A Buddhist Text from the 4th Century. Asaṅga – The Discrimination between Middle and Extremes (An Annotated

  • Ovidiu Nedu “History Museum“ of Galati
Keywords: antidotes (pratipakṣa) adverse factors (vipakṣa), Abhidharma, Mahāyāna, Hīnayāna, ultimate reality, transcendent insight (prajñā)

Abstract

The Discrimination between Middle and Extremes is one of the major Mahāyāna Buddhist texts, usually ascribed to the Vijñānavāda tradition. The second chapter deals with soteriological matters, being an analytical
exposition of the path. The chapter shows the blending of Mahāyāna’s ontology with the Abhidharmic henomenological analysis, which is one of the definitory features of Vijñānavāda. It has a high level of echnicality, being tributary to the very alambicated phenomenological classifications of the Abhidharmic masters. Equally technical is the third chapter, dealing with different perspectives of considering the reality. It approaches a metaphysical issue, the reality (a properly Mahāyānist issue), by making use of some specifically Hīnayānist systems of categories.

Author Biography

Ovidiu Nedu, “History Museum“ of Galati

Ph.D., Researcher, History Museum, Galaţi (Romania).

Published
2011-10-26
How to Cite
Nedu, O. (2011). A Buddhist Text from the 4th Century. Asaṅga – The Discrimination between Middle and Extremes (An Annotated. The Annals of "Dunarea De Jos" University of Galati. Fascicle XIX, History, 10, 155–170. Retrieved from https://www.gup.ugal.ro/ugaljournals/index.php/history/article/view/537
Issue
Vol 10 (2011)
Section
Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Obs.: This plugin requires at least one statistics/report plugin to be enabled. If your statistics plugins provide more than one metric then please also select a main metric on the admin's site settings page and/or on the journal manager's settings pages.