Joseph Walser provides the first examination of Nagarjuna's life and writings in the context of the religious and monastic debates of the second century CE. Walser explores how Nagarjuna secured the canonical authority of Mahayana teachings and considers his use of rhetoric to ensure the transmission of his writings by Buddhist monks. Drawing on close textual analysis of Nagarjuna's writings and other Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources, Walser offers an original contribution to the understanding of Nagarjuna and the early history of Buddhism.
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Locating Maháyána
- 2. Locating Nágárjuna
- 3. Maháyána and the Constraints of Monastic Law
- 4. Maháyána Sñtras as Monastic Property
- 5. On the Parasitic Strategies of Maháyána
- 6. Abhidharma and Sectarian Identity
- 7. Nágárjuna and the Abhidharma
- Conclusion: Toward the Outline of a Career
- Appendix: The Authorship of the Ratnávalô
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index