World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 886

numinal treasury, the way to the ideal unit." 30 And "there was a Mahāyāna Bodhisattva named Nagarjuna...From his time the enterprise of the Mahāyāna flourished again." 31 The preface to the Chinese translation of Asanga's Madhyamakaśāstrānusāra states that the Master Nagarjuna who comprehended the Dharma wrote M.K. on the basis of the Māhāprajñāpāramitā. Asanga's commentary says that " in confirmity to valid reasoning he entered the meaning of the Mahāprajñāparampitā in order to lead living being to.." Candrakirti (6th century A.D.), a wellknown scholar and commentator of M.K. believes that Nagarjuna was the Master of Prajñāpāramitā. He states in clear terms that Nāgārjuna knowing the correct meaning of the class of works going under the name of Prajñāpāramitā, out of compassion, in order to enlighten others composed the Mūlamadhymakakärikā. The statements of all these writers and commentators clearly show that Nagarjuna was familar with Prajñāpāramitā literature and was a great Mahāyānist. Views of all these great minds of the Madhyamikas cannot be easily dismissed as false or result of blind traditional faith as Dr. Warder thinks. Even modern writers and Buddhist Historians like Taranath, Buston, D. T. Suzuki, Keith, Robinson, S. Bagchi, Nalinaksa Datta and others consider Nagarjuna as a great Mahāyānist on the basis of solid ground. H. Kern rightly pointed out that Nagarjuna's name was not only that of the first eminent leader of Philosophical school, but also became simply a comprehensive name of the activity of Mahāyāna in the first phase of its onward course.34
To sum up, from all these evidences we can safely say that in the history of Mahāyāna the sūtra class came into existence first and Nagarjuna and others took Prajñāpāramitā literature as their sacred source and there is no doubt about Nagarjuna's affiliation to Mahāyāna school of thought.
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References
The Life of Nāgārjuna from Tibetan and Chinese Sources. M. Walleser. Nag Publishers. New Delhi, 1979, p. 1.
Is Nāgārjuna Mahāyānist-A. K. Warder. Pub. Two truths in Buddhism and Vedanta. Edited by M. Sprung. Holland. 1973. p. 78-88.
Saddharma Länkävatārasūtra X-165, ed. P. L. Vaidya,Pub. : IvJithila Institute, Darbhanga, 1963, p. 118.
Nägarjuna. Part I-K. Satcidananda Muni, pub National Book Tru J of Ipdia, New Delhi, 1971: p. 1.
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