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Dialectics in Mādhyamaka Buddhism and What It Can Teach International Relations
E-International Relations, Vol.25 January 2024
E-International Relations
2024
Abstract
There is a rich tradition of dialectics within the many schools of Buddhist philosophy. Whilst it is impossible to cover the richness of all these forms of analysis and debate, the Mādhyamaka school (or the ‘Middle-Way’) resonates strongly with the interests of IR because of its unique account of relations that stem, in large part, from its use of dialectical analysis. Negative dialectics remains the hallmark of the Middle-Way as conceived by Nāgārjuna around the 2nd Century, and even today the 14th Dalai Lama is quite open in his favour toward dialectical thinking (Central Tibetan Administration, 2010). The Gelugpa School in Tibet continues its centuries-old dialectical practice as a way to integrate analytical reasoning alongside sutra, tantra, and yogic practices with dialectics as one of the five main curriculum topics in Geluk monastic institutions (Duckworth, 2022). Even though this sometimes tends to scholasticism, the goal, then as now, is for thinking to not fall into either side of substantialism/eternalism (the view of an unchanging self and permanent/causeless creator – or the belief in Being) or nihilism (that there is nothing and no continuity – or the belief in Non-Being) (see Institute Of Buddhist Dialectics, 2013).
Details
- Title
- Dialectics in Mādhyamaka Buddhism and What It Can Teach International Relations
- Authors
- Shannon Brincat - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sustainability Research Cluster
- Publication details
- E-International Relations, Vol.25 January 2024
- Publisher
- E-International Relations
- Date published
- 2024
- ISSN
- 2053-8626
- Copyright note
- All content on the website (with the exception of images) is published under the following Creative Commons License.
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; Forest Research Institute; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991017597802621
- Output Type
- Blog
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