Investigation of Essences
15. Investigation of Essences
(Essence)
1. /rang bzhin rgyu dang rkyen las ni//’byung bar rigs pa ma yin no//rgyu dang rkyen las gang byung ba’i//rang bzhin byas pa can du ‘gyur/
1. It is unreasonable for an essence to arise from causes and conditions.
Whatever essence arose from causes and conditions would be something that has been made.
2. /rang bzhin byas pa can zhes byar//ci ltar bur na rung bar ‘gyur//rang bzhin dag ni bcos min dang//gzhan la ltos pa med pa yin/
2. How is it possible for there to be “an essence which has been made?”
Essences are not contrived and not dependent on anything else.
3. /rang bzhin yod pa ma yin na//gzhan gyi dngos po ga la yod//gzhan gyi dngos po’i rang bzhin no//gzhan gyi dngos po yin zhes brjod/
3. If an essence does not exist, how can the thingness of the other exist?
[For] the essence of the thingness of the other is said to be the thingness of the other.
[There is a problem here with the Tibetan translation from Sanskrit. Svabhava is translated as rang bzhin, but parabhava rather clumsily as gzhan gyi dngos po [the term first appears in I:3]. A Tibetan reader would thus lose the etymological connection between “own-thing” (svabhava) and “other-thing” (parabhava), which then link up with “thing” (bhava) and no-thing (abhava). Nagarjuna is playing on the word “thing”.]
4. /rang bzhin dang ni gzhan dngos dag//ma gtogs dngos po gang [Ts.=ga] la yod//rang bzhin dag ni gzhan dngos dag//yod na dngos po ‘grub par ‘gyur/
4. Apart from an essence and the thingness of the other, what things are there? If essences and thingnesses of others existed, things would be established.
5. /gal te dngos po ma grub na//dngos med grub par mi ‘gyur ro//dngos po gzhan du ‘gyur ba ni//dngos med yin par skye bo smra/
5. If things were not established, non-things would not be established.
[When] a thing becomes something else, people say that it is a non-thing.
6. /gang dag rang bzhin gzhan dngos dang//dngos dang dngos med nyid lta ba//de dag sangs rgyas bstan pa la//de nyid mthong ba ma yin no/
Those who view essence, thingness of the other, things and non-things do not see the suchness in the teaching of the awakened.
7. /bcom ldan dngos dang dngos med pa//mkhyen pas ka tya ya na yi//gdams ngag las ni yod pa dang//med pa gnyi ga’ang dgag par mdzad/
7. Through knowing things and non-things, the Buddha negated both existence and non-existence in his Advice to Katyayana.
8. /gal te rang bzhin gyis yod na//de ni med nyid mi ‘gyur ro//rang bzhin gzhan du ‘gyur ba ni//nam yang ‘thad pa mi ‘gyur ro/
8. If [things] existed essentially, they would not come to non-existence.
It is never the case that an essence could become something else.
9. /rang bzhin yod pa ma yin na//gzhan du ‘gyur ba gang gi yin//rang bzhin yod pa yin na yang//gzhan du ‘gyur ba gang gi yin/
9. If essences did not exist, what could become something else? Even if essences existed, what could become something else?
10. /yod ces bya ba rtag par ‘dzin//med ces bya ba chad par lta//de phyir yod dang med pa la//mkhas pas gnas par mi bya’o/
10. “Existence” is the grasping at permanence; “non-existence” is the view of annihilation. Therefore, the wise do not dwell, in existence or non-existence.
11. /gang zhig rang bzhin gyis yod pa//de ni med pa min pas rtag//sngon byung da ltar med ces pa//das na chad par thal bar ‘gyur/
11. “Since that which exists by its essence is not non-existent,” is [the view of] permanence. “That which arose before is now non-existent,”leads to [the view of] annihilation.
rang bzhin brtag pa zhes bya ba ste rab tu byed pa bco lnga pa'o // //