prasangika

Buddhism

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "Prasangika" refers to a sub-tradition within the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. The Madhyamika system, founded by the philosopher Nagarjuna around the 2nd century CE, is also known as Shunyavada, or the "Doctrine of Negativity or Relativity". It systematized the concept of shunyata, often translated as "cosmic emptiness" or "voidness".123

Prasangika, along with the Svatantrika school, emerged in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. The Prasangika school, founded by Buddhapala, emphasized a more negative form of argumentation. Nagarjuna's philosophy, including the Madhyamika and Prasangika traditions, posits that all phenomena lack inherent existence and are empty of a self-nature. This "emptiness" is not a nihilistic void but rather the undifferentiated reality from which all apparent distinctions arise. The Prasangika school, in particular, used rigorous logic to demonstrate the emptiness and relativity of all philosophical positions.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Buddhapālita
…was the founder of the Prāsaṅgika school of Buddhism, mainly distinguished by its method of argumentation, similar to the Socratic dialogue. Buddhapālita wrote one of the early commentaries on the Akutobhaya (“The Safe One”) by the famous monk Nāgārjuna. Today, however, both the commentary and the original are available only…
Read More
…was the founder of the Prāsaṅgika school of Buddhism, mainly distinguished by its method of argumentation, similar to the Socratic dialogue. Buddhapālita wrote one of the early commentaries on the Akutobhaya (“The Safe One”) by the famous monk Nāgārjuna. Today, however, both the commentary and the original are available only…
Read More

Buddhism
Madhyamika (Sanlun/Sanron)
The Prasangika school, which emphasized a more negative form of argumentation, was founded by Buddhapalita (c. 470–540), who wrote many works, including a commentary on Nagarjuna’s Madhyamika Karika. The school was continued by Chandrakirti, a famous logician of the 7th century and author of a commentary…
Read More
The Prasangika school, which emphasized a more negative form of argumentation, was founded by Buddhapalita (c. 470–540), who wrote many works, including a commentary on Nagarjuna’s Madhyamika Karika. The school was continued by Chandrakirti, a famous logician of the 7th century and author of a commentary…
Read More

Indian philosophy
Nagarjuna and Shunyavada
…as prasanga, are called the prasangikas; of these, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, and Chandrakirti are the most important. Bhavaviveka, however, followed the method of direct reasoning and thus founded what is called the svatantra (independent) school of Madhyamika philosophy. With him Buddhist logic comes to its own, and during his time the…
Read More
…as prasanga, are called the prasangikas; of these, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, and Chandrakirti are the most important. Bhavaviveka, however, followed the method of direct reasoning and thus founded what is called the svatantra (independent) school of Madhyamika philosophy. With him Buddhist logic comes to its own, and during his time the…
Read More