Nirvana in Candrakirti's Prasannapada: A Study in the Madhyamika Concept of Nirvana in the Context of Indlian Thought.

Abstract

G. C. Nayak's book entitled Nirvana in Candrakirti's Prasannapada is a serious attempt at analyzing the concept of nirvana in the Madhyamika philosophy, especially in the philosophy of Candrakirti, the great commentator of the Mula Madhyama Karika of Nagarjuna, the founder of Madhyamika Buddhism. Candrakirti's Prasannapada occupies a central place in the development of Madhyamika Buddhism in the Mahayana tradition. Nayak has chosen the central concept of nirvana in Candrakriti's Prasannapada not only to highlight the genius of Candrakirti as an original philosopher, but also to clarify and elucidate the meaning of the concept of nirvana. The concept of nirvana, like the concept of sunyata, has evoked many - sometimes conflicting - interpretations in the hands of the Buddhist scholars. The scholars have not only disagreed on the meaning of the concept of nirvana and sunyata but also have conflicting approaches to the understanding of the basic content of these concepts. Nayak, however, has successfully steered clear of these conflicting views and has attempted to provide a clear and unbiased account of the basic concepts of nirvana and sunyata in Buddhism.