Buddhist Philosophy from 750 Onward - Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (Volume XXII)

This is the fifth and last volume of the Encyclopedia to deal with Buddhist philosophy in India. The volume consists of summaries of the works of Buddhist philosophers who lived from the mid-8th century to the early 13th century. All the major systems of Buddhism-Sautrantika, Vaibhasika, Madhyamaka, and Yogacara-were fully developed at the beginning of this period, and a time of syncretism was underway. Such pivotal figures as Santaraksita were integrating various of these schools into an ordered hierarchy that could lead a person from the state of greatest ignorance to an inlightenment that would end the cycle of rebirths. As a source of philosophical literature, Buddhism largely disappeared from India after this period, although it continued to flourish in other parts of Asia such as Tibet.

KARL H. POTTER is Professor of philosophy and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, and is the General Editor of the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies containing 28 volumes: