Teaching. Encyclopedia of modern esotericism Budon life of Nagarjuna

- Indian Buddhist pandita, guru - founder of the Madhyamika philosophical school, the first philosophical school of Great Path Buddhism (Sansk. Mahayana), whose emergence in India dates back to the second century AD.


In the Manjushri Mula Tantra there is the following prophecy of Shakyamuni Buddha:
"After I, the Buddha, pass away, four hundred years will pass, and then a monk called Naga will appear. He will devote himself to the Teaching and will give great help to it. He will reach the stage of Perfect Bliss and will live for six hundred years. The mystical knowledge of Mahamayuri* will be ensured "that great being. He will learn the subjects of various sciences and expound the Doctrine of non-substantiality. And after he discards this bodily frame, he will be reborn in the region of Sukhavati. And finally, Buddhahood must definitely be achieved by him."

Nagarjuna

Four hundred years after Shakyamuni Buddha passed away, in the south of India, in the country of Vidarbha, a son was born into the family of a rich brahman. The brahman waited a long time for the child to appear, but when the father showed him to the fortuneteller, he, having studied the baby’s signs, said that although the boy’s signs were happy, he would not live even ten days. However, the fortuneteller gave advice on how to increase the life of a child to seven months, and then to seven years. The parents did everything for the boy to live these seven years. When his life span approached seven years, the saddened parents sent their son to travel with a servant.
Nagarjuna gradually walked and walked until he finally arrived at the gates of the Nalanda monastery. There he met with Teacher Saraha, who promised that if the boy became a monk, Saraha would help him prolong his life. Nagarjuna joined the community, and the Teacher initiated him into the mandala of Amitayus, giving instructions to recite the mantras of this Conqueror over death. Thus the boy passed a critical period in his life.
Saraha initiated Nagarjuna into various teachings, including the practice of Sri Guhyasamaja. Then his mentor was the abbot of Nalanda, Rahulabhadra. The boy became known as the monk Sriman.
Through spiritual practice, Sriman mastered supernatural powers. One day, while expounding the Teaching in his monastery, he noticed how two boys who listened to his interpretation of the Teaching then disappeared underground. The teacher asked about them and found that they were naked. Having received an invitation from the nagas, he was transported to their region and expounded the Teaching there. The nagas asked the Teacher to stay with them, but he refused, promising to come later.
In the field of nagas, he received the Shatasahasrika and Svalpakshara (one of the minor prajnaparamita sutras). After this incident, Sriman became known as Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna built a large number of shrines and temples.

Based on materials from the "History of Buddhism" (Tib. chos "byung) by Budon Rinchendub

Nagarjuna is known to us as the founder of the Madhyamika school of philosophy, or the school of the Middle Way. In the sixth century Madhyamika divided into Prasanghika and Svatantrika; in the eighth century, from the latter, Sautrantika-Svatantrika and Yogacara-Svatantrika were formed. In the eighth century in Tibet, the Madhyamikas Shantarakshita and Kamalashila actively participated in the development of Buddhism and monastic education. Since then, in Tibetan Buddhism, Madhyamika continues to be the fundamental teaching of the philosophical approach to comprehending the Truth.
About Nagarjuna's treatises, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama says: "Nagarjuna's view of emptiness should be understood in the sense of dependent origination. When reading these commentaries, one develops a feeling of deep admiration for Nagarjuna. Many later scholars and saints based their views on the works of this master." .
Teacher Nagarjuna is depicted sitting in the Lalita Asana pose, his hands folded in Dharmachakra Mudra. In many images, his head is surrounded by a halo of snakes, which symbolize the snake-like inhabitants of the Naga country.

Literature:

Androsov V.P. Buddhist classics of Ancient India: The Word of the Buddha and the treatises of Nagarjuna. M. "Open World", 2008. - 512 p.
Androsov V.P. Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Encyclopedic Dictionary. M., "Orientalia", 2011. P.293-294.
Torchinov E.A. Introduction to Buddhism. St. Petersburg, "Amphora", 2005. P.116-135.

I. HYMN TO OVERCOMING SAMSAR.
(Lokatita-stava)

Homage to You, who has overcome the world,
To the most experienced in the Knowledge of Emptiness,
Purely for the benefit of beings
To those who remain in Compassion for a long time!
You know: there are only scandhas, -
There are no creatures.
And yet, Great Muni, for the sake of creatures
You have endured the greatest torment!
O Perfectly Wise One!
You have clearly shown to the wise,
That skandhas are like obsessions,
To the mirage, the city of the Gandharvas and the dream!
They are generated by a cause.
If she doesn’t exist, they don’t either.
Haven't you realized clearly
Are they like a reflection [in a mirror]?
Dharma particles are not perceived by sight.
How is the visible composed of them? –
So speaking of form,
You refute the belief in the [reality of] form.
Sensation does not exist without what is felt.
This means [it] is devoid of its own “I”.
And You are convinced: the sensed
Lacking genuine or independent existence.
If the name, the concept and its object were not different from each other,
Then [the speaker’s] mouth would burn from the word “fire.”
And if they were different, there would be no understanding.
So it was said by You, Who speak the Truth!
The actor is independent, as is the action -
[So] You said it in a relative sense
In reality you know
That both exist interdependently.
[In the highest sense] there is neither doer nor experiencer [of action].
Good and bad are born interdependently.
You have declared, O Lord of Speech:
What arises is interdependent - [in reality] does not arise!
Without cognition there is no knowable
And without the knowable there is no consciousness,
Therefore - You said -
Knowledge and the knowable are devoid of essence.
If the designation were different from the signified,
That signified would exist without designation,
And if they are indistinguishable from each other
They [also] wouldn't exist
You said this clearly.
Through the Eye of Wisdom You see
This world as devoid of signified and designations,
How inexpressible in words
And achieved great Peace and Harmony.
Neither existing nor non-existent arises,
Neither existing-non-existent, nor by itself,
Neither through the other, nor through both [simultaneously].
How can it even arise?
It is unthinkable to destroy what exists,
The property of which is duration.
How can something that is not non-existent be destroyed?
Like the horns of a horse?
Disappearance is not different from being,
[But it cannot be considered non-different,
[It] would be eternal,
The same would be true if there was no difference.
For disappearance is unthinkable,
If a thing is one.
And disappearance is unthinkable
If a thing is a set.
And it is illogical for an effect to arise from a disappeared cause,
As well as from a reason that has not yet disappeared.
You know for sure:
Emergence is like a dream.
Neither from destroyed nor from undestroyed seed
No sprout appears.
It has been said by You: every arising
Like the appearance of an illusion.
So, You have perfectly comprehended,
That this world is created by imagination.
He is unreal, and [being] unarisen,
Nor can it disappear.
There is no wandering in samsara of the eternal [Self],
There is no wandering of the non-eternal [Self].
Therefore, You, the best connoisseur of True Reality,
You say: wandering in samsara is like a dream!
Narrow-minded philosophers believe that suffering arises naturally,
Created by something else, both [simultaneously]
Or it's for no reason.
You said: it arises interdependently.
Dependent Origination –
This is what You understand by Emptiness.
There are no independent dharmas!
This is what Your incomparable Lion's Roar means!
Amrita Teachings on Emptiness
Eliminates all distinctions.
And if someone clings to the reality [of the Void], -
He died! - [so it is said] by you.
O Liberator! All dharmas are devoid of activity,
Dependent, empty, arisen interdependently -
Like an illusion. You have clearly shown:
[They] are devoid of essence.
You don't praise anything
And you don't diminish anything.
Both before and after
You realize Suchness.
As long as we do not rely on dhyana,
Practiced by the noble ones,
Consciousness really never
I won't get rid of the notation here.
You said:
Until they make a support for something devoid of designations,
There is no liberation
And in the Mahayana You showed this in detail.
May, thanks to the Merit I have acquired,
Glorifying You -
A vessel worthy of praise -
The whole world will be freed from the shackles of designations!

