Madhyamika Karika, the basic text of Madhyamika School, was composed by
- A.Nagarjuna
- B.Asanga
- C.Vasubandhu
- D.Dharmakirti
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna, the Mahayana philosopher of about the second century CE, founded the Madhyamika school and wrote its root text, the Mulamadhyamakakarika.
The Madhyamika, or 'middle way', school is also called Shunyavada because it teaches shunyata (emptiness): nothing has a fixed, independent nature, since everything arises in dependence on other things. Nagarjuna is linked by tradition with the Satavahana kings and with Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh, a major Buddhist site named after him. His work shaped Mahayana thought in Tibet, China and Japan.
B is wrong: Asanga was a founder of the Yogachara (Vijnanavada) school, which holds that only consciousness is real.
C is wrong: Vasubandhu, Asanga's brother, wrote the Abhidharmakosha and Yogachara works, not the Madhyamika Karika.
D is wrong: Dharmakirti was a seventh-century Buddhist logician, author of the Pramanavarttika.
Exam tip: Madhyamika (Shunyavada) = Nagarjuna; Yogachara (Vijnanavada) = Asanga and Vasubandhu.
Practice Questions
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- A.1 only
- B.1 and 3 only
- C.2 and 4 only
- D.3 only
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Show answer
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