Empty Logic

“Covers the basic philosophy and arguments of Madhyamika, as well as discussing its possible influence on other forms of Buddhist thought, including Zen.”—Journal of Chinese Philosophy   The chief purpose of Empty Logic is to expound the Madhyamika philosophy of emptiness as presented in Chinese sources and to clarify misconceptions about this important Buddhist ideology. It is an attempt to present the earlier Chinese San-lun exposition of Nagarjuna’s thought. To followers of Madhyamika, the doctrine of emptiness is not a metaphysical theory; rather it is essentially a way of salvation. Few people know that one of the most significant outcomes of Nagarjuna’s teaching was the creation of Zen (Ch’an) Buddhism in China.   In this work, Hsueh-li Cheng provides a general background of Buddhism to give a historical perspective of Madhyamika thought and development. After exploring the various meanings and use of emptiness in the process of salvation and illustrating the relationship between Madhyamika and Zen, Cheng investigates how Madhyamikas addresses the concepts of reality, God, and knowledge. There follows a brief comparison between Nagarjuna’s, Kant’s, and Wittgenstein’s philosophies to suggest the unique nature of Nagarjuna’s teaching and explain why his beliefs cannot be classified alongside the other two thinkers.   Teaching emptiness as the middle way, the revolutionary Madhyamika branch of Buddhism offers a singular and fascinating path to achieving liberation from the evil and suffering of the world.