This is the hymn to the One who has overcome samsara, or
"Lokatita-stava".

II. HYMN TO THE INCOMPARABLE.
(Niraupamya-stava)

O Incomparable One, praise be to You,
To the connoisseur of the selfless!
You are the one who comes into this world,
Perishing from opinions.
Your enlightened eye
Doesn't see anything.
O Lord, only Your contemplation is majestic
And he knows the truth.
From the point of view of the highest truth,
There is neither knower nor known here.
O Enlightened One, You are the essence of existence,
Which is extremely difficult to comprehend.
You are not creating any doctrine,
But you don’t prohibit [it].
The highest state is achieved
Only by achieving balance.
By not removing samsara
Nirvana is approaching you.
O Lord, You have achieved peace
Non-perception of samsara.
6. You know what delusion has
And cleansing has one taste.
You are everywhere fundamentally essential, integrally indivisible,
Non-dual, completely pure.
7. O Lord, although You did not say
Not a single sound
All generations of converts
Enjoy the life-giving rain of the Teaching.
You are not committed to [dividing existence]
Into groups, foundations and supports.
With your mind turned to the light,
You do not rely on any of the dharmas.
O Lord, the concept of "beings"
Doesn't apply to you at all
But it is You who are extraordinarily compassionate
To all the unfortunate and tormented beings.
O Lord, Your enlightened mind,
Not tied to all sorts of fabrications
Happiness - unhappiness, selfhood - selflessness,
Eternity - non-eternity.
You know that any dharma particles
They arrive neither in motion nor at rest
And they do not represent the multitude.
Therefore You are the seer of the true reality.
12. You are everywhere, but you were not born anywhere.
O Great Ascetic,
You are beyond thought
You are life, You are the Body of Dharma.
13. You are blameless and have comprehended the world,
Which is devoid of unity and plurality,
Displacements and disappearances
And [which] is like an echo.
14. O Lord, You have known samsara,
Which is devoid of both eternity and finitude,
Which can neither be perceived nor defined;
And which is like a dream, obsession and mirage.
15. O Immaculate One, You have overcome obscurations,
Having root and fruit.
You have gained immortality
[Having realized] the nature of delusion.
16. O Steadfast One, something tangible is comprehended by You
Without signs, as if formless.
You yourself are the body,
Shining with signs in “colored worlds.”
17. And it is not true that You seem to be visible
Because of his revealed body.
If the dharma particle were visible,
Then they could see You too.
But true reality is invisible.
18. There are not nine holes in Your body,
Like there is no meat, no bones, no blood.
You are a vision whose body
Like a rainbow in the sky.
19. There is no sickness or uncleanness in Your body,
It does not experience feelings of hunger or thirst.
You showed normal behavior
Just for the sake of belonging to the world.
20. O Immaculate One, You are without blemish,
Shrouded in karma.
Only out of compassion for the world
You have demonstrated immersion in karma.
21. O Lord, due to the indivisibility of true reality,
There is no division into chariots.
Just for the sake of converting sentient beings
You preached about three chariots.
22. Your body is indestructible, strong, calm.
It manifests the Dharma, It is the Victor.
You discovered peace
For people who are ready.
23. You look at the immeasurable worlds of the universe
Together with the bhakta devotees,
Also longing for final liberation from the wheel of samsara
And super-insight into the essence of birth and death.
24. O Lord, You are free from self-isolation,
From thinking, from movement.
Because You are not attached to the world,
You have become Buddha.
25. I praise, as if I shower flowers on that Buddha-Sugata,
Which cannot be grasped by thought, cannot be measured,
Which is hope and good.
Let living beings be with him,
Participating in the highest Dharma of the Perfect One,
The awe-inspiring height of the path.

This is the hymn to the Incomparable, or “Niraupya-stava”,
Designed for congregational reading.

III. HYMN TO THE HIGHEST.
(Paramartha-stava)

How can I glorify You?
Lord, unborn, omnipresent,
Beyond any ordinary comparison,
Living in a realm that cannot be expressed in words.
Is it accessible to ordinary conceptual thinking?
The sphere in which you reside among true meanings?
I will praise the Teacher
Based on [my] reverence.
Because self-nature has no origin,
You are unborn, unmovable, and unperishable.
O Lord, praise be to You,
Having no nature of its own!
You are neither being nor non-being,
Neither destructible nor indestructible,
Neither eternal nor finite.
Praise be to You, non-dual!
It is impossible to discern in You the color that would color:
Neither red nor green
Neither yellow, nor white, nor black.
Praise be to You, unpainted!
You are neither big nor small,
Neither oblong nor round.
You have found the path of unlimitedness.
Praise be to You, incommensurable!
You are neither far nor close,
Neither in heaven nor on earth,
Neither in samsara nor in nirvana.
Praise be to You, who resides nowhere!
Not arriving in any of the dharma particles,
The journey to true reality
And comprehended the deepest secret.
Praise be to You, the mysterious one.
Therefore, let him who is praised be praised.
But who is the one being praised?
After all, since all dharmas are empty,
Who we chant and by whom we chant.
Who can glorify You?
Deprived of birth and not subject to death,
Having neither ends nor middle,
Not the perceiver and not the perceived?
Let us praise Buddha and the one who can walk,
And left the path
The one who neither left nor came!
Thanks to Him, the virtuous one,
This world is following the path of Buddha.

This is the hymn to the Most High, or
"Paramartha-stava".

Nagarjuna

Four hundred years after Shakyamuni Buddha passed away, in the south of India, in the country of Vidarbha, a son was born into the family of a rich brahman. The brahman waited a long time for the child to appear, but when the father showed him to the fortuneteller, he, having studied the baby’s signs, said that although the boy’s signs were happy, he would not live even ten days. However, the fortuneteller gave advice on how to increase the life of a child to seven months, and then to seven years. The parents did everything for the boy to live these seven years. When his life span approached seven years, the saddened parents sent their son to travel with a servant.

Nagarjuna gradually walked and walked until he finally arrived at the gates of the Nalanda monastery. There he met with Teacher Saraha, who promised that if the boy became a monk, Saraha would help him prolong his life. Nagarjuna joined the community, and the Teacher initiated him into the mandala of Amitayus, giving instructions to recite the mantras of this Conqueror over death. Thus the boy passed a critical period in his life.

