NAGARJUNA IN CHINA: A Translation of the Middle Treatise

The great Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna's writings on emptiness (sunyata) have profoundly influenced Indian, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism for nearly 2000 years. The central statement of his thought is found in his Middle Stanzas. The Middle Treatise (T. 1564) here translated in full into English for the first time, is Kumarajiva's Chinese version of Nagarjuna's Middle Stanzas with the commentary attributed to the monk 'Blue Eyes' (Pingala, Vimalaksa) that exists only in the Chinese Buddhist canon. The introductory chapters set the Treatise in context within the Sino-Japanese Buddhist tradition, introduce Madhyamika ideas found in the Middle Treatise, and provide a detailed commentary on the Treatise for the modern reader, discussing each chapter and clarifying the argument of the Treatise. The Translation of all 27 chapters of the Middle Treatise forms the heart of the work, while the extensive Notes to the translation contain more discussion and specialized information including many of the Chinese terms found in the Treatise. The authorship of the Middle Treatise is considered in an Appendix. This is a significant addition to the small but growing body of translated texts of Sino-Japanese Buddhism, a tradition that remains relatively under-represented in modern Buddhist studies.