THE STUDY OF CHINESE BUDDHISM’S FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE:THE INHERITANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF MADHYAMAKĀ

Abstract

Chinese Mahayana Buddhism is based on the theory of The Middle Concept, which was originated by Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva, who is highly esteemed within Mahayana Buddhism in China. Both the Han-dominated Exoteric Buddhism and the Tibetan-dominated Tibetan Buddhism are based on Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva’s Madhyamakā thought. Therefore, Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva is known as the “the Ancestor of the Eight Buddhist Schools” in Chinese Buddhism, and the Chinese Buddhist community regards him as “Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva” or “Arya-nāgārjuna”, which shows his important position in the hearts of Buddhists. Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva’s Madhyamakā thought integrates the doctrines of the Prajnaparamita Sutra and also led to the creation of the Madhyamakā School. Among them, the ideology that “all is empty”, which is the concept that all existence is a construction of name and speech as opposed to the ideology of a corresponding self, is not only regarded as the theoretical basis of Mahayana Buddhism in China but also influenced the development of all schools of Buddhism in later generations and provided its own contribution to the history of human thought. As a result, Chinese Buddhism formed a system of belief that differs from Indian Buddhism based on Madhyamakā Thought, which cannot be separated from the inheritance of the Madhyamakā School. On the basis of historical and documentary materials, this paper clearly explains the inheritance of the Madhyamakā School in Chinese Buddhism, in order to allow readers to understand the legacy and development of the Madhyamakā School.