Saraha initiated Nagarjuna into various teachings, including the practice of Sri Guhyasamaja. Then his mentor was the abbot of Nalanda, Rahulabhadra. The boy became known as the monk Sriman.

Through spiritual practice, Sriman mastered supernatural powers. One day, while expounding the Teaching in his monastery, he noticed how two boys who listened to his interpretation of the Teaching then disappeared underground. The teacher asked about them and found that they were naked. Having received an invitation from the nagas, he was transported to their region and expounded the Teaching there. The nagas asked the Teacher to stay with them, but he refused, promising to come later.

In the field of nagas, he received the Shatasahasrika and Svalpakshara (one of the minor prajnaparamita sutras). After this incident, Sriman became known as Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna built a large number of shrines and temples.

Based on materials from "History of Buddhism" (Tib.chos "byung) Budon Rinchendub

Nagarjuna is known to us as the founder of the Madhyamika school of philosophy, or the school of the Middle Way. In the sixth century Madhyamika divided into Prasanghika and Svatantrika; in the eighth century, from the latter, Sautrantika-Svatantrika and Yogacara-Svatantrika were formed. In the eighth century in Tibet, the Madhyamikas Shantarakshita and Kamalashila actively participated in the development of Buddhism and monastic education. Since then, in Tibetan Buddhism, Madhyamika continues to be the fundamental teaching of the philosophical approach to comprehending the Truth.

About Nagarjuna's treatises, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama says: "Nagarjuna's view of emptiness should be understood in the sense of dependent origination. When reading these commentaries, one develops a feeling of deep admiration for Nagarjuna. Many later scholars and saints based their views on the works of this master." .

Teacher Nagarjuna is depicted sitting in the Lalita Asana pose, his hands folded in Dharmachakra Mudra. In many images, his head is surrounded by a halo of snakes, which symbolize the snake-like inhabitants of the Naga country.

Note: * Mahamayuri (Sanskrit: Mahāmayūrī) - goddess who heals snake bites; She is also revered as the patroness of longevity.

In the above thangka you see Nagarjuna sitting on a throne and leaning on a lotus. His disciple Aryaveda leaned towards him. In the upper right corner is a bodhisattva, possibly a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara.

Nagarjuna was born into a wealthy Brahmin family in southern India. This probably happened at the beginning of the second century AD. He became a Buddhist monk and then a great philosopher. He created the Madhyamika school, or Middle Way, a Buddhist teaching on wisdom in the understanding of dependent origination, the relative nature of reality, and the absence of absolute reality or emptiness.
He is sometimes said to have been the abbot at Nalanda, a great Mahayana Buddhist monastery/university near Bodhgaya, India (however, the monastery at Nalanda was not founded until the third century AD). During his supposed abbotship, the country was going through times of famine and there was no food for the monks.

According to legend, Nagarjuna went to a distant planet and brought back a secret chemical that could turn base metals into gold. Through the gold thus mined, Nagarjuna supported the monks for six years. When the monks found out that he was making and selling gold, they kicked him out of the monastery, since doing business without permission, even for their benefit, was a violation of the rules of the Vinaya, the regulations for the behavior of monks.
After Nagarjuna left the monastery, he went to the forest, where he engaged in religious practice and achieved the highest spiritual perfection of Mahasiddhi. Here is one of the stories about his practice:

On the very first day of reading the mantras, twelve demons from the main circle of evil spirits shook the earth. On the second day they caused a flood. The fire broke out on the third day, and on the fourth a hurricane began. The fifth day was marked by rain from various weapons, and the sixth by rockfall. On the seventh day, demons of both sexes appeared, scattering everything around, but they too were unable to interrupt Nagarjuna’s meditation. Then the female demons from the north came to him and said: “How can we serve you?” “Bring me what I need to maintain life, I don’t need anything more,” replied Nagarjuna. And every day they brought him four handfuls of rice and some vegetables.Eating this way, the master practiced for twelve years, and during all this time one hundred and eight demons were under his control, and his thoughts were aimed at the benefit of living beings.

During his life, Nagarjuna gave many teachings and won many debates. He had many students. He also built many stupas and temples. He wrote works on Madhyamika philosophy and religion. He wrote manuals on making mandalas, herbal incense and astrology.
Almost all of his books were translated into Tibetan in the eighth century, during the reign of King Trisong Detsen. They can be found in Tanjur, a collection of commentaries on Buddhist sutras. One of his famous comments says: everything that is born is destined to die, everything that is accumulated will be spent, everything that is created is impermanent. So don't get upset about these laws of nature. His teachings are still followed by many in all countries where Mahayana Buddhism is practiced.

According to legend, he was invited to teach the nagas, who usually take the form of snakes. Although he was invited to stay with them, he did not stay and received from them twelve volumes of the Prajnaparamita (which are now kept in the Nagarjuna Temple in Kathmandu) and Naga clay with which he built stupas. He is usually depicted with a snake canopy over his head, which suggests that there were naga among his disciples and that he was under their protection. The name Nagarjuna also means that he was popular among the Nagas.

Nagarjuna spent the last part of his life in meditation at the mountain, Sri Pravarta in southern India, but there is very little historical evidence about this. One common oral legend about his death is that the Hindus, his debate opponents, asked him to die because they could not defeat him in debate and at the same time they could not harm him in any way.

Nagarjuna agreed, but said that only one of the discussants, who was an ant in a past life and whom Nagarjuna killed with a piece of Kusha grass, had the power to kill him. Thus this opponent cut off Nagarjuna's head with a stalk of Kusha grass.
After his death, one of his disciples, Aryadeva, continued to carry his teachings. There is no consensus on how long Nagarjuna lived, with estimates of his life span ranging from 150 to 300 years! It is said that his body was preserved by Sri Pravatra in anticipation of Buddha Maitreya.

