The great
Arya Nagarjuna lived from about 150
CE to 200
CE. The "Middle-way"
Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna was called Madhyamika in
Sanskrit. Among his most famous works are many considered classics of the
Buddhist Canon by all by Buddhist schools. Below is an
excerpt from the
hymn of praise in a group of four hymns known collectively as the
Catustava.
Here are the first four
stanzas from the second of these hymns, called Niraupamyastavah (The
Hymn to the Incomparable One).
Homage to you, O incomparable one, who know the existence of an own being, to you who exert
yourself for the benefit of this world, gone astray by the false doctrines.
Nothing really has been seen by you with your buddha's eye, but your supreme vision, O Lord,
perceives the truth.
According to the supreme truth, there are not in this world either a knower of a knowable (object).
Ah! you have known the dharma's nature extremely difficult to be known.
No dharma has been produced or supressed by you; only with the perception of the (universal)
sameness the supreme state has been attained (by you).
(From Fernando Tola, "Nagarjuna's Catustava" in
Journal of Indian Philosophy 13 (1985) 1 - 54)