Derrida and Mahāyāna Tradition of Nāgārjuna: A poststructuralist critique on logocentrism

Abstract

Nāgārjuna is considered to be one of major pillars of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Mahāyāna Buddhism earned a great deal of fame due to the work of Nāgārjuna together with his disciple Aryadeva. Logo centrism is basically focused on the relationship between thought, speech, and writing, according to Derrida, logo centrism accords special privileges to “logos”. As per Derrida logo centrism is an unquestioned metaphysical assumption, based on constructed structures that are alien to the reality. Nāgārjuna preached Śūnyatá which is critical on the realm of objects and the realm of subjects as he refutes a self-existing Svabhāva. Objective of this research is to reveal the draw the parallels between Western and oriental thought in case of logo centrism and understand the deconstructive endeavour of Nāgārjuna, and compare it with Derrida’s effort to reveal misconception of language from Plato to Ferdinand de Saussure. Literature survey has been done to incorporate and synthesize previous literature as the primary method of the research to argue on the central research question. The works of Nāgārjuna and Derrida were used for the critical analysis under the study. This research is based on the research method that is basically critical, speculative, and equipped with a momentous historical perspective in the post-structuralism lines of scholarly inquiry. Mādhyamika School, one of branches in Mahāyāna tradition, established a non-substantiality philosophy in the Indian thought that is a post-structuralism as it repudiates all extreme views that can be counted with structures. Both Nāgārjuna and Derrida opine that truth is not something ultimately real or logically irreducible. Mahayana Buddhist theories, like śūnyatá, need to be rediscovered to understand philosophical questions pertaining to human thought as human beings posit their lives on ideas from antiquity to the present day. Śūnyatá can also be developed as strategy as deconstruction for philosophical inquiry--a course of analysis, criticism, explanation, and speculation