Buddhapālita

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Buddhapālita was an early Indian Buddhist philosopher and commentator renowned for articulating a subtle, non-assertive interpretation of Madhyamaka thought that strongly influenced later Prāsaṅgika traditions.

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist commentator
Indian Buddhist philosopher
Madhyamaka philosopher
approximateCentury 5th–6th century CE
associatedWith Prāsaṅgika interpretation of Nāgārjuna
monastic scholasticism in India
associatedWithDoctrine emptiness (śūnyatā)
two truths doctrine
commentaryOn Mūlamadhyamakakārikā NERFINISHED
commentaryOnAuthor Nāgārjuna NERFINISHED
contrastedWith Bhāviveka’s Svātantrika approach
criticizedBy Bhāviveka NERFINISHED
doctrinalPosition denial of intrinsic nature (svabhāva)
middle way between eternalism and nihilism
era early medieval India
field Buddhist logic and epistemology (as debated with Bhāviveka)
influenced Candrakīrti NERFINISHED
later Tibetan Prāsaṅgika interpreters
influencedTradition Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka NERFINISHED
interpretiveApproach non-assertive
strictly apophatic analysis of views
inTibetanTraditionClassifiedAs Prāsaṅgika NERFINISHED
knownFor influence on later Prāsaṅgika traditions
non-assertive interpretation of Madhyamaka
use of prasaṅga (reductio) arguments
language Sanskrit
legacy central figure in Tibetan doxographical accounts of Madhyamaka
foundation for later Prāsaṅgika–Svātantrika distinction
methodologicalStance exclusive reliance on prasaṅga reasoning
rejection of autonomous syllogisms in Madhyamaka
notableWork Buddhapālitamūlamadhyamakavṛtti NERFINISHED
philosophicalOrientation Prāsaṅgika-style Madhyamaka
philosophicalSchool Madhyamaka NERFINISHED
preservedIn Tibetan translation
region India NERFINISHED
religiousTradition Buddhism NERFINISHED
role exegete of Nāgārjuna’s thought
systematizer of non-assertive Madhyamaka
subjectOf modern academic research on Madhyamaka hermeneutics
subjectOfStudyIn Tibetan monastic curricula
transmission works transmitted mainly through Tibetan canon
viewOnReasoning reasoning should only expose contradictions in opponents’ positions
viewOnThesis Mādhyamikas should not advance positive theses

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Madhyamaka developedBy Buddhapālita