Kapimala

Kapimala, the thirteenth patriarch, was an accomplished master of Brahmanical lore before his conversion to Buddhism through an encounter with Ashvaghosha. He was skilled in philosophical argumentation and had led a community of followers when Ashvaghosha engaged him in dialogue. As with Ashvaghosha's own conversion, the encounter was not primarily a matter of winning an argument but of recognizing something beyond argument altogether.

After receiving transmission from Ashvaghosha, Kapimala became a tireless teacher and eventually recognized the exceptional capacity of Nagarjuna, one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Buddhism. Kapimala's meeting with Nagarjuna began not as a philosophical encounter but as a direct pointing to what lies beneath and beyond all philosophical positions.