Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture [Hardcover]

Joseph Walser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 023113164X | ISBN-13: 978-0231131643 | Publication Date: May 4, 2005

Joseph Walser provides the first examination of Nagarjuna's life and writings in the context of the religious and monastic debates of the second century CE. Walser explores how Nagarjuna secured the canonical authority of Mahayana teachings and considers his use of rhetoric to ensure the transmission of his writings by Buddhist monks. Drawing on close textual analysis of Nagarjuna's writings and other Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources, Walser offers an original contribution to the understanding of Nagarjuna and the early history of Buddhism.

(Fall 2005)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture offers a significant step towards clarifying the mysteries and myths that surround the name of Nagarjuna.

(Benjamin Bogin BUDDHADHARMA )

Walser's argument and mastery of scholarly materials ensure that this work will make an enduring contribution. Highly recommended.

(E. Findly Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries )

Rich and rewarding... Walser is to be congratulated for writing a text that will surely provoke productive debate.

(Richard Nance H-Net Book review )

Nagarjuna in Context reads as a heartfelt and intelligent search.

(Tom Hannes Acta Comparanda )

Review

This impressive study, the first of its kind, employs textual, art historical and epigraphic evidence to illuminate the social conditions in which Nagarjuna worked. Walser triumphs in exposing the complexities of a historical context which until now has been portrayed far too simply.

(Sara L. McClintock, University of Wisconsin-Madison XVII 2007)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (May 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 023113164X
• ISBN-13: 978-0231131643
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,249,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fresh scholarship, February 28, 2008

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Two eyes and an ear - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nagarjuna in Context: Mahayana Buddhism and Early Indian Culture (Hardcover)

Walser provides a fine example of the much needed historical work so much Buddhist scholarship lacks: partly due to the ahistorical habits of classical Indian scholarship itself (as opposed to Chinese, for example) and the daunting problem of finding both a) a talented scholar willing to roll up his/her sleeves and do the hard work rather than rant about the theoretical aspects, and b) someone simultaneously genuinely interested in those same deeper theoretical problems of Buddhism.