Gary Donnelly
Postgraduate Research Student
Biography
Gary has achieved: a BA (1st class), MA (Disctinction) and is currently working on his PhD in Philosophy. Gary is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Philosophy department. Aside from his theis Gary also practices Sanskrit, Pāli and (recently) Tibetan. Gary is a lover of dogs and claims to boast an obscene collection of guitars.
Research Interests
Indian Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Language, Metaphysics, Sanskrit, Pāli, Tibetan.
PhD Thesis
Gary's research focuses on Indian Subcontinental Philosophy. he has particular interests in Vasubandhu, Nāgārjuna and Śaṅkara. His thesis considers the extent to which Śaṅkarian Advaita and Madhyamaka Mahāyāna can be claimed to be analogous.
Gary addresses this question following the lead of Bhattacharya in the 2015 translation of his 'Ātman-Brahman in Ancient Buddhism', where he claims that schools such as Madhyamaka either explicitly or implicitly endorse the existence of the transcendental Brahman as the cause of and support of all existence. Gary's research hopes to show that for Mādhyamikas, this position is untenable, and that Nagarjunian quietism about an absolute does not equate to the endorsement of one.
Research Funding
Full Arts and Humanities Research Council Scholarship 2014
Teaching and Learning
Graduate Teaching Assistant- Philosophy Department
Research Group Membership
UK Association for Buddhist Studies