Origin and Emptiness - A Critique of the Tathagatagarbha Thought: A Critique of the Tathagatagarbha Thought

Author: Hiroshi Matsumoto
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Since the 1980s, a critical Buddhist movement has emerged in Japan's Buddhist community, centered around Daitoku-ji University in the tradition, which reinterprets and evaluates Indian Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Japanese Buddhism from the perspective of early Buddhism (primitive Buddhism). This movement has not only stirred a great uproar in Japan's academic and religious circles but has also influenced academia and the Buddhist community in Europe, America, and the Chinese-speaking world. This book, along with Katsuyoshi Kuroda's Critique of the Thought of Original Enlightenment, forms two landmark works of the critical Buddhist movement. The original book consisted of eight academic essays intended to argue for the core Buddhist concepts of "pratītyasamutpāda" (interdependent origination) and "?ūnyatā" (emptiness). After consulting with the author, Hiroshi Matsumoto, the translation omits two essays that are limited to local Japanese topics, selecting six essays instead to present to readers. The hope is that this will enable the Chinese academic community to more quickly and accurately understand the true nature of the critical Buddhist movement.