[#1: Apr 13, 2023] Dialectical Method of Nagarjuna: Vigrahavyāvartanī - Prof. Georges Dreyfus

Only through contemplation may we (slowly) come to develop the Buddha's understanding of reality: interdependent and empty of inherent existence. Shantideva Center invites you to dig deep into the nature of reality with Professor Georges Dreyfus as he teaches from a selection of texts by the Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna. In this three-session teaching on Madhyamaka or "Middle Way" philosophy, Professor Dreyfus gives a primer of Nagarjuna's wisdom as presented in chapters 1, 13, and 24 of his famous text Mūlamadhyamakakārikā ("Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way"). This overview sets the class up to examine Nagarjuna's other work next, Vigrahavyāvartanī ("The Dispeller of Disputes"). This short but illuminating composition uses a lively question-and-answer format to showcase the irrefutability of the correct view, even under the application of rigorous analysis.