Nagarjuna was born in South India and came from the Brahmin caste; He was naturally gifted with amazing abilities and as a child he studied the four Vedas, each of which contained 40,000 gathas, counting 42 letters-syllables in each... He memorized these lines and mastered their meaning. At the age of 20, he was already widely known and learned all the secular sciences, such as: astronomy, geography, mysterious and magical means; then, tired of a boring life and wanting to taste pleasure, he became friends with three also excellent people and, having learned a way to become invisible, climbed with them into the royal palace, where he began to dishonor the wives; the presence of the young people was discovered by the tracks, and three of Nagarjuna’s comrades were cut down, only he alone escaped, for he stood invisible next to the king and was not touched by swords. At that moment, the thought of suffering awoke in him, he saw what caused it, he rejected lust, and he had a desire to leave home: “If I gain freedom, I will become a sramana and will strive for hermitage, that is, right-wing ". Indeed, having come to the mountains to the pyramid (stupa) of Buddha, he took vows and in 90 days studied all three Pitakas and comprehended their deep meaning; after that he began to look for other Sutras, but did not find them anywhere; only in the depths of the snowy mountains did one elderly Bhikhu give him the Mahayana Sutra, the deep meaning of which he, although he understood, could not find a lengthy interpretation... He traveled to many countries in search of other Sutras. He did not find them in all of Jambudvipa, although he searched everywhere. He defeated the Tirthikas and Sramanas and was so filled with the consciousness of his own invincibility that he became arrogant and proud. He considered worldly things-dharmas too vile and dirty, and the Buddha Sutras, although profound, were imperfect in logical terms. What is still imperfect needs to be logically deepened. Whoever teaches must first understand clearly and then teach. Logic should not be contradictory, there should be no error in the subject. Is there any possibility of a flaw here? After meditating on these objects, he dreamed of becoming the founder of a new religion, invented new vows and a new dress for his students. Now he himself distinguished what was different from the Buddha's law. Then he again wanted to demonstrate omniscience through exercises in non-deviation and desirelessness. He chose a day and appointed an hour for a meeting with the students, after which he outlined new rules of behavior and invented new clothes for the students. Then Nagaraja, the king of dragons, taking pity on him, took him to his palace at sea and there showed him seven precious repositories with the books of Vaipulya and other sutras of deep and hidden meaning. Nagarjuna read them for 90 days... His spirit penetrated their meaning and understood the true benefit. Naga read his thoughts and asked: “Have you not yet delved into the Sutra that you see?” He replied: “In your repository there are a great number of Sutras, their number is innumerable. I need to read them again ten times in Jambudvipa.” The Naga said: “There are many more sutras and missals than in my palace.” Then Nagarjuna comprehended the unified meaning of the Sutras and achieved great success in concentration-samadhi with humility before beginninglessness. Naga handed them to him and he returned to Jambudvipa. At this time in South India there was a king who was not at all reverent for the true teaching. Nagarjuna, wanting to attract his attention, walked ahead of him for 7 years with a red flag. When the king entered into a conversation with him, he demanded that he tell him what was happening in heaven as proof of his omniscience. Nagarjuna announced that there was a war between the asuras and the devas, and in confirmation of his words, weapons and severed members of the asuras fell from the sky. Then the king believed, and ten thousand Brahmins stopped wearing their hair in buns (i.e., shaved) and took vows of perfection (i.e., spiritual rank). Then Nagarjuna greatly spread Buddhism in South India, humiliated the Tirthikas and, to explain the teachings of the Mahayana, composed the Upadesha, consisting of 100,000 gathas: in addition, he also composed: “Zhuang yan fo dao lun” - the magnificent path of the Buddha in 5000 gathas, “Da zi fan bian lun " - the art of great mercy in 5000 gathas ("Madhyamika Shastra" in 500 gathas), through this Mahayana teaching became in great use in India. He also composed: "Wu Wei Lun" - a discourse on fearlessness in 100,000 gathas ("Akutobhaya-shastra", which contains the "Madhyamika-shastra"). At the same time, there lived a brahman who knew magical formulas and wanted to defeat Nagarjuna in a competition. He said to the king of India: "I can defeat this bhikkhus, and the king will be a witness of it." The king replied: “You are completely stupid. This is a bodhisattva. His light is like the light of the sun and the moon, and the mind of a noble has the same brilliance. Why do you have so much impudence and insolence, why do you not feel respect?” The Brahman replied: “Why, king, don’t you allow me, in order to get to know the person, and see for yourself, to see how he will be embarrassed and defeated?” The king listened to him and finally asked Nagarjuna to sit down in front of each other on a clear morning in the Palace of Law and Virtue. Brahman produced a magical pond, in the middle of which was a thousand-leaved nenyufar. He sat on it and began to mock Nagarjuna: “They put you on a cart, and you are no different from an ox, and you are also going to compete with me, sitting on a pure lotus and having perfectly comprehended the interpretation of the Shastras.” Nagarjuna, using magic, created a white elephant with six tusks on the surface of the pond, and it destroyed the lotus seat. He picked it up with his tusks, tore it out and threw it to the ground. The Brahmin, wounded in the thigh, fell and begged, turning to Nagarjuna: “I do not insult or humiliate the eminent master. I only wished that he could receive me graciously and take me away from those foolish people. They are the Hinayana teachers, in whose hearts there is always anger." Nagarjuna asked him: “Are you glad that I have been on earth for a long time?” He replied: “To tell you the truth, I don’t like it.” Nagarjuna retired to his chambers, locked himself in and did not appear all day. The student broke the door and looked in; A cicada immediately flew out from there. A hundred years later, temples were erected in his honor in all the states of South India and they began to revere him as Buddha. Since his mother gave birth to him under the Arjuna (a-chhou-to-na) tree, he received the name Arjuna, and due to the fact that Naga (dragon) participated in his conversion, the name Naga was added, which is why Nagarjuna came out. He was the thirteenth patriarch and ruled the religion for more than three hundred years.

Budon
THE LIFE OF NAGARJUNA

Four hundred years have passed since Buddha's nirvana. In the south of India, in the country of Vidarbha, there lived a rich Brahman who had no children. In a dream he had a prophecy that if he invited 100 Brahmins to a religious ceremony, a son would be born. He did so, and ten months later his son was born. The father showed him to the soothsayers, and they said that although the signs were favorable, the son would not live longer than ten days. To avoid this, you need to invite 100 Brahmins, and life will be extended by seven months, and another similar invitation will extend the boy’s life by seven years, but no more.

When the deadline approached, the parents sent their son to travel with a servant. They came to Galanda. Here he began to read the hymns of the Samaveda, which were heard by the brahman Saraha, who advised the boy to become a monk to prolong his own life. He accepted initiation into the magic circle of Amitayus - the Conqueror of Death and cast a magic spell. He did the same on the night of his seventh birthday and thereby saved himself from death, after which he appeared to his overjoyed parents and began to study the texts of the Guhyasamaja with commentaries with Sarah. He then asked Rahulabhadra, the abbot, to become his mentor and became a monk, receiving the name Sriman.

While he was serving as a guardian of Nalanda, a famine occurred. Sriman mined the elixir of gold and managed to provide food for the community. But this was considered an unjust means, and he was expelled from the community. Wanting to cleanse himself from the act, he built 10 million monasteries and sanctuaries, after which he acquired natural and supernatural magical powers.

Shankara composed the Nyaya-alankara in 1200 stanzas and refuted all opponents. To defeat him, Sriman expounded his teachings in Nalanda. During the sermon, two boys listening to him disappeared underground. They were naked and told their king everything, and he invited the great teacher to come to him. Sriman accepted the invitation and began preaching there. The nagas begged him to stay with them, but he decided to take the Prajnaparamita Sutra with him, and in return he erected 10 million sanctuaries for them, and the nagas became his friends. From then on he was known as Nagarjuna.

The Master came to the eastern country of Patavesa and built many temples, just as in the country of Radha. In the northern country of Kiti, he met the boy Jetak and predicted to him that he would become king. When this happened, Nagarjuna presented him with "Ratna-avali".

