Bhaviveka (ca. 500–560 ce) lived at a time of unusual creativity and ferment in the history of Indian Buddhist philosophy. The Mahayana movement was emerging as a vigorous and self-conscious intellectual force, while the earlier traditions of the eighteen “schools” (nikaya) resisted the authority of the Mahayana and continued to elaborate the fundamental concepts of Buddhist thought.

      Bhaviveka’s “Verses on the Heart of the Middle Way” (Madhyamakahrdayakarika˙) with their commentary, known as “The Flame of Reason” (Tarkajvala), give a unique and authoritative account of the intellectual differences that stirred the Buddhist community in this creative period.

      Bhaviveka and His Buddhist Opponents gives a clear and accessible translation of Chapters 4 and 5 of this text: the chapters on the Sravakas, or eighteen schools, and the Yogacaras, Bhaviveka’s most important Mahayana opponents. The translation is introduced by an essay that situates Bhaviveka in the intellectual context of sixth-century India, and it is accompanied by copious notes, commenting on Bhaviveka’s sources and explaining his controversial method. The book also contains a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of Bhaviveka’s verses and the Tibetan translation of the verses and commentary.


Bhaviveka and His Buddhist Opponents, Eckel, Harvard University Press, Hardcover, 2009, 495 pages, $70.00

PART 1: ANALYSIS
Introduction. 3
The Author
   Bhāviveka and the Culture of Debate. 9
The Text
   The Problem of Authenticity. 17
   The Intellectual Structure of Bhāviveka's Compendium. 27
   Toward a Theory of Difference. 38
   Bhāviveka's Dialectical Method. 49
   The Standard Three-Part Syllogism. 53
   A Series of Linked Syllogisms. 59
The Argument
   Bhāviveka's Buddhist Opponents. 62
   Toward a Buddhist Philosophy of Religion. 81
Notes to Part 1. 88
PART 2: TRANSLATION OF CHAPTERS 4 AND 5 OF BHĀVIVEKA'S "HEART OF THE MIDDLE WAY" WITH THE "FLAME OF REASON" COMMENTARY
   A Note on the Translation. 99
   Ch. 4: Analysis of Reality According to the Śrāvakas. 103
   Ch. 5: Analysis of Reality According to the Yogācāras. 213
PART 3: SANSKRIT AND TIBETAN TEXTS
   A Note on the Edition. 301
   Ch. 4. Analysis of Reality According to the Śrāvakas. 303
   Ch. 5. Analysis of Reality According to the Yogācāras. 389
Bibliography. 447
Texts Named Or Quoted in the Commentary. 477
Index to the Sanskrit Verses. 481