Nagarjuna
Ārya Nāgārjuna
c. 150-250 • Indian
Buddhism
2nd-century Indian Buddhist philosopher, founder of the Madhyamaka ('Middle Way') school. His Mūlamadhyamakakārikā develops the doctrine of śūnyatā (emptiness) — that no phenomenon possesses inherent existence — through razor-sharp dialectical analysis.
Key Works
- Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
- Letter to a Friend
- Precious Garland
111
quotes in library
Quotes by Nagarjuna
111 quotes“Neither stands alone without the other.”
interdependenceMulamadhyamakakarika 8.12
“Just so, all phenomena: known by their relation, empty in themselves.”
emptinessMulamadhyamakakarika 8
“Time is dependent on phenomena; phenomena are dependent on time.”
timeMulamadhyamakakarika 19
“Both, examined, are found to be empty.”
emptinessMulamadhyamakakarika 19
“The seer, the seeing, and the seen — none is independent.”
interdependenceMulamadhyamakakarika 3
“The triad arises together, dissolves together.”
interdependenceMulamadhyamakakarika 3
“What we name 'mind,' 'thought,' 'consciousness' — all empty designations.”
emptinessMulamadhyamakakarika 17
“None of them stands without conditions.”
conditionsMulamadhyamakakarika 17
“To grasp at any view as final is to fall into one of the four extremes.”
non-clingingMulamadhyamakakarika 22
“The wise relinquish all four — and all that remains is direct seeing.”
directnessMulamadhyamakakarika 22
“What is born has been born; what is being born is being born; what is to be born will be born.”
impermanenceMulamadhyamakakarika 7
“None of these — examined — has any inherent reality.”
emptinessMulamadhyamakakarika 7
“Birth and death do not contradict liberation; they are its very ground.”
non-dualityMulamadhyamakakarika 25
“Practice well the foundations: ethics, generosity, patience.”
practiceSuhrllekha (Letter to a Friend)
“Without these, no wisdom takes root.”
foundationSuhrllekha
“Generosity is the doorway to all virtue.”
generositySuhrllekha
“Patience is the armor of the bodhisattva.”
patienceSuhrllekha
“Through patience, no harm can touch the heart.”
patienceSuhrllekha
“Through generosity, all beings come near.”
generositySuhrllekha
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