Nagarjuna
~150–250 CE · Indian · Kushan Empire
Known for: Buddhist who proved everything is empty—including his own arguments—and that was the point
Founded the Madhyamaka school, becoming the most important Buddhist philosopher after the Buddha. He deconstructed every position—including his own—to demonstrate nothing has inherent existence (shunyata).
Of Brahmin birth, he converted to Buddhism. His concept of emptiness became Mahayana Buddhism's backbone, studied from Tibet to Japan.
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