Madhyamaka

Madhyamaka (Sanskrit, m., म्ध्यमक, Madhyamaka, " Middle Way " between affirmation and negation ) is the name of a philosophical school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is a foundation of the Indian philosopher Nāgārjuna, who lived in the 2nd century.

In the center of the Madhyamaka philosophy, the teaching is from the "emptiness" ( Skt. śūnyatā ), ie of all things own unreality as the only reality.

"Not from himself, not from another, not both, and not without cause are any things somewhere and sometime arose ," Nāgārjuna teaches in the first chapter of his " Fundamental Wish Verses of the Middle Way " ( Mulamadhyamakakārikā ).

The world and its phenomena are not as they always emerge only from causing and even unreal conditions ( pratītyasamutpādah ) or conditions and therefore carry no independent existence in itself. The things are without self-nature (without inherent existence ) ( svabhavata ); they are ultimately empty ( Sunya ). Emptiness ( śūnyatā ) but no nothing, because an adopted Nothing would indeed be a something and therefore qualify as a being. Thus, there is neither being nor non-being, but only the all phenomena underlying emptiness.

The Madhyamaka school, together with the other great philosophers of the school Vijñanavada the basis of philosophical thinking of the Mahāyāna.

From the 9th century was the transfer of the Mahayana and Vajrayana to Tibet the Madhyamaka teachings (Tibetan: dbu ma) and especially the Prasangika Madhyamaka teachings (Tibetan: dbu ma thal ' gyur ) philosophical foundation of Tibetan Buddhism. After the demise of Buddhism in India ( 11-12. Century) it was formed as a school of thought in China ( here called sanlun ) and in Japan (called Sanron ).

The followers of the Madhyamaka school are called Mādhyamikas.