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Informationen zum Autor Joseph Walser Klappentext Nagarjuna! one of India's greatest philosophers! is the most influential thinker in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. While his philosophy has been the subject of numerous studies and translations! Joseph Walser provides the first examination of Nagarjuna's life and writings within the social! religious! and institutional contexts of the early history of Buddhism. Walser locates Nagarjuna's second-century writings at a critical juncture in the development and spread of Mahayana Buddhism. At this time! Mahayanist writings and teachings were regarded with great suspicion! and its followers were subject to legal censure. Walser explores how Nagarjuna's writings! including his most famous works! The Jeweled Garland and Foundational Stanzas! established a connection between the authority of the existing Buddhist canon and Mahayana teachings. In doing so! Nagarjuna was able to demonstrate the legality of Mahayana interpretation within the strictures of Buddhist monastic law. This established a place for Mahayana in the Buddhist tradition and insured the reproduction and transmission of the sect's central texts. Walser's analysis draws on close readings of Nagarjuna's texts! particularly their treatment of the "three baskets" of the Buddhist canon: Vinaya (Buddhist monastic law)! Sutra (the sermons of the Buddha)! and Abhidharma (Buddhist sectarian treatises). Walser also examines how the philosopher forged alliances with the laity and other Buddhist sects -- alliances that proved pivotal in insuring the survival of Mah>y>na teachings. In addition to his analysis of Nagarjuna's writings! Walser explores a range of Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources! as well as art historical and epigraphic evidence to offer a creative and original contribution to the understanding of Nagarjuna and the early history of Buddhism. Zusammenfassung Nagarjuna is the most influential thinker in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. This book provides an examination of Nagarjuna's life and writings within the social! religious! and institutional contexts of the early history of Buddhism. It locates Nagarjuna's writings at a critical juncture in the development and spread of Mahayana Buddhism. Inhaltsverzeichnis AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Locating Mahayana2. Locating Nagarjuna3. Mahayana and the Constraints of Monastic Law4. Mahayana Sutras as Monastic Property5. On the Parasitic Strategies of Mahayana6. Abhidharma and Sectarian Identity7. Nagarjuna and the AbhidharmaConclusion: Toward the Outline of a CareerAppendix: The Authorship of the RatnavaNotesBibliography ...