When Nagarjuna lived in Cahora, Kangxi province in South India, all its fifteen hundred cities were sacked. The Brahmins gathered and decided to leave the devastated country. The master, having learned about this, addressed them with a message in which he did not advise them to leave and said that in the new place, after all the ordeals of the exodus, they would find suffering. At the same time, he donated all his property and fortune to the brahmanas.

In total, Nagarjuna propagated his teachings for 600 years, reaching the heights of knowledge. Not wanting to limit himself to teaching, he took up practice and saw Tara with his own eyes. After parting with Nalanda, where one hundred Dharma meetings were established at that time, he begged for alms in other places. When he returned, he said to himself: “No, with my mentality I cannot increase the benefit of sentient beings.”

To develop the qualities necessary for this, Nagarjuna went to Rajagriha. On the very first day of reading the mantras, twelve demons from the main circle of evil spirits shook the earth. On the second day they caused a flood. The fire broke out on the third day, and on the fourth a hurricane began. The fifth day was marked by rain from various weapons, and the sixth by rockfall. On the seventh day, demons of both sexes appeared, scattering everything around, but they too were unable to interrupt Nagarjuna’s meditation.

Then the demon women from the north came to him and said, “How can we serve you?” “Bring me what I need to maintain life, I don’t need anything more,” Nagarjuna replied. And every day they brought him four handfuls of rice and some vegetables. Eating this way, the master practiced for twelve years, and during all this time one hundred and eight demons were under his control, and his thoughts were aimed at the benefit of living beings.

Then Nagarjuna went to the Ghadhashila mountains, intending to turn them into gold for the benefit of living beings. First he turned the mountains into steel, then into copper. But Manjushri warned him that so much gold would cause quarrels among people and evil would accumulate. And Nagarjuna abandoned his plan. Since then, the peaks of Ghadhashila have glowed with a dull yellowish light, like a copper lamp.

Nagarjuna headed south towards Sriparvata. On the way, he met shepherds on the banks of the Brahmaputra and asked them about the crossing. They showed him the way through the ravines to the sandbank with crocodiles. But one of them, having caught up, warned him and offered to help. And so the shepherd walked across the river, carrying Nagarjuna on his shoulders. In the middle of the river, Nagarjuna made crocodiles and other fearsome things appear, but the shepherd continued walking, saying: “You should not be afraid, I am still alive.” Then the master removed all the frightening illusions. When they reached the shore, he said:
- I am Arya Nagarjuna. Have you heard about me?
“I have heard what they say about you,” answered the shepherd, “but I have never seen you.”
- Now, on the river, you saved me. What can I do for you?
“I would like to become a king,” said the shepherd, hesitating.
The master cleared a place on the ground, then sprinkled water on the tallow tree, and its trunk turned into an elephant. “You will ride on it,” said Nagarjuna. The shepherd asked if he would need an army. "If an elephant trumpets, an army will appear." And so it happened. The shepherd became the king of Salabhand, his wife was called Sindhi, and he ruled the famous city of Bhahitana. Eight hundred cities with a population of one hundred thousand paid taxes to him.

The master went south to Sriparvata and stayed there to meditate. Once, when Nagarjuna was living in seclusion in Suvarna, a brahmana from the west of India, who was a thief, came there. He looked through the door and saw the teacher eating a sumptuous dinner from a golden platter. The thought of stealing the dish arose in the brahmana's head, but Nagarjuna sensed this and threw the dish out the open door.
“Why did you do this?” the Brahman asked humbly, entering the house and bowing low. “I had the idea of ​​stealing the dish,” he continued, “but now there is no need for that.” Why did you throw it to me?
“My name is Nagarjuna,” answered the teacher. - Wealth is here only for the benefit of others. I threw the dish away because when we die, we have nothing to do with things. Stay. You can eat and drink here without having to steal.
The brahmana was captivated by the teacher's behavior and asked for instructions. Nagarjuna gave him Guhyasamaja initiation and instructions on how to free himself from attachment to things:
“Imagine that all the things you want are horns on your head.
Whatever is precious is without its own nature: meditate on pure light."
Nagarjuna dumped the precious stones in a corner of the house and left the thief alone with them. Nagabodhi meditated according to what was said. Over the course of twelve years, such horns grew on his head that with every movement he clung to the corners. He was very unhappy. Returning, Nagarjuna asked the thief:
- You feel good?
“Bad,” he answered.
Nagarjuna laughed and gave these instructions:
"If you grow horns during meditation, it will poison all joy. Likewise, attachment to the best and the search for it brings suffering. Existing things have no nature, they are like clouds in the sky. Birth, life, death, goodness, trauma - where do they come from? What is it? What can make you happy? And what can destroy you if your mind is a pure space? From the very beginning there is nothing that needs to be done, because everything is empty."

Hearing this, the disciple directly realized emptiness as the fundamental property of things. After six months of meditation, he understood the unity of samsara and nirvana and gained siddhi. As Nagarjuna's best disciple, he became known as Nagabodhi. For the benefit of living beings, he used eight great siddhis: wandering underground, the sword, binding and untying, healing with pills and gaze, winged gait and the elixir of immortality. “Remain on Sriparvata,” said Nagarjuna, “to teach and work for the benefit of living beings.” And the teacher left him there. It is said that Nagabodhi was destined to live for two thousand years.

Meanwhile, King Salabhanda missed his teacher. He came to Sriparvata to bow to Nagarjuna and did not leave him.
“My empire is of little use and a lot of trouble, so I am increasingly unhappy.” I don't need a throne. I only want to sit before the eyes of the master.
“Don’t abandon it, this is your kingdom,” Nagarjuna replied. - Let your master be the precious rosary. Drive and I will give you a drink that removes the fear of death.
“If it is necessary for me to rule and then get a drink, I will do it,” said the upset Salabhanda, “but I hope that this is not necessary.”

Nagarjuna gave instructions to the king on how he should practice in his domain. Subsequently, Salabhanda mastered the art of alchemists and remained on the throne for a hundred years. During this time, the state flourished, and even animals and birds in the mountains lived happily.

A hundred years later, the king again found a reason to go to Nagarjuna, who at that time was intensively spreading the Teaching. The fact is that the evil spirit Sunandeshvara, filled with envy of the glory of Dharma, became the cause of frequent failures of teachers and the appearance of signs of split in the sangha. Signs of misfortune were not long in coming. The sun and moon almost lost their shine, fruits spoiled suddenly, rain did not appear for many days, and often there was nothing to eat. Epidemics grew, wars became more frequent. Many trees in the forest have dried up. Thinking about this, Salabhanda considered these to be signs that his teacher was in trouble, and, leaving the kingdom to his son Sandhikumara, with a small number of companions he went to Sriparvata. And so they met.
- Why did you come, son? - asked the master.
Salabhanda replied:
“Perhaps our luck has run out, and the teaching of the Conqueror is coming to its end.” Perhaps what we did not know became decisive, and great compassion - like the light of the moon in the clouds of affects and delusions. Will a teacher, like a diamond, move the fate of everything multi-component? I hurried so that the signs would not overtake me - I ask you, out of your compassion, do not leave this world.
The teacher said:
- Everything that is born cannot but die. Everything consisting of parts is destroyed. Everything accumulated is spent. Everything created is impermanent, but why are you upset? Take the elixir and go."
“The elixir is here, to be near you,” Salabhanda insisted. “If the teacher leaves us, what is the need for the elixir?”

