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Nagarjuna, Shunyata and Anatman

By Amartya Kumar Bhattacharya

Vol. 112September 2020pp. 42–57English

Summary

The text examines Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka philosophy, focusing on emptiness (shunyata) and its relationship to nihilism. It argues that Nagarjuna's concept of emptiness, while extending the Buddha's teaching of selflessness (anatman), is not inherently nihilistic. The author contextualizes Nagarjuna's ideas within early Buddhist doctrines like dependent origination and impermanence, contrasting them with the essentialist views of the Abhidharmika school. The Buddha's rejection of the Hindu atman (essential self) is analyzed through the Simile of the Snake, which critiques identifying experiences with a permanent self. Nagarjuna's argument that all phenomena lack essence is presented as a logical extension of this, aiming to dismantle attachment and suffering by negating essentialism. The text addresses objections, particularly David Burton's nihilism charge, by examining Madhyamaka's negative method and its distinction between conventional and ultimate truths. It highlights how emptiness, the Four Noble Truths, and the Two-Truth method interrelate, asserting that Madhyamaka avoids nihilism by emphasizing dependent origination and the relational nature of phenomena. The analysis draws primarily from Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika, particularly Chapters XVIII and XXIV, to defend his position against nihilistic interpretations.

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Conclusion

This document argues that Nagarjuna's concept of emptiness, while often criticized as nihilistic, serves as a logical extension of the Buddha's teachings on selflessness and dependent origination. By analyzing key chapters of the *Mulamadhyamakakarika*, the text demonstrates how emptiness undermines essentialism without denying conventional reality or promoting nihilism. It refutes David Burton's objections by showing how Madhyamaka's negative method dismantles rigid views, leading to the relinquishment of attachment and suffering. The study contextualizes Nagarjuna within early Buddhist thought, emphasizing his focus on dependent origination and impermanence. Ultimately, it defends emptiness as a coherent, soteriologically effective doctrine central to Buddhist philosophy, reconciling it with the Four Noble Truths and Two-Truth method.

Key passages

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  • “Nagarjuna’s formulation (it is misleading to refer to it as a ‘doctrine’ of ‘emptiness’ (shunyata) is not explicitly synonymous with the Buddha’s teaching of selflessness (anatman), but is an extension of selflessness in that it argues that essence is lacking from all phenomena.”
  • “Emptiness is not a substance, entity or existent essence, but a lack of all these things.”
  • “We have seen how Nagarjuna and his subsequent commentators sought to refute essentialism not to push an agenda that says ‘nothing exists’, but rather ‘nothing inherently exists’ – something markedly different.”

Works cited in this article

  1. Bartley, C., An Introduction to Indian Philosophy . London: Continuum, 2011.
  2. Burton, D., Emptiness Appraised: A Critical Study of Nagarjuna’s Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, 1999.
  3. Candrakirti, Madhyamakavatara, In Jamgön Mipham (Eds.), Introduction to the Middle Way: Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara with Commentary. Boston: Shambhala Publications 2004.
  4. Candrakirti, Prasannapada, In Sprung, M. (Trans.), Lucid Expression of the Middle Way: The Essential Chapters of Candrakirti Translated from Sanskrit. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979.
  5. Garfield, J., The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

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In this issue

Vol. 112
1–8Maha Bodhi Journal: Buddhist Teachings and Anagarika Dharmapala's VisionSuniti Kumar Pathak, Arvind Kumar Singh, Bui My Diem Loan, Vaibhav Kumar Srivastava, Vijay Kumar Singh, Sumanapal Bhikkhu, Devamitta Dharmapala “Upasika”, The Late Venerable Sri Devamitta Dhammapala Brahmachari Devapriya Val9–11Reviving Buddhist Identity: Anāgārika Dharmapāla's 19th-Century Struggle and Legacy in Colonial IndiaAnagarika Sri Dharmapala12–23Buddha's Revolutionary Impact on Women's Status in Ancient IndiaSingh24–30Buddha's Dialogue with Sakka: Philosophical Insights from the Sakkapañha-SuttaVaibhav Kumar Srivastava31–34Vipassana Meditation: Path to Purification and PrajnaSingh35–41Asvaghosa's Buddhacarita: A Mahayana Buddhist EpicAsvaghosa42–57Nagarjuna, Shunyata and AnatmanAmartya Kumar BhattacharyaCurrent article58–63Ancient Trade and Buddhist Spread: India-Vietnam ConnectionsBui My Diem Loan64–70Life Sketch of Devamitta Dharmapala71–74The Last Hours of the Late Venerable Sri Devamitta Dhammapala's75–76Dharmapala's Sammaditthi and New BuddhismBenoy Kumar Sarkar77–78Anagarika Dharmapala: Lion of Lanka and Buddhist RevivalistAnagarika Sri Dharmapala79–95Buddhist Perspectives on Religious Pluralism and Interfaith DialogueSiddharth Singh96–102Gotamī's Spiritual Triumph and the Founding of the Nuns' OrderGotamī103–107Book Review108–111Ancient Medical Wisdom in the BhesajjamañjusāBimalendra Kumar

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