Introduction

Abstract This chapter introduces Candrakīrti’s place in the Indian and Tibetan philosophical landscapes. We note that Candrakīrti had limited, but significant, influence on later Indian Mādhyhamikas, particularly on Śāntideva and his commentators. But he had enormous influence in Tibet, where competing interpretations of Candrakīrti’s views defined philosophical debates about the status of conventional truth and the everyday world. Here we discuss his context in Indian Buddhism, including his antecedents and his impact on subsequent Indian Buddhist philosophers, as well as his extensive impact in Tibet, introducing the variety of interpretations presented by Tibetan exegetes of Candrakīrti’s philosophical position. This chapter provides the foundation for the analyses offered in subsequent chapters.