Meanwhile, the master distributed his property. God Brahma appeared before him in the guise of a brahman and asked for his head. Nagarjuna agreed. King Salabhanda could not bear the pain of seeing his teacher die. Pressing his forehead against the master’s leg, he died. Everyone blamed the brahmana for this. Then the master gave his head. No one dared to separate her; finally he did it himself with a stalk of kusha grass. When he handed over the head to the brahmana, the trees withered and the merits of the people withered. Eight yakshas sat down to guard the body, and they are still there. The light entered Nagabodhi, the master's successor, and manifested itself during the month of the year when the time came. It is said that in the future the master's body will come to life and he will help living beings when Maitreya Buddha comes.

In another version, the story of kusha grass is as follows.

“King Antivahan, or Udayanabhadra, had an heir, Shaktiman. His mother gave him a very beautiful robe. He said that he would wear it when he ascended the throne. The mother objected: “You will not rule. Your father and teacher Nagarjuna discovered the elixir of life." The son went to Sriparvata - the place of residence of Nagarjuna. He began to preach his teachings to him. The young man tried to cut off the head of the teacher, but to no avail. The teacher explained that only a stalk of kusha grass can do this. The young man still cut off Nagarjuna's head, and then a verse came out of the master's neck. Yaksha took the head from the young man and threw it at a distance of a yojana (7.2 km), but the body and head came closer every year and finally united. And at night Nagarjuna began to work for the sake of the teaching and living beings "The spiritual son of Nagarjuna was Aryadeva, born on the island of Simhala in a lotus flower and accepted by the king of that country."

The teacher's activity was expressed in the compilation of a collection of Madhyamik hymns, in which the teaching is presented in accordance with scripture, and six fundamental Madhyamik treatises, which teach logical techniques; in demonstrating the teachings through the collection of quotations "Sutra-samucchaya" and the methodological instruction "Svapna-cintamani-parikatha", helping to purify the minds of Mahayanists and awaken holiness among Hinayanists. The work containing the principles of behavior of a householder is called "Suhril-lekha", and the principles of behavior of monks is called "Bodhi-gana".

His tantric treatises include “Tantra-samucchaya” - a brief summary of the theoretical and practical aspects of the teaching, “Bodhichitta-vivarana” - a predominantly theoretical work. "Pindikrita Sadhana" is a work on spiritual improvement. His works on medicine are Yoga Shataka and others. According to the science of politics - “Jana-poshana-bindu” (for lower officials), “Prajna-shataka” (for ministers), “Ratna-avali” (Mahayana theory and practice for kings). In addition, he owns the Pratityasamutpada Chakra, Dhurayoga Ratnamala, works on alchemy, as well as commentaries on the works of other teachers.

The "Naga" part of his name has the following meanings:

Born from the Ocean, which is the Essence, the Absolute (dharma-dhatu), for the real Naga is born in the sea;
- not sticking to the two extreme points of view about eternity and universal annihilation (for a real Naga does not know the boundaries of his presence);
- keeping the treasury of pearls of the Scripture (for Nag owns wealth in the form of gold and pearls);
- equipped with insight, burning and destroying (with fire, like the eyes of the nagas);
and the part "Arjuna" means "One who has gained power." The teacher is Arjuna, since he is, firstly, the guardian - the ruler of the kingdom of teaching, and secondly, the conqueror of the spirits of evil and all the sinful forces of the world.

The Mahamegha Sutra says:

“400 years after my departure, one of the Lichchhavas will become a monk under the name Naga and will preach my teachings. Ultimately, in the world of Prasannaprabha, he will become a Buddha named Janakaraprabha.”

Most likely, this sutra is talking about Nagarjuna. Here it is predicted for him that he will reach the eighth stage of perfection.

Taranatha
TEACHER NAGARJUNA

The religion was ruled by the teacher Nagarjuna and the Madhyamika system was extremely widespread. He also brought great benefit to the Shravakas, especially when he expelled many rule-breaking bhikkhus and shramaneras, who enjoyed great power among the clergy and who are said to number up to eight thousand; then all schools recognized him as their head.

Teacher Nagarjuna, with the help of a compound that turns stones or iron into gold, maintained for many years 400 Mahayana preachers in Sri Nalanda. Then he called upon the goddess Chandika, who wanted to one day take him to heaven, to the abode of the gods, but the teacher (Nagarjuna) said that he now had no need to go to the abode of the gods, but that he had called her so that she , as long as religion exists, has provided content to the spiritual Mahayana. Therefore, this goddess vowed to live near Nalanda, taking the form of Vaishyabhadra, a noble woman from the Vaishyas; and the teacher, having driven a nail, as large as a man can carry, from khadira wood into a very high place of the large wall in the temple of Manjushri, built of stone, ordered her to feed the spiritual ones until this nail turned into dust. Thus, for 12 years she provided everything the spiritual needed. Finally, when the obscene sramanera, who was holding the position of housekeeper, constantly pestered her with passion, to which she at first did not say a word, she promised to comply with his desires if he turned a nail from the khadir into ashes; that bad sramanera burned it, and when it was reduced to ashes, she immediately disappeared.

After that, the teacher, in its place, founded 108 Mahayana schools in 108 temples and in each one placed an idol of Mahakala, to whom he entrusted the guardianship of the faith...

At this time, Arya (Nagarjuna) created many Dharanis and Shatasahasrikas of the Prajnaparamita, which the Shravakas said were composed by Nagarjuna himself. From that time on, no more Mahayana sutras appeared.

To refute the objections of the Shravakas, who recognized the existence of matter, Nagarjuna composed five discourses and other books...

He also built many temples in the East in the kingdoms of Patavesa, or Vugam, Odivisha, Bhangala and Radha...

At the end of his life, Arya Nagarjuna arrived in the southern countries of India, enlightened King Udayan and ruled the faith there for many more years.

In the South, in the kingdom of Dravali, there were two unimaginably rich Brahmins Madhu and Supramadhu, who began to compete with the teacher Nagarjuna in the knowledge of Brahminical teaching: in the four Vedas, 18 sciences, etc., it turned out that they did not know even a hundredth part of what they knew teacher. Then both Brahmins said: “O you, son of Brahmins, who have completely studied all the shastras related to the three Vedas, why did you become a Buddhist?” Then Nagarjuna explained to them everything that was blameworthy in the Vedas and praiseworthy in the religion (Buddhist), from which they became overly reverent and began to honor the Mahayana. The teacher initiated them into charms (mantras)...

Thus, the teacher Nagarjuna, supporting the supreme religion in all ways, such as hearing, teaching, contemplating, building temples, maintaining spiritual things, deeds in favor of demons - living beings other than humans, refuting the attacks of the tirthikas - rendered incomparable benefit to the teaching of Mahayana .

