Overview
- Provides invaluable insights into the East-West theological and philosophical dialogue
- Gives a unique and unexplored facet of apophasis in Buddhist-Christian traditions
- The only work that discusses “nothingness” in Buddhist-Christian traditions, focusing on Na´ga´rjuna and John of the Cross
Part of the book series: Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures (SCPT, volume 19)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
- Apophatism and comparative theology
- Buddhist Christian negation
- Concept of nothingness
- Denial of self
- Eight negations in Nagarjuna
- Emptiness in crosscultural philosophy
- John of the Cross and Nagarjuna
- La nada and limits of faculties
- Madhyamika Buddhism
- Madhyamika sunyata
- Negative theology
- Negative way and silence
- Neoplatonic theology
- Original texts of Nagarjuna
- Via negativa in Christian theology
- Via negativa in East and West
About this book
This book explores ‘nothingness’, the negative way found in Buddhist and Christian traditions, with a focused and comparative approach. It examines the works of Nagarjuna (c. 150 CE), a Buddhist monk, philosopher and one of the greatest thinkers of classical India, and those of John of the Cross (1542-1591), a Carmelite monk, outstanding Spanish poet, and one of the greatest mystical theologians. The conception of nothingness in both the thinkers points to a paradox of linguistic transcendence and provides a novel insight into via negativa. This is the first full-length work comparing nothingness (emptiness) in Nagarjuna (Mahayana Buddhism) and John of the Cross (Christianity) in any language. It augments the comparative approach found in Buddhist-Christian comparative philosophy and theology. This book is of especial interest to academics of Buddhist and Christian studies searching for avenues for intellectual dialogue.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
C. D. Sebastian (PhD, Banaras Hindu University) is Professor of Indian Philosophy in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, India. He is an established Indian Buddhist scholar and has expertise in philosophy, theology and religious studies. Among his works are Metaphysics and Mysticism in Mahayana Buddhism (2005, Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica Series – 238) and Recent Researches in Buddhist Studies (2008, Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica Series – 248).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Cloud of Nothingness
Book Subtitle: The Negative Way in Nagarjuna and John of the Cross
Authors: C. D. Sebastian
Series Title: Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3646-7
Publisher: Springer New Delhi
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer India 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-81-322-3644-3Published: 23 November 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-81-322-3877-5Published: 29 June 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-81-322-3646-7Published: 14 November 2016
Series ISSN: 2211-1107
Series E-ISSN: 2211-1115
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXX, 181
Topics: Non-Western Philosophy, Comparative Religion, Comparative Literature