Nagarjuna "the Second Buddha"
Nowadays, Nagarjuna is known as a place with a fantastic viewpoint. Actually, it is derived from the holy saint. Nagarjuna holds great historical significance because this is the location where Manjushree, a Chinese saint, first laid eyes on what was to become Kathmandu Valley. Nagarjuna is one of the most important and revered figures in the history of Mahayana Buddhism. Often called "the Second Buddha," he is credited with founding the Madhyamaka ("Middle Way") school of Buddhist philosophy and for his profound teachings on the concept of emptiness. In the Mahayana Buddhism, there is a great description about Manjushree, who came to Nagarjuna during his pilgrimage tour from China to India. During that time, he spent some time in this mighty holy place. By that time, Kathmandu valley was covered with a Lake called Naagdaha (a holy snake Lake) and a small island was gleaming out on the Lake. The holy Manjushree realized that this could be an ideal place for building a monastery if the water could be drained away. Then, Holy Manjushree threw a seed of a lotus flower into the lake; the seed floated to the island, where his divine soul chose to build a religious site. Just after that, he took his magical sword in hand and followed the southern part of Kathmandu. He reached Chobhar gorge, attended a deep meditation, and chopped out the softest part of Naagdaha. His divine power drained out the water, then Kathmandu became a habitable place. Some years later, he revisited the Nagarjuna and started to establish the Holy icon on that island where the seed of the Lotus flower was planted. They gave a specific Holy name for that place as Soyambhu (Auto-established land) Stupa. Soyambhu received another conjoint NATH in the 7th Century and was called (SOYAMBHUNATH) by a South Indian priest. Later, in the 1970’s foreigners gave it another nickname as the MONKEY’S temple while it was difficult to pronounce Soyambhunath.
An earlier record shows that the Buddha also visited Nagarjuna's cave. The Water Garden, located a little south of Nagarjuna, is also a must-visit holistic attraction. This exquisite location offers a great range of history, nature, and aesthetic beauty! The Padmasambhava Monastery is a small den where hikers can rest and speak to the monks on a wide variety of topics.
Historical Figure
- Time and Place: He is believed to have lived in South India around 150-250 CE.
- Role in Mahayana Buddhism: He is seen as a pivotal figure in the development and defense of the Mahayana tradition. His work helped to systematize and clarify the teachings found in the Prajñāpāramitā ("Perfection of Wisdom") sutras.
- Connection to Nalanda: Hagiographies (accounts of saints' lives) state that he studied and later became the abbot of the great monastic university of Nalanda.
- Legends: Several legends surround his life, including the claim that he lived for hundreds of years, was a skilled alchemist who could turn iron into gold to help his monastery during a famine, and that he retrieved the Prajñāpāramitā sutras from the realm of the nāgas (serpentine beings).
Key Philosophical Contributions
Nagarjuna's core philosophy, expounded most famously in his work Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on the Middle Way), is centered on two main ideas:
- Emptiness (sˊuˉnyataˉ): This is his most significant contribution. For Nagarjuna, emptiness does not mean non-existence or a nihilistic void. Instead, it refers to the lack of "inherent existence" or "self-nature" (svabhaˉva) in all phenomena. Nothing exists independently; everything is interconnected and depends on causes and conditions. By understanding that all things are "empty" of a fixed, unchanging essence, one is liberated from the mistaken view that leads to attachment and suffering.
- The Middle Way: Nagarjuna's philosophy is an extension of the Buddha's teaching of the "Middle Way." He applied this concept to philosophical views, showing that all extreme positions—like believing things have an eternal, fixed existence (eternalism) or that they are annihilated at death (nihilism)—are flawed. The true Middle Way is the understanding of reality as empty of inherent existence, which transcends these extremes.
His Legacy
Nagarjuna's influence is immense and continues to this day.
- Madhyamaka School: He is the founder of this school, which became one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahayana Buddhism in India.
- Tibetan Buddhism: He is highly revered in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly for his teachings on emptiness. The Dalai Lama and other prominent Tibetan masters frequently teach from his works.
- Zen Buddhism: He is also considered a patriarch in Zen and other East Asian Buddhist traditions.
- Alchemy and Medicine: In some traditions, a different Nagarjuna is credited with works on alchemy and Ayurveda, leading to scholarly debate about whether these were the same person as the Buddhist philosopher.
