Scriptural Words and Silence: Interpretation of Nirvāṇic Language in Prajñā Hermeneutics

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper deals with the hermeneutical relationship between scriptural
language and ultimate meaning as it is conveyed in Buddhist texts. Our frame
of reference is the Prajñā-Mādhyamika. In Buddhist understanding, speech and
words are considered only as a means or path (mārga), to understanding,
rather than reality itself. The Buddha exhorted his disciples to be cautious
with scripture, not merely clinging to his words as literal, but reflecting on
their interpretative meaning. The search for meaning in Buddhist scriptures is
a hermeneutical endeavor which seeks to reinterpret the speaker’s intent.
Buddhist commentarial traditions have tried to clarify the words of the
Buddha. But the Buddha’s words are only a means or signpost to
experiencing the reality of things as they truly are. In most Prajñā texts, the
masters abandoned their efforts to grasp ultimate meaning through literal
texts, and instead, attempted to understand through a reinterpretation of
scripture. Thus, the Mādhyamika system presents a paradox between letters
and meaning, in both positive and negative relationship with each other.

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