Nāgārjuna

Nāgārjuna (c. 150–250 CE) was an Indian Buddhist philosopher and the principal founder of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school of Mahayana Buddhism. Traditional accounts connect him with the Andhra region of southern India and with the Nalanda monastic tradition, though precise dates are uncertain. His foundational work, the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on the Middle Way), argues that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, arising only through dependent origination. Through systematic critique of positions held by rival schools, he developed a method of dialectical analysis that shaped later Buddhist and Indian philosophy.