines, its attention was drawn by being human of which one emanated will have supernatural and a perfume suave, and who were in fact of Nāga having taken human appearance to be able to follow its teaching. Having been uncovered, those invited it to come to convert their congeneric. But time in the world of these beings passes more slowly than time in the kingdom of the human beings. After having resided some time there, it returned in the world of the human ones, but nearly 600 years had run out since its departure.

Influence

It is counted among the eighty-four Mahassidha S, the “large magicians” of Buddhism tantric Tibetan. The tradition of Buddhism Shingon classifies it like its first patriarch; it would have directly received the teaching esoteric of Vajrasattva. The Zen regards it as being its fourteenth patriarch.

The most famous work of Nāgārjuna is the Prajñānāmamūlamadhyamakakārikā , “the stanza-root of the way of the medium”. A great number of texts are allotted to him.

Its fame extended in everyone Buddhist where he is venerated under various names: Chinese: Long Shu, Long Meng, Long Shen ; Japanese: Ryûju, Ryûmyô bosatsu ; Tibetan: Klu-sgrub ; Faded: Nāgasena ; Mongolian: Naganchuna Bakshi

See too

Christian Thomas Kohl, Nagarjuna and Quantum physics: http://ctkohl.googlepages.com/3

Related articles

• Madhyamika

References

• Stanzas of the medium, Threshold.

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