In the 5th chapter of the Madhyamakaratnapradīpa (MRP) we find the following stanza, attributed to Diṅnāga (sDe-dge 272b4-5): slob dpon phyogs kyi glaṅ pos kyaṅ | ’di na mya ṅan ’das lam groṅ khyer du | | de bźin gśegs pa’i gsuṅ gi ñi ma’i ’od can gyis | | bdag med śes pa’i ’phags [...]

In the 7th chapter of the Madhyamakaratnapradīpa, a work traditionally attributed to Bhāviveka, while discussing some fundamental concepts of the cittamātra doctrine, the author inserts an interesting quotation which is attributed to (the tantric?) Candrakīrtipāda (zLa-ba-grags-pa’i-źal-sṅa-na). Unfortunately, the original text from which the citation was taken remains still untraced. Nevertheless, what is interesting here, is [...]

The Centre for Eurasiatic and Afroasiatic Studies (CEAS), Bucharest organizes: The Fifth International Vedic Workshop Hotel Novotel, sala Paris Rive Droite, Bucharest 20.09.2011 – 11 papers 9.00-11.00 official opening: Sarvaśākhāsamanvayam vaidikamaṅgalam    addresses by the organizers: Michael Witzel, Shrikant S. Bahulkar, Jan E. M. Houben 11.00-11.30 coffee break 11.30-13.00 – plenary session: 3 papers MODERATOR: [...]

In a previous post I have taken into consideration Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā VIII, 4 in its Sanskrit and Tibetan versions. The Sanskrit texts runs thus: hetāv asati kāryaṃ ca kāraṇaṃ ca na vidyate | tadabhāve kriyā kartā karaṇaṃ ca na vidyate || That is: If there is no cause, both effect and cause are not found; [...]

The term used by early Buddhists to refer to what we know as “world” is, usually, the Pāli term loko. This word has more or less the same semantic extent of the French monde whose meaning is both «world» and «people» (consider, for instance, the compounds loka-visargaḥ, «distruction of the world» and loka-vikruṣṭaḥ, «offensive for [...]

After many years of accurate and painstaking work of several Italian scholars, also Italy has its dictionary of Sanskrit. A project originally by Oscar Botto. Dizionario Sanscrito-Italiano (ed. by Saverio Sani), Edizioni ETS, Pisa 2009, pp. LII + 1978, ISBN: 9788846721730, € 80,00. © Comitato Dizionario Sanscrito-Italiano, Torino; Director: Saverio Sani; Editorial coordinator: Irma Piovano. [...]