Nagarjuna was also an architect who undertook numerous efforts to restore, strengthen and glorify the central Buddhist pilgrimage site - the Bodhi Tree shrine, where Buddha achieved enlightenment. Among the architectural, sacral and protective measures, tantric ones were also taken: the installation of sculptural images of Mahakala riding a lion and holding a club on the tops of stone pillars. Later, these images were allegedly mounted on 108 chaitya chambers carved into the stone wall. In addition, during the same period, several kings and their servants acquired supernatural powers-siddhis through entering Mantrayana and performing tantric rituals.

There are two opinions, agreeing that King Udayana lived about 150 years, but disagreeing on the years of Nagarjuna's life; according to some, he was 71 years short of life up to 600 years, and according to others - 29. According to the first, he lived 200 years in Magadha, 200 in the South and 129 years on Mount Sriparvata; Obviously, this is only said roughly, and my teacher, a lama and pandit, says that here half a year is considered a whole year. According to the second opinion, similar in all other respects to the first, Nagarjuna’s life on Mount Sriparvata is estimated at 171 years.

Since Nagarjuna created the elixir of life - he became a rasayana-siddha, the color of his skin became similar to the color of a jewel; and while engaged in contemplation on Mount Sriparvata, he reached the first region - Bodhisattvas, and his body was adorned with 32 signs "...

Nagarjuna, living in Magadha and ruling the religion, built temples and so on in abundance, it was a period of strengthening. But when Nagarjuna went to the South and worked there for the benefit of animate beings, then the teaching of Mleccha began, and when Nagarjuna settled on Mount Sriparvata and under the Brahmin king Pushyamitra all such calamities occurred, it is obvious that this is the beginning of a period of weakening...

(Vaidarbha, from the Brahmins and for salvation from premature death, was sent to Nalanda, where he studied various tantras from Rahulabhadra. Upon his return from the dragons, he refuted the bhiksha Shankara and, having collected all the books disputing the Mahayana, composed by the shravaka Sandhaba, hid them in the ground; in the area of ​​​​Jatasanghata converted 500 tirthikas. When he went to the North, to Dwipa Uttarakura, he met a boy to whom he predicted that he would be king and after 12 years on his return he found that this had already come true. This was King Udayana, who also made progress in the tantras and could not die until Nagarjuna died. Then Sushakti, the son of Udayana, arriving at Mount Sri Parvata, turned to the teacher to give him his head. From Buston we learn that his spiritual name was Srimat, and according to others - Shakyamitra that Udayana is also called Antivahana and the boy, when Nagarjuna met him in the city of Salamana (or Alamana?) was called Jetaka. Buston says that he was born 400 years after the Buddha; in one of the most ancient Chinese interpretations on "Mulamadhyamiku" attributed to Vindurloka (Blue-eyed - now transliterated as Pingala.), it is said that Nagarjuna began to refute the shravakas after 500 years. We cannot list here all the works attributed to Nagarjuna: the most important ones, like the five discourses, number 25... Xuanzang calls Mount Sriparvata Paramalagiri in the kingdom of Kosala).

At that time in Sri Nalanda (under Chandragupta) the teacher Aryadeva and Nagahvaya ruled by faith with great benefit...

About the time the teacher Nagarjuna set out from the domain of King Udayana to Mount Sriparvata, Aryadeva met him and, accompanying him to this mountain, acquired the siddhis of the vital elixir and many others; Finally, Nagarjuna gave him the soulful teaching. After the death of the teacher Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, living in the nearest southern countries, brought benefit to creatures by contemplating, listening and teaching...

At the same time as the teacher Aryadeva, there lived in the southern countries the teacher Nagahvaya - called by the dragons, whose real name was Tathagatabhadra; but he was so nicknamed because, at the invitation of the dragons, he came to their kingdom seven times, composed many interpretations on the Mahayana sutras and severally explained the madhyama of the Yogacharyas... This teacher is also a disciple of Nagarjuna.

Moreover, in the East, in the kingdom of Bhangala, two elderly parents had one son; since they were poor, Nagarjuna gave them a lot of gold, and all three, being very pleased, became his disciples. This son, who, while living near Nagarjuna, acquired the siddhi of the vital essence and, having entered the spiritual rank, became an expert in the “three vessels” (Pitakas), is (none other than) Nagabodhi. Throughout Nagarjuna’s life he was his servant, and when he died, he settled in a deep cave in the side of Mount Sriparvata and, contemplating with one thought, after 12 years acquired the supreme siddhi Mahamudra and spent the rest of his life in a body like the sun and moon . He has two names: Nagabodhi - dragon holiness and Nagabuddhi - dragon mind.

Teacher Nagarjuna lived with 1000 disciples in the North on Mount Ushira, and one of the disciples turned out to be so stupid that he could not even memorize one shloka for several days, and Nagarjuna jokingly told him to imagine what was growing on his head horns; he really began to contemplate and, since he was gifted with a very strong imagination, he immediately felt the signs of horns, which soon rested against the wall of the cave in which he was sitting; then Nagarjuna, seeing that he had excellent abilities, told him to imagine that his horns were disappearing, and they really disappeared. Nagarjuna, having taught him some information about Nishpannakrama, ordered him to contemplate, and he soon acquired Siddhi Mahamudra. After that, the teacher, together with his students, prepared a mercury elixir at six months (he practiced parada-rasayana), but when distributing a Shinkhib pill to each, he touched the pill with his head, threw it anywhere and, when asked by Nagarjuna about the reason, answered: “I don’t need this.” "If you yourself, teacher, want to have such pills, then order the preparation of vessels filled with water." Then they placed 1000 large wine vessels filled with water, and the forest (in which they stood) seemed full. Then the sorcerer poured a drop of his urine into each vessel and they all became filled with magical essence or juice of gold. Teacher Nagarjuna hid all this in one inaccessible cave in the side of that mountain and made a wish that in the future it would serve the benefit of animate beings...

Nagarjuna criticized classical Buddhist teachings, converted to Mahayana, polemicized with opponents of Buddhism, participated in missionary activities, was already revered as a bodhisattva during his lifetime, and after his departure became an object of veneration.

Following the textbook “Torchinov E.A. Introduction to Buddhology":

The starting point for Nagarjuna's discourse is his recognition of the principle of dependent origination (pratitya-samutpada) as a methodological basis. Nagarjuna's main conclusion: everything exists only insofar as it is causally determined, and there is nothing (not a single dharma) that is not causally determined. And this means that nothing (not a single dharma) has its own existence (svabhava), that is, there is no essence that would be self-sufficient, that would exist on its own, by virtue of its own nature. Since this is so and everything is causally determined, there are no self-existent entities, for borrowed being is not genuine being, just as borrowed money is not real wealth. The chain of causality is open: there is no absolute “lender” (God, the Absolute), and phenomena endlessly determine each other’s existence.

