The Emptiness of Emptiness

The Madhyamika, or Middle Way, was a school or Buddhist thought that originated from India in the second or three century. It had a significant influence on the development of Mahayana Buddhism. The Emptiness of Emptiness, a new study of the central doctrine of emptyness, reexamines this concept and shows that the Madhyamika critique of all philosophical perspectives is more subtle and radical than many Western interpretations. The present work, which draws on previous research into Sanskrit- and Tibetan sources to examine the assumptions that have governed study of Asian soteriological philosophical thought. The author examines the philosophical significance and implications of the Madhyamika. He demonstrates that early Indian Madhyamika was based on a push toward self-critical awareness about methodological presuppositions. This analysis shows that the self-deconstructing ideas of Nagarjuna’s immediate followers are an edifying philosophy. It may have much to offer to the discussion of the related issues of objectivity, relativism and other important philosophical topics in the West. The book also includes the first English translation of Candrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara (“The Entry into the Middle Way”), with numerous exegetical as well as text-critical notes.