Rafal K. Stepien, "Buddhism Between Religion and Philosophy: Nāgārjuna and the Ethics of Emptiness" (Oxford UP, 2024)

Sep 24, 2024

Rafal K. Stepien, a Professor and author of "Buddhism Between Religion and Philosophy," dives into the profound teachings of Nāgārjuna, a pivotal figure in Buddhist philosophy. He unpacks the themes of emptiness and the radical idea of abandoning all views as part of achieving liberation. The conversation critiques Western interpretations of Eastern thought, emphasizing the intertwined nature of ethics and philosophy. Stepien also explores the literary qualities of Buddhist texts and the lesser-known developments of Madhyamaka philosophy in China, advocating for a richer understanding of these concepts.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Buddhist Philosophy and Academia

02:24 • 14min

Exploring Buddhism: Literature and Philosophy

16:42 • 6min

Understanding Nagarjuna: Religiosophy and the Tetralemma

22:49 • 27min

Embracing Emptiness: Nāgārjuna's Philosophy

50:03 • 18min

Exploring Broader Implications of Buddhist Philosophy

01:08:19 • 3min

Exploring the Legacy of Chinese Madhyamaka Philosophy

01:11:48 • 3min

Nāgārjuna (c. 150-250), founder of the Madhyamaka or Middle Way school of Buddhist philosophy and the most influential of all Buddhist thinkers aside from the Buddha himself, concludes his masterpiece, Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way, with these baffling verses:

For the abandonment of all views

He taught the true teaching

By means of compassion

I salute him, Gautama

But how could anyone possibly abandon all views? In Buddhism Between Religion and Philosophy: Nāgārjuna and the Ethics of Emptiness (Oxford UP, 2024), Rafal K. Stepien shows not only how Nāgārjuna's radical teaching of no-view or “abelief” makes sense within his Buddhist philosophy, but also how it stands at the summit of his religious mission to care for all living beings. Rather than treating any one aspect of Nāgārjuna's ideas in isolation, here his metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics emerge as a single coherent and convincing philosophical-religious system of thought and practice.

Grounded in meticulous study of original texts from classical India and China but innovating on the theories and methods underpinning contemporary scholarship East and West, this study shows how profoundly important voices from the diverse religious and philosophical traditions of the world have until now been diminished, distorted, and silenced. In opening up truly global horizons of existing and co-existing in the world, this work challenges the very ways in which we think about religion and philosophy.

* Elucidates Nāgārjuna's thought in its Buddhist context, integrating his views on belief and intention, language and mind, action and attachment, selfhood and suffering, violence and peace, emptiness and Buddhahood

* Presents a trenchant critique of the Christian and Western assumptions still dominating the study of religion and philosophy today

* Introduces and clarifies ideas of pivotal importance to the history of Buddhist thought in India, Tibet, China, and Japan

Readers may also find a related edited volume equally fascinating, Buddhist Literature as Philosophy and Buddhist Philosophy as Literature

Prof. Rafal Stepien is also leading a collaborative project, " The Ethics of Empty Beliefs: Chinese Buddhist Philosophy in the ‘Period of Disunity’" that has openings for postdocs and will host several workshops on studies of Sanlun and its influences in Sinophone spheres.

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