Bhaviveka (ca. 500 560 ce) lived at a time of unusual creativity and ferment in the history of Indian Buddhist philosophy. The Mahayana movement was emerging as a vigorous and self-conscious intellectual force, while the earlier traditions of the eighteen schools (nikaya) resisted the authority of the Mahayana and continued to elaborate the fundamental concepts of Buddhist thought.
Bhaviveka s Verses on the Heart of the Middle Way (Madhyamakahrdayakarika ) with their commentary, known as The Flame of Reason (Tarkajvala), give a unique and authoritative account of the intellectual differences that stirred the Buddhist community in this creative period.
Bhaviveka and His Buddhist Opponents gives a clear and accessible translation of Chapters 4 and 5 of this text: the chapters on the Sravakas, or eighteen schools, and the Yogacaras, Bhaviveka s most important Mahayana opponents. The translation is introduced by an essay that situates Bhaviveka in the intellectual context of sixth-century India, and it is accompanied by copious notes, commenting on Bhaviveka s sources and explaining his controversial method. The book also contains a critical edition of the Sanskrit text of Bhaviveka s verses and the Tibetan translation of the verses and commentary.