Acharya Aryadeva - one of the 17 great Masters of Nalanda

Today we would like to continue the series #17PanditsOfNalanda#. 

Last time we told you about the great Master Nagarjuna, and today - about his outstanding disciple Aryadeva.

Making the circumambulation - the “ergts” along the great circle of “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”, each of us encounters the statues of the 17 Pandits - these are the renowned scholars of Nalanda University. And right after Arya Nagarjuna stands the statue of Acharya Aryadeva. He was born in Sri Lanka, into a royal family, and lived between the mid-2nd century and the 3rd century AD. In his early years he became a monk and diligently studied the Buddhist scriptures. Later he became a disciple of Nagarjuna. He was called a master of debate and logic. Aryadeva's most significant debate was held with the famous non-Buddhist philosopher Matriceta, who revered Shiva. After the debate, Aryadeva not only won but also converted him to Buddhism and taught him all sections of the Teaching, after which Matriceta composed texts about the life and deeds of the Buddha, which earned wide renown for their eloquence and poetry.

Acharya Aryadeva, carrying the Teaching of his mentor Nagarjuna, expounded the foundation of his philosophy - the Teaching of emptiness, which is the central idea of Madhyamaka (a philosophical school). He built many Buddhist monasteries, wrote works and treatises. These works today, in our time, serve as a kind of textbook for monks traveling the path to Enlightenment.

Aryadeva himself was always compassionate toward all sentient beings. He was recognized as a Bodhisattva.