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On Puṇyapariṇāmanā in Nāgārjuna's Works
Author(s) -
MITRIKESKI DRASKO
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of religious history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1467-9809
pISSN - 0022-4227
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9809.2010.00973.x
Subject(s) - bodhisattva , buddhism , figure of merit , philosophy , psychology , computer science , theology , computer vision
An important but rarely discussed feature in Nāgārjuna's works is the presence of a dedicatory verse (puṇyapariṇāmanā) in some and its absence in others. The paper looks at all reliably attributed works by Nāgārjuna, examining similarities in those that dedicate merit and similarities in those that do not. In addition, the paper establishes the criterion by which the author classes some of his works as merit generating so that he, as a practising bodhisattva can transfer it. The paper concludes that, contrary to the established opinions, the motive of obtaining puṇya has been of the highest importance for Nāgārjuna.