Empty Words

The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamakakarika) a second-century philosophical text by the Buddhist saint Nagarjuna is the foundational text of Mahayana the Buddhist school that predominates in Tibet China Mongolia Korea Vietnam and Japan. Nagarjuna is the founder of the Madhyamaka or Middle Path school of Mahayana. Jay Garfield''s magisterial translation (with commentary) of this seminal text (OUP 1995) has established itself as the definitive edition in the English language. Empty Words is intended as a companion to Garfield''s translation to The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way providing additional background argument and context. It considers the work of philosophical rivals and sheds important light on the relation of Nagarjuna''s views to other Buddhist and non-Buddhist philosophical positions. Garfield is one of the leading scholars in this field and this volume is the culmination of his work of the last decade.