Thus, all dharmas are empty, without substance and without support. Thus, Madhyamaka complements the old Abhidharma: its principle of pudgalanairatmya (“selflessness of personality”) is supplemented by a new one, namely the principle of dharma nairatmya (“selflessness of dharmas”). Now it is already pointless to “distinguish between dharmas”: they are completely “equal” relative to each other (samata) of emptiness. Therefore, prajna can no longer be understood as discriminating wisdom; now this is an extra-semiotic comprehension (intuition) of the nature of reality, the nature of what truly is. As the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra says: “For all dharmas, emptiness is their [common] essential feature. They are neither born nor destroyed, neither polluted nor purified, neither increased nor diminished.” However, everything that is semiotic, iconic, describable, verbalizable is only appearance and semblance, the fruit of the activity of discriminating thought (vikalpa) and its construct (kalpana).

Any attempt to create a metaphysical system or relevant ontology adequate to reality is doomed to failure; thinking that we are describing being, we are describing only our ideas about being, created by our discriminating thought, which first of all posited the subject-object dichotomy as a condition of empirical knowledge. First, we put labels on reality, and then we begin to study them, taking them for reality itself, or, in other words, taking a finger pointing to the moon as the moon (an image of Chinese Taoist literature, which was, however, actively used by Chinese Buddhists).

Proving the unsuitability of philosophical categories (both Buddhist and Brahmanical schools) for describing reality and creating an adequate ontology, Nagarjuna uses a kind of negative dialectic, called “prasanga” (“negative argumentation”).

Language, in principle, cannot adequately describe reality, because all linguistic forms are inadequate to reality. Philosophical thinking, which operates with concepts and categories, is also inadequate to it. Logical thinking is unable to comprehend reality as it is, and language is unable to describe it. Consequently, no ontology, no “science of being” is possible, because it will always be associated not with reality, but with our ideas about it or even with some pseudo-reality constructed by our thinking skills and false ideas. Everything that is real is indescribable, everything that is described is unreal.

E.A. Torchinov “Religions of the World”

In the Mula Madhyamaka Karika, Nagarjuna considers and rejects as irrelevant categories such as causality, motion, time, space, quantity and a number of others. Let's look at two examples: Nagarjuna's critique of the cause-effect relationship and the critique of the Buddhist theory of instantaneity and the category of time.

Nagarjuna asks the question: what is the relationship between cause and effect? Can we say that the effect is different from the cause? No, we cannot, because in this case it is impossible to prove that this consequence is a consequence of this particular cause and not of any other reason. Maybe the effect and the cause are identical? No, either, because then it makes no sense to distinguish them at all. Maybe cause and effect are both identical and different? No, this is also impossible, because this view will combine the errors of the first two statements. Can we say that a cause produces an effect? It is impossible, because in this case we must assume the possibility of the following alternatives: a) the effect was already present in the cause; b) the effect did not pre-exist in the cause, but appeared anew; c) both took place together. These alternatives are equally impossible. In the first case, you cannot talk about cause and effect at all, since they are simply the same thing. In the second case, something incredible is affirmed, since being and non-being, like life and death, light and darkness, are opposite (mutually exclusive) opposites, and if something does not exist, then it cannot exist - “no” cannot turn into “yes” “, from “nothing” “something” cannot come. The third case combines the incorrectness of both the first and second options. Thus, cause does not produce effect; nothing can be produced at all. Causality is empty.

In approximately the same way, Nagarjuna shows the incorrectness of the category “time”. What is time? These are past, present and future. But it is clear that none of these dimensions is “original”; they exist only in relation to each other, being entirely determined by each other: the concept of “past” makes sense only in relation to the future and the present, the future - in relation to the past and present, and the present - in relation to past and future. But the past is no longer there. There is no future yet. Where is the real then? Where is that “moment between the past and the future, which is called “life”? After all, this supposedly real “present” exists in relation to two fictions - that which no longer exists, and that which does not yet exist.

Thus, a strange picture emerges: causality, time, space, and motion exist empirically, but as soon as we try to rationally analyze the categories denoting these phenomena, we immediately find ourselves immersed in an ocean of insoluble contradictions. Consequently, all philosophical categories are only products of our mental activity, completely unsuitable for describing reality as it is.

From here Nagarjuna moves on to the theory of two truths, or two levels of knowledge. The first level of knowledge is the level of empirical reality (sanvrittisatya), corresponding to everyday practice. In relation to this level, we can talk about the conditional existence of causality, movement, time, space, unity, multiplicity and the like. This level is different from pure illusion - dreams, hallucinations, mirages and other appearances like “horns on a hare”, “fur on a turtle” or “the death of a barren woman’s son”. But it is equally illusory relative to the level of absolute or supreme truth (paramarthasatya). This level is inaccessible to logical discourse, but is comprehensible by the powers of yogic intuition.

The ideas of the famous “atheistic” treatise by Nagarjuna (“On the fact that Vishnu could not create the world…”), translated into Russian by F.I., are also associated with the use of the negative dialectics of Madhyamaka. Shcherbatsky. In this treatise, Nagarjuna makes the following anti-creationist arguments. First, theists say that since everything has a cause, the world as a whole must also have its cause, and that cause is God. However, in this case, God must also have his own reason, she must have hers, and so on ad infinitum. It is completely incomprehensible why the chain of causality should end with God. Secondly, every action presupposes some goal, and the presence of such a goal is the imperfection of the actor. If God creates the world, it means that he needs it for some reason, he lacks something, and therefore, he is not perfect and self-sufficient, which contradicts the very idea of ​​God. This means that either God does not create the world, or he is not perfect, that is, he is not God in the theistic understanding. If God creates the world without motive and purpose, then he is like a small, unreasonable child who himself does not understand what he is doing, and this is also incompatible with the concept of God. Finally, the idea of ​​creation itself is internally contradictory: after all, if the world does not exist, then it could not appear, because being cannot arise from non-existence, and something cannot arise from nothing.

From his premises, Nagarjuna draws another conclusion, which is extremely important for the religious doctrine of the Mahayana: he asserts the identity of Samsara and Nirvana:

No difference at all

Between Nirvana and Samsara.

No difference at all

Between Samsara and Nirvana.

What is the limit of Nirvana,

There is also a limit to Samsara.

Between these two we can't find

Even the faintest shadow of difference.

Nagarjuna. Mulamadhyamaka-karikas, XXV, 19-20

This statement of Nagarjuna is open to two interpretations, both of which have been used in the Buddhist tradition. Firstly, we can say that samsara is an illusory aspect of Nirvana, constructed by the discriminating consciousness, which disappears with the correct comprehension of reality, just as a snake disappears, for which a rope was mistakenly taken in the dark after realizing this mistake. In this case, all living beings were, are and always will be Buddhas. They have never entered Samsara and are initially in nirvana. All the suffering of Samsara, the entire beginningless cycle of births and deaths is only an illusion that must be eliminated by the highest knowledge - Prajna-paramita, the Transcendental Wisdom.

The second interpretation is related to Madhyamaka relativism. Since Nirvana is Nirvana only in relation to Samsara, and Samsara is such only in relation to Nirvana, then neither Samsara nor even Nirvana have their own existence, and therefore, they are also empty and insubstantial, and their common Tathata, the true nature, is Shunyata, emptiness. The Bodhisattva realizes the emptiness of both Samsara and Nirvana and thus achieves Buddhahood.