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Stemming from the works of Nāgārjuna (ca. 150 CE), one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Buddhist philosophy, the Madhyamaka (“Middle Way”) tradition flourished for over a thousand years in India as one of two main streams of thought in Mahāyāna Buddhism. To this day, most Tibetan Buddhists consider Madhyamaka to represent the pinnacle of Buddhist thought.
An anthology of original translations of Sanskrit philosophical works, A Madhyamaka Reader traces the arc of the Middle Way school over the course of its history. Presenting lengthy selections—including several complete texts—from the tradition’s main contributors, this book represents all the main currents over nearly a millennium of Madhyamaka philosophy’s development in India. The selections are prefaced by interpretive introductions that provide the background and context needed to grasp the distinctive contributions made by each text, and Dan Arnold’s clear and accessible translations enable readers to follow for themselves the arguments of some of the Buddhist world’s greatest philosophers. Suitable for a range of courses in Buddhist and comparative philosophy, A Madhyamaka Reader offers a comprehensive overview of one of the Buddhist world’s most significant traditions of thought.
— Jay Garfield, author of Losing Ourselves: Learning to Live Without a Self
Dan Arnold’s A Madhyamaka Reader presents an excellent collection of Madhyamaka source material drawn from an impressive array of Indian authors: the school’s founder Nāgārjuna and his disciple Āryadeva, as well as their main commentators and interpreters. Supplemented by clear and illuminating introductions, Arnold’s lucid translations of these texts form an indispensable resource for all students of the Indian philosophical tradition.
— Jan Westerhoff, professor of Buddhist philosophy, University of Oxford
Emptiness is, arguably, the central philosophical doctrine of Mahāyāna Buddhism, and it was the "Middle Way" or Madhyamaka school that explored its implications most thoroughly. Dan Arnold's A Madhyamaka Reader brings the breadth and depth of Indian Madhyamaka thought to life like no work before it and is simply one of the best books on Madhyamaka we have.
— Roger R. Jackson, John W. Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion, Emeritus, Carleton College
A Madhyamaka Reader offers a capacious anthology of key texts by eight masters of the Buddhist philosophy of the Middle Way, from Nāgārjuna in the second century to Prajñkaramati in the tenth, lucidly and accessibly translated with insightful introductions. Arnold's comprehensive survey is a major achievement, an invaluable resource for all students of Indian and Buddhist philosophy.
— Matthew T. Kapstein, professor emeritus, École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL Research University, Paris